“So, here’s the thing,” began a lively conversation with an admittedly 60-something woman who just wanted to build the home that had taken shape in her head over a long time.
What we knew about her was that she was in a different place than when she and her husband had built the home in which they had raised their family. That home, the one in which they currently lived, existed in three stories. The garage in the lower level, the living space largely on the second level with bedrooms on a third floor.
“It is an energetic house,” she said. “It was perfect when we had teenagers and they wanted to be on their own, but we wanted to know what was going on.”
Today, she admits, it is a lot of running up and down steps. The area that once housed kids playing video games is largely unused. Three of the four bedrooms are usually empty. Of the home’s five and a half baths, four are rarely used.
For a while she and her husband thought at least one of the kids would boomerang and they’ be glad they kept the space. It’s become clear that is not likely to happen now.
“We want the kids to be sturdy, and we are so grateful that they are all on their own,” she said. “It is time for us to think about the amount of space we want to maintain and the way we want to live now.”
The couple had found land on which they wanted to build. Given their plans to retire, building a permanent residence on that property made a lot of sense.
“It’s a beautiful property,” she said, adding that it’s private “without giving us the feeling that we are moving to the middle of nowhere.”
The home she described began to sound like several of the floor plans on the HonestAbe.com website. What she wanted was not more than 1,500 square feet, all on one level. She wanted an extra bedroom in case the kids came to visit for a weekend and a bath for that extra bedroom that could double as the general guest bath.
She wanted large closets, a comfortable Master Bedroom and a great room living space that allowed easy flow between the kitchen, dining area and gathering space. A two-car attached garage was a “must have.” The biggest requirement were large outdoor living spaces of covered wrap around porches and decks.
Patterson Cabin
A simple search of the Honest Abe floor plans yielded three top choices.
The two-bedroom and two-bath Patterson Cabin offered the one story 1,440 square feet with the entire house surrounded by outdoor wrap around porches giving the appearance that there was as much outdoor space as indoors. A Chef’s Kitchen, easy access laundry room, spacious closets and easy open family space made the house a charming option.
The Flintridge Plan
The Flintridge, with two bedrooms and two baths, sporting 13,34 square feet, offered a more formal entry and a more traditional living space with a kitchen and dining space separated from the living room area. The floor plan provided room for a man cave/workshop area in the garage. The spacious Master Bedroom and ensuite bath includes a walk-in closet. The guest bedroom, with access to the second bathroom is a perfect space for visiting kids.
The Williams Custom
The third option, The Williams, with two bedrooms and three baths offered 1,352 square feet. Large outdoor living spaces across the front and back of the home keep the indoor /outdoor flow. The home’s open floor plan allow for a chef’s kitchen and eating area that are part of the family living space. A spacious master bedroom an ensuite bathroom offers the storage and walking closet space. The guest bedroom, across the hall from the master, offers a larger degree of privacy for visitors and is perfectly positioned to become an office space during times when there is no company. The attached garage offers easy access to the house for the homeowners and a full mudroom extra bathroom and laundry room bring the value of a third bathroom to the home.
In the end, she and her husband are combining features of all three homes and adding customizations that make the floorplan work for them. At Honest Abe Log Homes, the beauty of working with the design team is that you can describe your own story and end up with exactly the forever home that has been unfolding in your dreams.
– Special to Honest Abe Living by Amy Green, CSllc
