Carolyn Walker Davis

Oregon Log Home

This two-story log home was designed and built to fulfil the client’s long time dream. The not quite-retired couple wanted room to accommodate their children and grandchildren during family gatherings, while retaining both the intimacy and privacy of a single-family home.

Sited carefully to capture the southern exposure and the view through the trees to the lake, this home is located on a large tract of land surrounded by tall Douglas fir trees and beautiful snow-capped mountains. The scale of the home is suited to the large expanses of space and its strong natural surroundings.

The home centers around the great room, which comfortably seats twenty-five people. There is enough room to conduct a variety of activities simultaneously, suiting the needs of an extended family whose ages range from one to seventy-five. A twelve-foot wide arched opening separates the kitchen from the great room, while allowing the cooks to share in the conversation and enjoy the activities of the adjoining room.

The two large upstairs bedrooms provide room for the numerous house guests, and the second floor bathroom is divided into shower room and powder room to more easily accommodate the guests. A large rumpus room in the basement provides ample play space for the couple’s fifteen grandchildren. At night it doubles as the bunkhouse.

The home also provides a private sanctuary for the owners in a self-contained master suite. The suite includes a large bedroom with fireplace, walk-in closet and compartmentalized bathroom. The large office opens onto the great room, but can also be closed off with custom-designed pine pocket doors when desired. Its lower ceiling height creates a cozy, more intimate space.

A log home provides many unique architectural challenges. A two story log home such as this will settle eight or nine inches in a two year period, requiring careful consideration in the design, particularly where the logs meet other materials. The assembly process of a log home also creates difficulty in the electrical layout and lighting design, a problem that was solved with a great deal of forethought. The large volume and solid massing of log walls presented the architect with an interior lighting challenge. During the day there is a really well balanced amount of natural light from the generous and well-placed barn-red windows. At night, however, the great room without artificial light could have been disastrous. The lighting design successfully fills the volume with light using a combination of functional and decorative wall sconces, a multi-functional large scale chandelier and some track-lights positioned discreetly on top of the large tie beams. Whether a family discussion, game, reading or needlepoint, the room can be lit to accommodate the activity.

The architect for this log home design succeeded in creating a functional, welcoming, and spacious vacation retreat and gathering place for her clients and their family. The many custom-crafted details and conveniently designed floor plan combine to provide both a gracious gathering place for a large family and a comfortable home for the owners.

Photos courtesy of Simone Paddock

http://www.emeraldbayphoto.com