A Full-Time Getaway

“We are very outdoors people, and the log home suits our personality.  We are also very private people.  This home expresses who we are and suits us perfectly.”

Like many professionals, this hard-working couple has very demanding jobs.  But they found the ultimate coping mechanism.  They built their ideal log home on two acres of property that includes 250 feet of waterfront access in southern Maine’s Lake Region.

While most people find a lot and then design the home, they knew how they wanted their new residence to look even before they acquired the property.

“Our preference was for the flat interior walls of the D-logs, and we researched a number of companies with this type of log.  We wanted to support a local vendor, if we could find one with quality product.  Ward Cedar Log Homes had a high rating, they were in-state, and we liked what they had to say.”

“We acted as the general contractor. But since we trusted that our builders knew what we wanted, we didn’t have to be there every day.”  The builders in whom they had such faith were Jerry Axelsen Sr. and Jerry Axelsen Jr., a father-and-son construction team with years of experience building Ward homes.  Additionally, the junior Axelsen doesn’t just build Ward homes, he also sells them.

The Axelsens constructed the all-wood home of northern white cedar logs, with pine tongue-and-groove paneling for the ceiling and interior partition walls.  Round half-log wall supports act as wall stiffeners, as well as providing an additional dimension to the rooms. Spruce was the wood of choice for all of the purlins and timber trusses.

The couple’s Ward Cedar Log Home more than meets their primary considerations: they can live on one floor when necessary, and the home is fully self-sustainable with three fireplaces and a back-up generator.  Even though it is their permanent residence, they feel like they are in a secluded retreat.

Excerpted from “Full-Time Getaway” published in Log Homes Illustrated, November 2005.