G
oing back as long as I can remember, Ive always dreamed of building a cabin in the mountains. As the years progressed, my cabin dream continued to evolve, but the basic principles of that dream always remained the same.

My cabin should be a rustic looking structure built with traditional materials and blend in with the natural surroundings. The inside of the cabin should have exposed beams, lots of wood, and a warm feeling. My cabin should be situated on a piece of property that is surrounded by wilderness. My finished cabin should be a hybrid of a scene from Thomas Kinkade and Courier & Ives.

Though my dream was crystal clear in my mind, the list of unanswered questions I had about actually building a cabin seemed endless. Although I do consider myself somewhat handy around the house, my handyman projects never even came close to actually building what is, in essence, a small home.

Through the years of cabin dreaming, I purchased several books related to cabins and cottages, but the one element I looked for in a book about cabin building and could never find was the actual experience that the average cabin dreamer like myself had when he went out to build his very own mountain hideaway.

Is my dream just that, a dream? Or is setting out to build a cabin in the wilderness something that even I could do. Well, after a little bit of soul searching, a couple of self directed pep talks, and a withdrawal from my savings account, My wife Karen, daughter Maria, and I broke ground on an 8 acre parcel of wilderness situated in the endless mountains of Pennsylvania. Since then we never looked back.

In this book I explain my own personal experience of building our familys cabin, from acquiring the land, to furnishing the interior. Many pictures are included in the books picture gallery, which show the actual phases of the construction project. To give the reader an understanding of exactly what was done on each and every day of the cabin project, and how many hours were put into each days work, there is a chapter that is dedicated to our cabins construction log. This log is very detailed and should provide the reader with a good benchmark to compare his or her capabilities, timelines, and project schedule.

After reading this book, the prospective cabin builder should have a very good concept as to how much time, money, and energy will go into their cabin building endeavors. This book will also give the prospective cabin builder a good idea, based on the readers own personal skills, compared to the authors writings, what phases of construction, if any, should be sub contracted out.

To all of you who rise to the challenge of seeing your cabin dreams come true, I wish you the best of luck, and many happy years in your very own cabin.


Introduction