When pioneers settled this country their first homes were predominately log cabins, which were generally small one or two room buildings. Today, it’s a whole new story.
Cabins can be as large as upscale houses made of conventional building materials, and equipped with all of the amenities of any high end modern home. Logs are excellent materials for recreational homes. They blend well into woods, or lakeside settings, so that the general atmosphere of the countryside is undisturbed by the anomaly of modern urban looking houses.
A number of luxurious log homes have been constructed in the upper
Steve Szymaszek, general manager of Rustic Retreats, said their company builds homes as large as 6,000 square feet, but there’s really no limit to size. Szymaszek said his company differs from others in the upper Midwest as their logs are handcrafted by Pioneer Log Homes of
“Because of the talents of these master craftsmen, there’s a lot of “unique features in our log homes, like our signature eagle head, and bear paws,” said Szymaszek. To make our cabins special we try to include character entries like big cedar posts, with floating hammer trusses, log floor joists, and old world European joinery. We sit down with our clients and get a feel for their individual tastes. Our log cabins stand out as special structures because of their hand crafted character. They catch your eye, with warm and inviting feelings of reacting with nature and the past.”
The logs Rustic Retreats uses are high quality cedar. “Many log cabin builders don’t have access to the quality of red cedar we do,” said Szymazek. Using cedar has many advantages including resistance to mold, mildew, insect infestation, and rot. It has a straight grain with minimal warping or twisting, and excellent insulation properties. Cedar’s rich hues, warm tones, and natural taper give a house a more rustic character.
Szymaszek said a fair range for building a log home is about $200 to $250 a square foot complete, but depending upon what the client wants, could be less or more. Costs are comparable to building a custom conventional home.
A typical home Rustic Retreats constructs is 2,000 to 2500 square feet,” with two to three bedrooms, and two and a half baths. Most have walk out basements, are two stories high, or single storied, with a loft with one or two bedrooms in the loft. Our great rooms have cathedral ceilings. Almost every house has a fireplace or wood burning stove. Some custom features popular in our homes include granite countertops, hickory cabinets, and knotty alder doors.
Rustic Retreats offers forty standard plans, all with “design versatility”. Their website features plans ranging from a 300 square foot cabin with a bathroom and kitchenette to a 6,000 square foot house. The company can tailor its level of involvement to work with a range of clients from do-it-yourselfers to people wanting full turnkey service.
According to Szymaszek logs can be delivered almost anywhere.“There’s good news for anyone who’s purchased, or is thinking of purchasing, a lot adjacent to one of the many lakes in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Michigan. Generally logs are easy to transport and erect on the site.”
The company, founded and headed by John Leszczynski, is small with a staff of four, but growing. It built ten houses in ’06. Leszczynski has 17 years of experience as half owner of Stevens Point Log Manufacturing. He himself is having a log post and beam home constructed in
Rustic Retreats’ office is located off of highway 43 in
Szymaszek feels there’s a big and growing industry in log cabin homes, though “handcrafted cabins, such as those produced by our company represent a smaller percentage of that market. I think it’s because handcrafting is an art, and it’s easier to mass produce milled log homes, than to produce a piece of art. However our smaller market segment seems fairly well received.”
Arlene Becker is a freelance journalist based out of Shorewood, WI. Photo provided by Rustic Retreats Log Homes.
