In this featured cabin post you’ll learn about:
- How one family made the leap to purchase an overgrown plot of land and an abandoned cabin
- A seemingly impossible cabin restoration process
- Transforming a cabin and its surroundings into a dream home & homestead
An Unlikely Cabin Dream Come True
Written by Victoria Roberts – Owner of The Log Homestead
Living in a log cabin was always a dream, but the kind of dream where you’re sure it will never happen – like winning the lottery or becoming a movie star. But that dream came true for us somewhat by accident!
Today, the Log Homestead is a beautiful cabin masterpiece! But it didn’t start off that way…
Looking for More Space & Freedom
My husband and I and our two kids were living in a cozy 1950’s cape style home about 20 minutes outside of Boston with a little postage stamp yard and neighbors within arms reach on every side. It was a wonderful first home for us but we longed to have the space and freedom to start a little backyard farm.
We started looking further up the North Shore of Massachusetts but home prices in the area are outrageous and anything with a plot over an acre was far out of our price range. After searching for several months we added “land” to our home search thinking we could start with a small trailer or modular home and slowly add on over the years.
Victoria & her family longed for more land and a little backyard farm. Today they have a large homestead with chickens, goats and ducks.
Taking the Plunge
That’s when an 8-acre parcel popped up on our search for a ridiculously low price. It had been on the market for nine months so we figured there must be something wrong with it.
Was it a dump? Was it an unbuildable swamp?
We searched the satellite view online and could see that there was not one, but two buildings on the property! We arranged to go walk the property with our realtor.
When we arrived, we could barely make out the log cabin that was set back from the street about 200 feet. It had an ominous looking red “X” painted across the front and was covered in years of overgrowth. Trash covered the ground outside and piled the floor of every room inside.
the abandoned cabin
The barn out back was practically invisible due to the large dump heap in front of it and vines growing over the top.
Our first impression of the cabin was that the foundation appeared in wonderful shape and maybe we could level it and rebuild on the existing foundation, but after a couple more visits we started to wonder if maybe the dream of living in a log cabin could be salvaged along with this beautiful property.
After months of cutting through red tape with nearly every department in town hall, we decided to take the plunge and make it our own!
starting the restoration process.
An Impossible Transformation
We sold our house, bought a camper and moved our family into the driveway of a generous friend in town while we worked for 4 months to make the cabin livable. We brought in a log home builder to repair some damage on the outside but for the most part the structure of the cabin was largely intact.
the front entry way of the cabin today, fully restored.
The interior of the cabin was brought back to life with a good sandblasting, new floors, windows, doors, electric and plumbing and complete bathroom and kitchen renovations (some of which are still in progress 5 years later).
the transformed interior of the cabin – a warm & charming family space.
The Fairytale Ending
My husband made the comment to someone the other day that being here feels like being on vacation. We’re still working on lots of projects inside and outside, but we feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to call this home.
one of the new projects around the homestead: a duck house.
There is a charm and comfort that is so unique to log homes that colors all of our memories made here with family and friends.
Every time we curl up by the wood stove, walk through our woods or drive up to our house after a fresh snow to see it looking like an iced gingerbread house out of a fairy tale, I’m reminded that dreams like this rarely just come true. Sometimes though, we are handed a seed that with a little watering and a lot of determination, can grow into something better than we ever imagined.
About The Log Homestead
What started out as an overgrown plot of land and an abandoned cabin, Victoria and her family turned into their dream home. Today, the Log Homestead is a stunning, restored cabin and inspiring homestead.
For more photos and stories of its transformation, check out LogHomestead.com.
And for a glimpse into daily life on the homestead and beautiful photos of their home, follow along on Instagram: @theloghomestead.
This post is part of our Featured Cabins series. Have a cabin or cabin story that inspires you? Submit yours here: Submit a Cabin.
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