An Eventful Trip: Mum & Dad's House

Okay, not like the falling-down shed at the end of the previous post. This is a little glimpse at my parents' house, which my Dad built over the course of several years, lots of this alone and much of it by hand.

First from the outside, the view coming up the driveway:


…and the view at the back of the house:

We also like to tease Dad that he has enough wood for the heaters and stoves to last until 2010 (this is only one woodpile area; there are at least two that I know of):

It is a lovely log house on three levels (DON'T call it a cabin: it is quite large!). The basement is at ground level in the front and the next floor is at ground level in the back. From the basement through the roof is a giant chimney that accommodates two fireplaces, a wood heater (in the basement) and a wood stove (in the kitchen). Dad built this chimney carrying rocks (collected from all over the place) and mortar on his back up a ladder. Here is a view of the chimney and another of the wood stove (actually a heater) in the kitchen:

Dad lifted the logs into place using a hand winch, lifting them up the hill and into place atop the basement. I only took a few pictures from different perspectives, so here is the living room (with my sister Syd in pain on the couch — see the Exploding Appendix entry — and my sister-in-law Linda in the chair):

On the other side of the chimney on that level are the kitchen and dining room (with my brother Mike at the table):

…and the same rooms seen from above, from the loft-style bedroom upstairs:

Off of the loft is a little plant room featuring a stained glass window made by my little sister Syd and also showing one of the five skylights (the others: two in the living room, one in the kitchen, one in the dining room):

And how does one navigate the space between floors? On this lovely two-storey spiral staircase welded by my brother-in-law John:

Isn't it lovely?!