This New England Home Embodies Western Romance

Nostalgia can be a powerful motivator. Often, we design our futures in a way that honors and builds upon our past. This is particularly evident in home design — both decorative and structural — and it’s what drove one couple to re-create the pioneer spirit of the Old West in New Hampshire.  

The Low Down

Owners Cathy and Gary Wells were inspired by homesteads they saw during visits to the Lake Tahoe area. Gary, in particular, felt an affinity not only to the log and timber architecture of the region, but also to its rugged, heavily wooded terrain. 

He yearned to bring that Western inspiration back home to New England, and the couple achieved that aesthetic in a ranch-style home with a walkout basement. Even though the house technically can be considered to clock in at two levels, all the main living spaces, including the primary bedroom, are on the main floor. And, from the front facade, it is every bit the Western ranch.

The Inside Scoop

• A wide-open foyer immediately ushers you into the great room, creating an informal, welcoming entryway and offering an unobstructed line of sight to the rear covered porch.
• The plan is a square central core flanked by two rectangular wings — a linear layout that gets a design boost by offsetting the primary bedroom wing. This arrangement also provides direct access from the bedroom to the veranda.
• The Wells chose Real Log Homes’ 12-inch-high “Classic Appalachian” dovetailed logs to bring the plan to life. The larger diameter adds height, which means that they could achieve volume in the home with fewer log courses.

Home Details

Square Footage: 1,808 (main level)

Bedrooms: 3

Baths: 2

Designer/Log Provider: Real Log Homes

1. By adding a variety of porch options (two covered, one open), you can enjoy the outdoors no matter the weather.
2. The kitchen is an open-galley design. All the appliances and cabinetry are arranged in a linear fashion, but instead of hiding the kitchen behind a wall, a long narrow island provides the “enclosure.”
3. The entire right side of the home is devoted to the owners’ retreat. The primary bathroom’s size rivals the square footage of the bedroom.
4. A Jack-and-Jill bathroom is an efficient and economical solution for secondary bedrooms. 

See Also: This New Hampshire Log Home Draws on Old Western Style