Lonnie and Sherry's Log Home
This was definitely the most FUN house on the Honest Abe Log Home Tour.
Lonnie and Sherry built this house from scratch themselves. It took them 2 years, and they have a lot to be proud of.
Check out all of these one-of-a-kind features...
From the Honest Abe Fall Tour of Homes brochure:
This is a custom built home in the Genesis log style that resembles our "Westfield" floorplan. The home was built over a basement with the bedrooms in the basement area. 
Unique features that you probably won't find in many other log homes...
1. Horseshoe door handles and drawer pulls all throughout the house. Sherry said they went to a regular 'ol store like Tractor Supply (maybe even Home Depot, Lowes, or some feed supply stores?) and bought a bunch of horseshoes for next to nothing. Then they put each one in a vice, and hit it with a hammer to give the horseshoe its bent shape, so it could serve as a handle.
2. Tin ceilings in the basement, plus as an accent on the kitchen island.
3. They called this their "redneck intercom". It's a cut-out in a central portion of the house. On the main level, it appears at the landing for the steps as you head to the upstairs loft. Downstairs, it appears on the wall up high -- close to the ceiling. Its purpose? To be able to talk to anyone who's in the basement, while you're on the main level. Ingenious... I don't care how "redneck" it is!
4. A practical carport/garage with a huge loft overhead which is currently being used for storage. Plus, I love the breezeway that attaches to the porch, and the main entry door. Top that all off with the "hidden" location for garbage pails and yard tools. Smart!
5. The porches on this house were narrower than most and had higher railings than most, and the covered porches wrapped around 3 sides of the house. Plus, the log siding around the basement (as opposed to brick, stone, or cement block) made the house look even bigger and more complete.
6. Natural beauty throughout. Lonnie and Sherry chose not to stain their logs on the inside. As a result, it looks very clean and natural. Some may think it looks a little "unfinished", but in person, it really doesn't.
Thanks, Sherry and Lonnie, for giving us a look inside your log home! We enjoyed every second of it... and got a lot of fun decorating ideas. (For the record, their home looks like it was decorated professionally by an interior designer. Sherry said she scooped up bargains over the 2 years that the house was being built, which enabled her to add so many unique touches to the house.)
I would like more info on the tin ceiling! We are going to be finishing the basement of our log home.
Thank you for your prompt response. This has been a tough area to research. Like you said, I guess it comes down to personal preference. We live on 50 acres - about 13 off the street. And, one of our daughters is getting married out here in May, 2008. Just want it to all to look good. Look forward to future pictures.
Karen -
We are just beginning our build process, so I can't really speak from experience on this one, but we are currently deciding what we'll use for the portion of the basement that shows on 3 sides.
Turns out that Jim and I are split on our preferences -- at this point in time.
I prefer log siding.
He prefers stone.
To me, stone always looks so "obvious". There's a definite beginning and a definite ending point where this section of your home begins and ends. I'm not so crazy about that. I prefer that the entire house look like one big beautiful (and continuous) masterpiece.
Jim, on the other hand, likes the "rough texture" and the "natural beauty" that the rocks provide. It's as if you're home and your lifestyle is truly 'one with nature' and you've incorporated your love for the outdoors into your home.
Like everything else, it just comes down to what you like and what looks good to you. I'll be posting a bunch of log home pictures in the coming weeks that highlight various details of log homes -- to help people get some ideas and make visual comparisons.
I'll be including a section on stone accents and other log home exteriors, so that may be a bit of help to you.
P.S. I especially like the log siding used in the home above -- if the basement level were all done in stone/rock, it would just be too "clunky" in my opinion.
Also, a G.C. told us that log siding is the less expensive than stone.
We have a true, rustic log home - not a package, but built from rough cut logs. It is approx 2400 sq. ft. 2 br. 3 ba. and a loft. No master bathroom. We would like to add on to our existing house to add a true master suite and master bath room.
Question. What do you suggest for adding on in reference to matching logs, transitioning, etc.
Rock? Siding? etc.
Thank you.
I LOVE the horseshoes idea!!! Thanks for the great idea!