Episode 4 | Log Lodge in Montana | Amish Dream Homes

you're out snow flying I like being creative with a chainsaw and with big pieces of wood for me the therapy I Oh silver away Ron and Nancy love to entertain cocktail please they've given up their city life to move out to the mountains sighs this thing Wow it'll look like a house he wants the archway Biggers always bigger every just gets bigger is that good-looking or what [Music] in the mountains of northern Montana lives of family of Master Craftsmen LD Miller and his wife Rebecca had six children but this Amish family don't ride horse and buggy they use cell phones hyah grab my technology and power juice in there oops LD heads up one of the biggest cabin businesses in Montana his team handcrafted one-of-a-kind log homes ship them to families across the country and fit out their interiors turning dreams into reality [Music] it's summer and in Montana LD and Abby's team is working flat out building and fitting out new log homes across America just received a call from a couple from California who bought land not too far from our yard here in Montana they're looking for a huge log home so I'm excited about this one [Music] Fareway like always I'm Nancy hole and this is my husband run so what'd you have on that whole six six Brian I've been married 20 years it's a trunk it's in the trees wouldn't be a good shot I've been living in California for almost 30 years I love this game we've had enough of the rat race and we wanted to find somewhere where we could get away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy the season yeah 1900 coming up in my life one of my biggest dreams was to have a log home when you got logs it's like you're really outside enjoying the environment I think Montana is definitely the place to be in this cabin what I'm looking for is a large garage and the nice porch of wraps around the whole log home fireplace that goes between the bedroom in the great room and also a large entertaining space with great views of the mountains we are hoping that we can get the log set and move in before the snow flies that would be nice Elvie and his team build the log structures for clients like Ron and Nancy and then designer ABI adds the finishing touches Abby's always coming in with new ideas suddenly we're kind of crazy but she's a great designer [Music] welcome to Montana I appreciate it so what can tell us about your land here only sake we've got eight or nine acres a pretty level land right here that overlooks the creeks and we've got a great view of the cabinet mountains looking west and with the location we have we should capture a lot of Sun hidden TVs all the time so it'll be nice my vision is to have enough room for family and friends to come and visit I'll be up for dinner so we've drawn up some initial plans that might be a start for you guys Ron and Nancy's massive Montana property will be the perfect spot for this luxurious log home and over 4,000 square feet it'll give them all the space they need to entertain family and friends the main entrance will lead into a wide-open great room which will be the heart of the socializing space the master bed had a large door leading out onto the porch deck and a spacious walk-in closet and master bath rustic log stairs will lead up to two guest rooms that share stunning views of the nearby mountains an archway cut into the wall will make the kitchen feel open and part of the main living space and a mudroom will lead into a huge garage with room for three cars a wraparound porch will provide plenty of outdoor space to enjoy the Montana scenery but getting this all done before the winter sets in is going to stretch LV and Abbey to the limits we'll have to get started right away on this huge home for our Nancy if we're going to have it done before winter sets it's going to be tough [Music] in Montana Elvie and his team are starting work on a massive 4,000 square foot log management look at the size of this thing look at how this thing's stretched out if you look at the house in the garage all the way where it's got to be over 100 feet this thing's big big logs big rooms big garage so it's gonna take a while that's gonna be a gorgeous house once it's done do you handle it well we'll give it a try they want to get in here before winter okay well let's get on it then it's gonna be part of running in sees garage here first log enough to keep track of every log we have to mark each one first course first row is 1 then the first log in that row is 8 the next row is 2 a 2 B 2 C you ready to start notching alright we like to get all my cutting notching and fitting done here so that on site do it together very easily everything fits it's over 4,000 square feet so it'll take about 400 logs to build around Nancy's dream home which is a lot of logs elby's team cut and peel each log at there Samet they freeze some of the walls and roof to check the pieces fit the number each log and shipment to site while LV and corneil preassembled the logs Ron and Nancy decide where to position their new home on their lot hey Ryan could you bring that orange tape so we can put it around the post we've got 20 acres and we've got about 8 acres up top here that are flat and buildable and then we've got about 12 acres down below with two streams this was all trees as you see around us here and then we cleared it all out so this is the bedroom after these other the bathroom yeah what are we calling this this is the front door what do you think in this kitchens gonna be I think it'll be about right in here how long is that that's 30 feet trying to decide is this big enough or does it need to go bigger I'm envisioning that this is the big great room center of the great room and then does it look so small from stake to stake well it's gonna change once they start digging maybe [Music] all we need now is our log cabin it takes six weeks for LV and his crew to prepare the logs for Ron and Nansen's huge home this morning Joey's arriving to get the logs picked up to