A Custom Cabin Designed With Family in Mind

Simple design rules the day in this Tennessee log home.

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Bursting with curb appeal, the long, low profile and wraparound porches are two aspects of this home that resonate with people. And though the 8-foot-deep porches cry out to be enjoyed from a rocking chair with a tall glass of sweet tea in hand, they also protect the logs from excessive rain and sun exposure.

Photos by Jeff Gartin, Courtesy of Honest Abe Log Homes

Situated on Tennessee’s northeastern Highland Rim near the historic community of Moss, a lovely log structure is more than a home — it’s a testament to one woman’s strength and a goal realized.

The owner and her husband had been dreaming and scheming to own a log home for decades. As they moved from dreams to plans, they enlisted the help of Honest Abe Log Homes and lead designer, Mike Hix, who met with the couple on numerous occasions to customize the home’s design, which was based on the company’s Westfield stock plan.

“The basic footprint is exactly the same as the Westfield, which has a simple floor plan” shares Mike. “Sometimes buyers take a stock plan and gut the whole thing to the shell, but the changes they made were minor. The biggest were making it larger and more symmetrical.”

The 2,750-square-foot house is built with 6-by-12-inch, square-cut, eastern white pine logs with dovetailed corners. The straightforward plan features four bedrooms — two on the main level and two upstairs — and three full bathrooms. At its core lies the wide-open great room.

“The original Westfield pushes the kitchen, living and dining room to one side of the house, but here, the great room is right in the center with bedrooms to either side,” Mike explains. Upstairs, the landing loft serves as an office and sitting room flanked by a full bath, a guest room and the grandchildren’s room.

But one of the simplest yet most dramatic alterations lies with the inclusion of a 10-by-24-foot screened in deck where the family can enjoy the property in good weather or bad. “The original Westfield doesn’t have that. It has a garage and a mudroom out the back,” Mike says. “This porch gives the home more livable space.” Boosting the living area is only one benefit — it also gives the house a “summer camp” vibe, an aura the owner wanted to evoke for her grandkids.

This cozy feeling was especially important to the owner because, sadly, her husband passed away before the home could be built. But the plans they made — and the family legacy they created — live on in the walls of this charming log home, and now, with a new husband by her side, joy and laughter echo within these walls as well.