Monday, November 14, 2011

To Build A Log Cabin



Available in print from iUniverse
If your plans of escaping to a simpler life in the country harbors dreams of living in a simple log cabin you built yourself, I want to assure you it’s entirely possible. 
In fact, I can even show you how, or at least inspire you in a book I did on my experiences with four differently log cabin projects.
Growing up in New York City, living in a log cabin seemed the remotest of possibilities. But when my wife and I moved to Tennessee in our early 20s, the log cabin became a fixtureand focus of our lifestyle. 
Hidden within our old farmhouse in the scenic hills was an authentic one room log cabin we later restored and built our home around.
When It came time to expand our home for our growing family, I had no choice but resort to the old methods, butting poplars off our place, hewing them with a broadaxe and adze, cutting the dovetail notches locking them all together.
Later, when I needed a peaceful office for my writing career away, I built another cabin. Using rounded logs, with saddle notches,it was an easier project, and is where I’m writing this today. I had an opportunity to expand on it by taking down and resurrecting yet another original cabin, this one so early there were carved wooden pegs holding down the floorboards.
Available as an eBook from Smashwords
When we started the first of these projects my wife and I had absolutely no carpentry skills or experience, only youthful idealism and exuberance. Through hard work, determination and patience we saw each project through.
If we could do it, so can you!!!
In fact, I was so proud of our accomplishments, I combined my love of log cabins with my writing career in a book I self published a few years ago. A Home From The Woods tells the story of all four of these projects. Part of each section is a narrative, our story, to give you an idea of what it’s like and the rewards that come with these projects. The other part of each section provides more straightforward “how-to “ advice which can be adapted to your own projects: restoring an old log cabin the hand-hewn log cabin; building with rounded logs; and taking down and rebuilding an original log cabin.
I just published the ebook version of the book published through Smashwords, and the printed version has been available through iUniverse for several years. You can also read excerpts on our Atticcorner website.
If you like what you see, and want to purchase a copy of a Home from The Woods, please click the pictures or  these links for the ebook version or for the print version.
Thanks and good luck!