A design-savvy duo crafts a 900-square-foot, down-to-earth log cabin in western Colorado.
by Matt Herrick, James Ray Spahn, Colleen Macomber | Photos by Matt Herrick Edit
| Read more: The 900 Square Foot Cabin |
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| The cabin is low to the ground and snuggled in among the pines and aspen, a humble lookout post facing the Continental Divide on the horizon. Maybe because a ghost town is just one mile away, James decided to go with a Cabot’s bleaching stain on the exterior “to weather it down to a gray so it would look natural.” Natural like a sun-bleached rack of ribs. The blue standing seam metal roof nearly disappears into the sky. The periwinkle blue window trim provides a bit of levity to the humble home. |
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| James calls this deck the “listening point.” You’d get there by walking about 300 to 400 yards through the woods to a south-facing bluff on a rock formation. “I built this deck to sit down and be quiet and listen to the wind and birds,” he says. Because he doesn’t appreciate obstructed views but wanted to contain any accidents, he strung metal cables between the corner posts. The deck is 100 square feet, constructed of the same composite decking as the main porch. |
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| “We’ve got the elk antlers up there, one of the most gorgeous things God ever created,” James says of the wall decoration above the dining table. To build the shelving above the kitchen windows and cabinets, he went purchased scrap wood from a local saw mill. He found old spike like what you might find in the gold mines and coated each with iron oxide for a rustic finish. He drove the spikes into the log walls to hold up the slab shelving. A unique feature in the kitchen is the roll-away butcher block top island, which James built by adding the block top and locking caster wheels to a double set of standard cabinets. “It gives us the opportunity to move things around and create extra space.” The blue, red and green cabinets help to define the kitchen space from the great room. |
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| The great room wall is finished with a russet coat, and you also get a good view of a money-saver in this shot. “Those look like purlins,” James says, “but they’re bogus.” Building codes prevented James from using Douglas fir log or timber purlins, so he went with an 18-inch thick plywood rafter. Above the antique secretary’s desk (back center) is a 1906 map of the mining claims in Clear Creek County, Colorado, which Deborah gave to James as a gift. The rug was another gift, from his sister who bought it while visiting Afghanistan to teach locals skills in midwifery. Over the log coffee table is draped a Navajo weaving. James visited Afghanistan himself in 1971, and a host of countries since. |
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| Two old bent cane chairs face the pertiest view out of the Isle Royal Lode gold mine. “I wanted a sunset view and that’s what this cabin is all about,” James says. “We have a 170-degree view looking due west at the Continental Divide.” The windows and French doors were custom made by Bergerson Cedar Wood Windows and Doors. The decking is a composite lumber that would stand up to harsh and extreme environmental conditions. |
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| To give the feeling of more space in the cabin’s only bathroom, the shower is enclosed in glass. Builder Peter Schmidtmann of Vertical Construction tiled the sheet rock wall (out of view) and waterproofed the log walls, “So you can feel the whole space of the log,” James says. The floor is slate tile laid on top of carbonized plastic sheeting that, when plugged into an outlet, warms the tiles. The windows are trimmed in standard pine. |
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| Read more: The 900 Square Foot Cabin |
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- Colorado Log Home Photos | Images of a Colorado Mountain Log Home
The perfect size, and lovingly done! Absolutely marvelous, this is exactly what a true *cabin* should be, not a log McMansion!! I have the same basic floorplan with cathedral ceiling and loft, only even smaller at 640 sq. feet, and it works extremely well.