Country's Best Log Homes - Vacation Edition - Spring, 2001

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.