Celebrating all the holidays at the Log Cabin!

One of the things we couldn't wait for when we moved into our log cabin was to celebrate the holidays! The log cabin looks perfect, cozy and warm with Christmas trees, a wreath, garland and more.  We decided to keep the festive spirit going by having a year round tree and celebrating many different events. 

Here is our Valentine's Day tree above. We picked up lights, decorative valentine wooden ornaments and garland at Hobby Lobby and Christmas Tree Shop.  I think a white tree is perfect to show off the red and pink colors.  A heart garland was hung across the fireplace. We are now ready to celebrate!

Other upcoming fun holidays and events you can decorate a tree for: St. Patrick's Day, Easter, 4th of July,  Spring (think bird and butterfly motif) and more.  Besides, I love enjoying twinkling lights at night at the cabin. 

Let us know if the comments if you ever had a year-round tree.

Happy (upcoming) Valentine's Day! 

Winter Activities at the Log Cabin

 Our log cabin is located in northern Michigan. We get a lot of snow. And we make the most of the winter. There are so many winter activities to explore! And our family is always looking for new ideas.

Ice fishing definitely takes a hearty soul. I like watching the ice fisherman on our lake use their auger tool to drill a hole in the lake and set up their ice shanties.  My husband typically loves to wade in the river and fly fish but is intrigued by ice fishing. He is going to give it a shot in a few weeks. Brrr!!

Snowshoeing has become one of our favorite winter activities. We've gone snowshoeing on local nature trails, at state parks and even our lake.  It's great exercise and we like being able to walk through the deeper snow.

Recently I crossed off a buck list item by going dog sledding at one of our local ski resorts. If you ever have a chance to go, I highly recommend it! Watching the dogs pure joy at running across the snow made me happy as well.  

Other activities on our list include winter bonfires, wildlife watching, skiing and local city festivals. I truly believe winter is what you make it! I'd love to hear about your winter activities below.

Cheers to winter! 

Christmas at the Log Cabin

Do you ever watch the Hallmark Channel's Christmas movies? Did you ever notice that a lot of them take place in a log home or a cozy log cabin?  I love watching these movies and it does create a very festive and warm feeling when the characters are surrounded by logs, fluffy snow outside while a romance is brewing. They always have a happy ending. 

A log home can add a lot of happiness to your life in my opinion. I believe a log home is a way of life. It connects you to nature. I often hear from my log home customers how they have always envisioned spending Christmas or the holidays at the log home. Fire burning in the fire place, the smell of the Christmas tree, hot cocoa in hand while they look out the window watching the snow fall. It sounds great, doesn't it?  And it is, it truly is. I can tell you from experience.

This Christmas at our log cabin will be a little different this year during this time of Covid-19.  My husband, kitty and I will be by ourselves as we distance from family to keep all of us safe.  We will be looking forward to next year and celebrating with all our loved ones.  The log cabin will be waiting for them. 

Log Home Money Saving Tip #1 - Use a Stock Floor Plan

When my husband and I began dreaming about a log home,  we were anxious to begin right away and not wait many years to begin building it.  So we looked for ways to save money; one of which was using a stock floor plan from Hiawatha.

A custom-designed log home does give you that uniqueness but in most cases does cost more than a stock plan.  One of the benefits of using a stock plan is that it's a design that's already been built so there is the less likelihood of construction errors.  Also, there are usually cost-saving options built into the design.

We chose the Tall Timbers plan from Hiawatha and modified it; opening up the loft, bumping out the bedroom and reducing a closet in the guest room.  These modifications made us feel we were still getting a custom-designed home but without all the costs associated with it. 

Take a look at our stock floor plans and see if something catches your eye: http://www.bearcountryloghomes.com/floor-plans.html

Loft Space in a Log Home

One of the most charming and versatile spaces you can add to your log home is a loft.  If you decide to have this option, you need to decide what you want to use it for and how much space you will require to accommodate this need.

Let's look at some of the possible uses for the loft space:

1. 1. Bedroom / Guest Bedroom
2. 2. Reading area / library
3. 3. Game space to put a pool table, ping pong table, etc.
4. 4. Home Office

The space in the loft could have less usable space and/or head height depending upon the width of your log home.  Adding a dormer or raising the knee wall length of your loft will help increase this space.  The dormer will also be helpful in adding more windows thus increasing the light in this loft area. 

While we are on the subject of lighting, make sure to plan on adding lighting and windows that will make sure you are not left with a too darkened space.  We left the loft in our log home open so it overlooks a 2-story living room and looks out at a wall of windows.  This makes the area such a sunny space and we enjoy being able to see the lake views when we are up there.

It's important to note that a loft does add extra cost to your log home.  If you already planning on have a 2nd story, then this could provide a lesser cost option in some cases.  Hiawatha has a great selection of floor plans with and without lofts. Be sure to visit www.bearcountryloghomes.com to view our models and to begin planning your log home dream today!





*This photo was taken before we furnished the loft as a guest bedroom.