This Log Home is Gone, but Not Forgotten

Tyler and Jennifer Edwards put meticulous thought and care into building their dream log and timber home in Oroville, California. The 5,600-square-foot, five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom hybrid is one of very few log-style residences in their area, but an international move for the couple means it’s hitting the market. Here, Tyler looks back on their dream-home journey.

Tyler Edwards: We’ve decided to leave the States, so, unfortunately, we’re going to sell our house. Taking photos of it got me thinking about how we started building this place in 2007.

I was reminiscing about all the work we put into it. I wanted to share, because Log & Timber Home Living was such an instrumental part of the design phase. Around here, everyone has stucco homes, so to find something that looks like it belongs in Tahoe, well, it was really hard to find inspiration. That’s where the magazine came in. 

We ultimately decided to build a hybrid home; we have one wall that’s timber frame and the outside is all cedar. Inside, it’s all wood, with a little of everything: pine, Australian cypress, Douglas fir and more cedar. 

The home is built on a hillside, and we weren’t planning on having a basement, but as I was digging the foundation I thought, “Shoot, if I spend a little more time on this backhoe and pour a slab down here, we could get another 1,600 feet underneath the house!” So that’s what we did. It wasn’t part of the plan, but now we have a daylight basement. We have a gym and office down there, plus extra space for family. 

Also while looking through the magazine, we saw granite counters with the chiseled-edge finish, and we knew we had to have that. Our granite provider actually had to buy the tools to do it! 

That was my favorite part about building this house; it’s a bit over the top compared to what some people might want, but it’s warm and cozy and it just feels great to be in here. 

If I had to offer any advice, it would be to know what you want before you start. The planning phase is a big deal.

In my experience, when people start to build a home, they have a loose idea of what they’re looking for, but little changes along the way add to both the cost and the time frame. It’s easy to get excited and want to jump right in, but really try to dial in the home that you want before you begin. 

In our case, as we think about selling it and begin looking for our next home, it becomes more obvious that this home was just that – exactly what we wanted and needed.

See Also: Come Together in this Wisconsin Hybrid Home