take over here on Nancy's there's multiple loads because the big house [Music] it's gonna be a busy day but I think Joe can pull this off he's a go-getter trying to put all the big stuff on the bottom so that way the heavier stuff there and it doesn't get on top wiggle I'm under a big time pressure I'm raring to go here but at same time if you gotta slow down make sure you're doing it right you got the logs that stick out of the ends of the package they got to fit in with other packages to make sure they're nice and tight so when I throw my straps there when you hear stuff like that it's good to turn around [Music] now for the fun part throwing a few straps making sure everything gets too tight don't your arms stay in shape but your belly don't well the first loads all loaded up we're tight down raring to go you got to make up a little bit of time come back and get the next load so let's get going Ron and Nancy's lot is only a few miles away from Elvis yard in Northwest Montana but with such a big house Joe will need to make multiple trips he needs to deliver all the logs today so it'll be a race against time to get everything to site by sundown we really really gotta hustle now with the logs on the way Ron and Nancy had to designer Abby's store in Bozeman well we're here to see Abby about some design ideas for our new place and we're pretty excited to see what she's come up with so those are awesome because you can watch TV then if you spin them around then it could be like you're looking at the view my interior decorating includes rustic and comfortability comfortability no good B then when you're relaxing watching TV you may come maybe get a little Ottoman this is made out of a beaver pelt oh oh I like that one yeah that could work cocktail please Abby has drawn up some plans for the inside of Ron and Nancy's log home you said that you have a lot of family friends yeah okay we're hoping so build it in the book come yes exactly Abby wants to maximize Ron and Nancy's social spaces the wraparound decks will be the perfect place to entertain in the summer months and inside the great room will be the heart of their homes Abby will create a central seating area with a sectional and Club chairs where Ron and Nancy can enjoy the mountain views and stay cozy by the fire the double-sided fireplace will provide warmth and create a focal point for both the great room and the master bed a bench will sit at the end of a king bed with two nightstands on either side back in the great room a rustic bar will be the icing on the cake for every social occasion oh I love that it's great meeting with Abby and looking at some of her design ideas she understands what we're looking for and I'm excited to see what they come up with I have a treat for you I was thinking this would be great right in their living room Hey tried this out whoa I don't remember him being this rough when I was a young kid doing this hiyo silver away [Music] back at Braun and Nancy's lot Joe is arriving with the first load of logs it's a bit tricky to get into Ron Nancy's site so Joe's gonna have to be careful taking the truck in there with all the logs in it well there's a hump under the icy so that should be interesting we're gonna probably drag the belly of the trailer on this pump and there were dragons right there and if you don't hit it just right and it gets stuck there and have to get pushed out fold up Joe can handle this challenge because he's a bit of a maverick wild man but that's when we like him he never says no he gets all the logs into tough sites every time but we are here so what were you thinking on where we wanted this we're gonna include or you want me to bad god I think if you backed up just a little bit yeah I'll be just fine now we'll see how fast we can get unloaded so we can get back kinda in a rush here so hopefully they're on their game [Music] in montana trucker Joe is delivering the logs for Ron and Nancy's dream home get first load off now we got to hurry up get back get loaded ready to go so when get back here again get the other one on back at his yard Elvie and his son jaylen are preparing a surprise for elby's wife Rebecca before they start work on Ron and Nancy's cabin today's Rebecca's birthday and Jill and I are going to build her a log pergola oh these are heavy that's a lot of work I think your Becca's on an adventure being married to me it's a two-person barn-raising like being married to hurricane right there Jayla know it we got a rush here because he's gonna be suspicious this is the moment of truth semen free stands on its own she's always wanted something out in the yard so we can have more family barbecues I can't wait to see her reaction happy birthday Wow after 21 years old he still has the ability to surprise me peace I think it's really romantic actually I like it only a few miles away Joe is delivering the final load of logs to Ron and Nancy's property oh I'm telling a beautiful sight beautiful place this is definitely a high note in this project it's moving along really good now now we can look forward to see the rest of the house come up [Music] this is the final log coming off right now so everything's good made our deadline and all loads are here and it's gonna go up fast this is getting exciting [Music] okay bring it down today it's a big day the cranes gonna show up he starts hitting logs we have Benjamin as a foreman on this project yeah we're lookin good brother cornele Marcus his other brother will Alex Eames II Andrew it worked together real well that way that way right there when building a house of this size there's a lot of logs so there's some challenges to make everything fit right getting that first course down correctly is a little nerve-racking first logs are very very important to get them on just right but there's actually no way to figure out that they're exactly in the right place until we got the whole perimeter on why is the foundation line on the wrong side there's something major wrong that's ridiculous yeah we got