How do you build a log home that's
both family focused and guest-friendly, has a traditional
aura but modern comforts, and is geared for vacation
enjoyment in every season?
You plan carefully, as the Petersons
did when they decided to build in northern Minnesota.
At the outset, husband and wife were not equally
in favor of log houses. "I've always wanted
to have a log home," she says. But her husband,
though now decidedly an enthusiast, had to be persuaded.
For many years, his family had spent
vacations in the region and the couple (she, too, comes
from a large Minnesota family) wanted to continue a
tradition with their own children. Part of the attraction
is the locale. About a hundred miles from Canada, the
area is a Mecca for Midwest vacationers, especially
from the Twin Cities, who flock to the region for boating,
fishing and other water sports during the warm months.
In the winter, they can count on skiing, snowmobiling,
snowshoeing, hiking and other recreation. For the Petersons,
all avid golfers, there's the added attraction of excellent
courses nearby.
In 1997, family events signaled the
time was ripe to build a house that would provide year-round
relaxation as well as a welcome for an extended family.
After viewing the homes of friends in the Leech Lake
area, the Petersons decided to build their own log
dwelling on a two-plus-acre plot with 150 feet of lake
shoreline.
Next came the serious fun of planning,
starting with "a good bottle of wine and a napkin," as
they both tell it. Having viewed other homes, looked
at magazines, studied numerous floor plans and considered
their own needs and desires, they knew exactly what
they wanted. Northwoods Log Homes, the log manufacturer
recommended by the Petersons' friends, provided all
the basics. The company, which uses native Minnesota
pine and Western cedar, has long experience in putting
together design and material expertise for log structures,
particularly those exposed to rigorous winters.
With buildings in over 20 states and
Canada, Northwoods Log Homes points to their bolting
system that facilitates settling and secures each log
individually. The joint between the logs (the Peterson
house uses seven-and-a-half-inch-diameter pine) is
sealed with a neoprene gasket and high-quality caulking
to ensure weather tightness.
Although the couple's custom plan
did not follow one of the company's many available
layouts, the Petersons had the benefit of the manufacturer's
advice, for example, on converting a screened porch
into a glassed-in sunroom, thus allowing year-round
use. The wider doors recommended make the sunroom a
virtual extension of the living room when there's a
large party. Construction was begun in autumn 1997
and by the summer of 1998, Jim and Kevin Day of Northern
Industries had completed the work ("and did a
magnificent job," the owners agree).
The result of all the effort is a
striking three-level house with six bedrooms, five
bathrooms, and open decks on three sides. Despite its
spacious 4,500 square feet of living space, the layout
affords easy maintenance, adequate privacy and a leisurely
ambience. On the main level, an entry leads to the
great room with its dining area and open kitchen. There's
also a master bedroom and bathroom, a sunroom, a guest
bathroom and a laundry room.
Upstairs, the open loft, furnished
with television and stereo equipment, is flanked by
two bedrooms for the Peterson sons, a bathroom and
a storage room. On the lowest level, built into a hill
and with walkout access to the landscaped grounds,
three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a family room offer
ample hospitality to the Peterson's guests.
The great room features an expansive
prow-shaped set of windows looking out to the lake,
and an equally striking cathedral ceiling supported
by a dramatic configuration of beams. Because the Petersons
appreciate the look and feel of wood, stairways up
and down have log railings. Wood floors of Australian
cypress "not as soft as pine, but with more color," they
point out are accented with rugs in harmonious colors.
Mr. Peterson gets credit for much of the décor-"he
knows what goes best where," says his wife. The
proof is in the cheerful array of furniture patterns
as well as decorative objects. A favorite accessory
is the "grandfather clock" in the sunroom,
which turns into a bar, when needed.
A key feature in the great room is
the large cultured stone fireplace with its hearthside
bench and wood box. Open on two sides, its other side
provides the master bedroom with a warming fireside
of its own. The master bedroom also features a walk-in
closet and linen storage, while the bathroom was designed
with polygonal-shaped shower and tub facilities. A
hinged "terrace door" (mimicking a French
door) invites summer breezes. All the bedroom floors
are carpeted for greater comfort.
Dual furnaces provide alternate gas
and electric energy for the house's heating needs.
As the Petersons explain, "there's an automatic
shift from one to the other, as decided by the relative
availability and cost of energy sources." The
Marvin windows are double-layered, with an inert gas
between for better insulation. Aside from the grand
expanse of window in the great room, multi-paned glazing
in the rest of the house adds to its traditional charm.
The well-planned kitchen is the result
of extensive consultation with Cabinet Corner, a firm
that works directly with contractors, and features
a Jenn-Air stove that vents out the bottom, and a Sub-Zero
refrigerator made with narrower-than-usual drawers
to allow for the appliance's wood casing-another use
of favored natural materials.
For contrast, the wood wall-hung cabinets
are trimmed with a complementary red color. In a family
where the wife loves to cook, she says the open kitchen
lets her keep up with whatever is going on. She also
specified a bay window over the handy double sink,
which not only enlarges the view but also provides
another place for seasonal decoration.
Space in the compact dining area was
optimized with an ornamental wall rack that displays
plates and holds wine glasses. For large parties, a
pine drop-leaf table, usually placed against a wall
of the great room, is opened to afford extra seating.
The plentiful cedar, pine and birch
trees that frame the property were supplemented by
selective landscaping near decks and along the great-room
windows. But the major outdoor addition is the extensive
brick patio, with its tiered plantings, fire pit and
outdoor furniture. Log-structured steps that lead from
the great-room deck to this outdoor "garden" also
add esthetic interest to the building's exterior.
On their travels in the Southwest,
the Petersons were attracted to the fire pits they
saw outside a few homes, and decided to build one of
their own on the patio. A kind of communal gathering
place, it's lighted every night, no matter the temperature,
and invites everyone around to enjoy its friendly glow.
Somehow, it seems a fitting symbol for this warmly
welcoming home.
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