Rustic homes are undergoing a dramatic evolution these days. Some traditional homes offer just a few hickory rockers on their front porches. Many homeowners are adding an Adirondack room to their settings. Others are adding just a few high-end pieces placed alongside their traditional furniture. And others still, are building extraordinary rustic homes and filling them with quintessential traditional or rustic furniture.
Log cabins were the preferred homes of the pioneers for several reasons. Once, they were easy to build. Trees were everywhere and the new tools allowed for easy and affordable access to building materials. (The record for three men constructing a single room log cabin complete with chimney and fireplace is presently three days!)
Initially cabins were constructed without windows, mainly because glass was hard to get and easily broken. Often, however, window openings were covered with animal skins to keep out the insects.
The fireplace was the heart of the home. winters were often long and brutal and fireplaces brought families together by providing both warmth and light.
Stones for the fireplaces were almost always dug from the ground immediately surrounding the home.
The earliest log homes always had notched corners. Nails were not available in the wilderness and builders quickly became skilled at cutting notches on the ends of logs that allowed the logs to be "locked" together.
from "The Rustic Home."
Ralph Kylloe
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