It was not quite as seldom as I liked that I was met with what I came to call the His/Her conundrum. Some men love a log house. Some women love a log house. Sometimes they both love a log house…but not often enough for me. Needless to say, I get few calls from those who don’t love them. I love it when we’re building for a family, those on the same wave-length, with spirited natures that intend to stay in touch with nature. But that’s sometimes asking a lot. How often have I heard the phrase, “I’ll run it by my wife” or “I’ll try and get so-and-so on line”…and never hear from them again.
I’m not surprised any more. I’ve built them for single women, divorced women, bachelors too. Once a teenager contacted me so he could live with Mom and Dad in a historic log house with his parents. Really, a kid in touch with the past. That’s pretty rare these days.
Of course, it’s the wife as a rule, that can’t picture her impeccable kitchen or bathroom inside the old hand-hewn walls of log. Sometimes when we show them our treatment in those areas they come around, actually liking the contrast of more modern, practical elements that we quite often introduce among the rustication and patinas of age.
Sure, once in a while the husband can’t be prodded to participate in such an adventure. After all, he’s busy running a conglomerate or a factory of nine to fivers that keeps him away from glorious weekends in the country. Sometimes that’s all it takes to change the family’s history. Suburbia sometimes reigns.
I once drew up an ad… a funny one. I can be funny sometimes …and I had to do something. The couple were sitting around in their urban livingroom. Over each was a thought/picture balloon. His pictured a simple most uninteresting urban front façade absent of character or charm, sort of a mid to late century non-descript whatever. Hers however, pictured the quintessential pioneer log cabin in the woods. No other words or message were included. How did the ad/cartoon (in an old Century home issue) fare?
Not telling.
I would say though, that we have innumerable success stories in our legacy. Love stories actually. Almost all house families. And generations of families. They come to love these houses like none others. And we are proud to have helped them come together.