ST. CHARLES, Ill. — Country Sampler magazine’s September 2011 issue, on sale now, features the home of Morris residents Todd and Kathy Daggett in the article “Logging In.”
The couple’s keen appreciation of history prompted them to incorporate two 19th-century log cabins into their 21st-century home, where the past comes alive amid heirlooms and antiques.
After locating two 1800s cabins with similar construction in downstate Illinois, Todd, a skilled carpenter, plotted a way to build a new home around the old structures.
Now measuring 2,400 square feet, the home has plenty of room for the active family of six to grow and features a liveable log-cabin look peppered with family-friendly furnishings, family-heirloom antiques and plenty of pieces that Todd crafted himself.
To Log or Not to Log
Rebuilding old log cabins isn’t for the faint of heart.
It’s a time-consuming, labor-intensive, potentially expensive, and, ultimately, rewarding process.
“I did it because I loved it and didn’t mind spending a lot of time on details,” Todd explains.
Of course, Todd already knew about carpentry, a distinct advantage, and he also drew on the knowledge of family and friends with backgrounds in electricity, plumbing and masonry.
Repurposing a log cabin for a simpler use than a house, such as a garden shed, a hunting shack or a weekend camping getaway, would be a less complicated project than Todd’s.
Planning ahead is important, so here are a few things to keep in mind:
• Tag and number each log when disassembling a cabin so you know how to put it back together. Sketch a floor plan, and measure door and window placement and openings, too.
• Treat every log with a fungicide/pesticide that prevents wood bores, rot and decay. Todd treated all the logs for his house twice because, he notes, “You have to make sure once the wood is inside and the heat is turned on that things don’t start hatching!”
• Keep a stockpile of extra logs on hand. Todd tore down two other cabins that had decayed beyond repair so that he could have “spare parts.”
• Apply a log stain and a clear finish after treating the logs so they’re protected from the elements.
• Utilize imitation hardware such as wrought-head nails and reproduction door handles to keep things looking consistently old.
• Use modern log-home chinking between the logs you are installing because, as Todd explains, “It’s made to expand and contract with the movement of the logs. The old stuff didn’t.”
• Install windows with grid patterns as similar to the originals as possible. New windows can look authentic while offering energy-efficient R-values, or resistance to heat loss.
Country Sampler is published seven times per year. For more information, visit www.countrysamplermagazine.com.