When we finally got around to checking out the inside of the place, we fell in love with it and decided to put an offer on it that day. We ended up spending double our budget and now have a fully furnished, four-bedroom, four-bath log cabin that we love.
We have since graded and added gravel to the driveway, installed a rock and evergreen garden at the base of the foundation, had the cabin restained, and repaired the stucco (painting the foundation is our next project). We also found a local artist who carves beautiful woodwork for doors, windows, cabin pillars, frames, etc., to add some personal touches. The vaulted ceiling and all of the walls are covered in cedar paneling. Ceiling fans with etched tulip lights add comfort and style, and we are slowly adding our own pieces of kitsch to the décor.
Our “ugly cabin” is slowly turning into a “swan” and a place that our family loves to visit. We are having granite countertops done in the small kitchen and are considering the addition of a vintage stove.
We have since graded and added gravel to the driveway, installed a rock and evergreen garden at the base of the foundation, had the cabin restained, and repaired the stucco (painting the foundation is our next project). We also found a local artist who carves beautiful woodwork for doors, windows, cabin pillars, frames, etc., to add some personal touches. The vaulted ceiling and all of the walls are covered in cedar paneling. Ceiling fans with etched tulip lights add comfort and style, and we are slowly adding our own pieces of kitsch to the décor.
Our “ugly cabin” is slowly turning into a “swan” and a place that our family loves to visit. We are having granite countertops done in the small kitchen and are considering the addition of a vintage stove.
Our cabin fever began six months after we paid off our primary home in Palm Bay, Fla. We couldn’t sell it because the housing market was down, and it would be a number of years before we would be ready for retirement. So we decided to buy a second home and become snowbirds. With some online research, we found some nice looking, two-bedroom, two-bath log cabins with great curb appeal on Douglas Lake near Sevierville, Tenn.
However, we made a common first-time buyers’ mistake and waited too long to place a bid on any of the cabins with beautiful views. While we were looking at the last available cabin (which actually had a view of the lake, if we stood on the road in front of it), we noticed a “for sale” sign behind us.
We had been seeing a lot of cute, not-for-sale log cabins while looking for ours, but in this case we noticed the sale sign before we noticed the cabin, because the cabin was a big, ugly box. The driveway was ungraded and difficult to traverse, the stucco foundation was stair-step cracked, and the exterior log stain had faded to a dull, grayish-brown color.
Despite concerns from our realtor that the cabin might be rented, we trudged up the stairs to check it out. Upon making our way to the wraparound porch on the opposite side, our jaws just about hit the ground. What we saw was a million-dollar view. At that point, we knew that it didn’t matter to us what the cabin itself was worth.
However, we made a common first-time buyers’ mistake and waited too long to place a bid on any of the cabins with beautiful views. While we were looking at the last available cabin (which actually had a view of the lake, if we stood on the road in front of it), we noticed a “for sale” sign behind us.
We had been seeing a lot of cute, not-for-sale log cabins while looking for ours, but in this case we noticed the sale sign before we noticed the cabin, because the cabin was a big, ugly box. The driveway was ungraded and difficult to traverse, the stucco foundation was stair-step cracked, and the exterior log stain had faded to a dull, grayish-brown color.
Despite concerns from our realtor that the cabin might be rented, we trudged up the stairs to check it out. Upon making our way to the wraparound porch on the opposite side, our jaws just about hit the ground. What we saw was a million-dollar view. At that point, we knew that it didn’t matter to us what the cabin itself was worth.
We are gradually working toward being able to spend the winter and spring at the pool house in Florida and summer and fall at the log cabin in Tennessee.
Our cabin might not be the prettiest around, but we might just have the best view. We spend a lot of time on the porch, and the view truly allows us to decompress and forget all the stresses of our daily lives. When boating on the lake, we enjoy the reverse view of our cabin’s wraparound porch.
We truly love our ugly, brown-box cabin, and we call it “McClure’s View.”
Our cabin might not be the prettiest around, but we might just have the best view. We spend a lot of time on the porch, and the view truly allows us to decompress and forget all the stresses of our daily lives. When boating on the lake, we enjoy the reverse view of our cabin’s wraparound porch.
We truly love our ugly, brown-box cabin, and we call it “McClure’s View.”
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Cabin Porn: Inside
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Dutch Oven
