Would you like to have a beautiful log cabin somewhere in the mountains or the woods where you have peace and quiet all the time? Some of us say we would, but when we get right down to it I think most people would rather have good neighbors where they can interact with others and have them over on a regular basis. This is another way of saying we are gregarious.

What brought this to my mind was all the terrific log cabins I see on Facebook, and all are just beautiful and certainly look inviting. Just for the fun of it, I thought it might be exciting to create a fantasy log cabin and give some serious thought about where we would like to have it and what we wanted it to look like. Who knows, I might even inspire some of you who have also thought about doing this to finally take action so you can enjoy it.

Well, what’s the first step? I would say finding the “right” piece of land to build it on. We would want to be far enough from other houses to have peace and quiet but close enough to other neighbors to have someone to check on us on a regular basis. We would also want to be close enough to a well-stocked store where we could buy groceries and other essentials.   

At this point we are ready to buy or draw the plans, as to size and shape, or have someone else draw them for us. I love those cabins that have a front porch and a beautiful front door, with several chairs on the porch and steps going down to the ground. Of course, this would depend on the kind of terrain where we were building. I like the mountains, as the scenery is so much better. And of course, we would need to determine what size we wanted it to be — about 1,000 square feet would be good for me — and also to have a second story, but the slope of the roof line would reduce the size somewhat. 

Of course, we would also want to have a fireplace or a wood-burning stove, as you would have wood all around you to cut up to burn in the winter for heat and keeping the coffee pot hot.

Now, here is where we can really be creative as to what goes in the “inside” of the cabin. If you have a creative wife like my wife Janis, she can decorate it to be homey and comfortable. Your electricity for bathroom and kitchen needs could be supplied by a solar generator. You could live here full time, or just use it as a get-away retreat. 

The main goal is to have it cozy and comfortable and something you could enjoy for many years to come. Granted it would take some time to build your log cabin, depending on your skills and how much help you had, but it would soon take shape. When it is finished, you can then stand back and look with pride at your creation.

Now, let me wake up from my fantasy dream and tell you what reality is for us. Back in 1995 we decided to move to Conway, and we bought a piece of wooded land a little over three acres. A next-door neighbor where we lived was a great carpenter and when I told him we wanted to build a house out of landscape timber, his mind really went to work. It took the two of us about 10 months to complete it, but you would not believe how good it is, and it’s been paid for for more than 25 years. You probably could do that, too, and that is no fantasy. By buying some of our material from salvage yards we built it for about $25 dollars per square foot.

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)