a we got a problem it's day one on Ron and Nancy's log home build in Montana and alvey's crew have run into a problem we've come to this part and the log is too long which is pushing this log out into the garage in other words we're out about six inches they went 74 on the inside this is a bit unusual there were some measurements done wrong at the pad 16 foot 4 inches it's like a puzzle but we're gonna figure this out the only solution that I can think of is the cut of each log okay so let's do it huh the way we'll remedy this problem is take a chainsaw and literally knotch those angle cuts at the end of the log back several inches [Music] got it yeah you're done we good yeah that was that's good that's awesome we're good I hit the panic button just a little bit but we've got it under control that they're putting in the last log right now on the first row and and I think we're going to end up redeeming the day we're on a roll [Music] with construction underway Abbi visits a local craftsman in Bozeman to design a bar for Ron and Nancy's great room today we're here down a rusty nail design to meet with Jason I have some ideas of what I want to do at this bar but I'm really excited to see what Jason can bring to the table we have a pretty big log cabin house so are you thinking like throwing some metal in it or anything like that I mean are you open to that yeah like what do you think could be the focal point what do you got well I think it would be kind of cool to throw in kind of a distressed old truck hood like an old GMC or an old Chevy because it's kind of got that bulbous role to the hood like a lot of repurposing one of our favorite things to do is use material not for its intended use so this is what I'm thinking I've got this hood over here you know black goes with about anything tell me about the patina here are we gonna keep it prettier are you gonna put I think we should do a clear coat when I wipe it with a wet rag it'll look what its gonna look like when we do a clear coat on there and so it'll really darken that up it's so pretty are you gonna leave the GMC on there you know I've been flirting with the idea of kind of hiding them somewhere on the bar you know you're a tease you know I can't tell you everything it's gotta be kind of a surprise right I think Ron's a bit of a Motorhead and it'll be fun to sneak a truck part into his living room [Music] I like working with bits of old cars the antique cars were such pieces of art and it's so cool to bring them to life again in an unexpected way I'm definitely artists first craftsmen second I definitely have the the finished idea inspired in my head off that one single element and I'll work out the details on how I get there through the process [Music] basically that granite will set I think it's gonna be kill they're gonna love it Ron and Nancy love to entertain big cabin and big personality is equal a big bar and I think Jason's the one to do it it's gonna be Jay - okay [Music] back at Ron and Nancy's live brothers corneal and Benjamin are drilling the electrical outlets kearney oh you got another measurement for me nine six is that outside or inside one want us brothers get together there's always a lot of competition we got it all left there I'm actually gonna put the outlet over here it's going on all day all day long [Music] their only reason for Niels drilling better than I am is because he quickly snagged the better bit so I get stuck with the bad bit trying to get it going Benjamin is my younger brother I used to be the boss now he's the boss I got to come back and work under him how many brothers in this world would do that you know [Music] and after the first row did we just set row after row and and it's it goes real smoothly the logs have to match from seam to seam when you just pop them in to just fit in there like a glove and sit sit and it's just awesome it's always exciting once we get a log set in the main walls when we're on a man to get here and see the progress that was made and hopefully it'll be a real moment for them the size of this thing it'll look like a house yeah they're really moving along I'm so impressed with how fast the logs are going up and the size of the place Wow the kitchen I'm lost for words that's not like me either and this is the master okay it's great bathroom over here mm-hmm so fun to be able to figure out you know what we're gonna put where and you can see it coming together now so that's really exciting hopefully it will be done before winter I don't want to be left out in the cold [Music] it's day three of the build and as elby's crew assembles Ron and Nancy's giant garage a haze descends on the jobsite as you look around it kind of looks like fog but it's actually smoke this time of year we often have forest fires and this year has been one of the worst years and it can affect you mentally and your lungs and it slows you down there's not so great right now we're in the process of putting the garage gables up and want to put it in a few purlins these are the serious ones the big ones [Music] they're coming at you [Applause] yeah the house gets higher and got to be more safety conscious we got to get these harnesses on the dangers you can slip off of a log or something you're way up high and it just need to be prepared I'm ready rock on Cowboys this one is the one I'm really hoping it's gonna fit we're just crossing my fingers and all my toes can we go towards Kearney low level that's good slowly smokey I can't see anything either I love it no I've got it I got it okay a little high a little up just feather it up okay someone get on a ladder and hit that with a hammer keep going they're days okay that's good that's all they'd put on it but once you start getting some Gables on and making it look like a house it's a good feeling now the gables are up and it's time to hoist the huge log purlins in place and somebody has to be up there to guide them in [Music] it looks like Andrew drew the short straw yeah I'm not a big fan of heights started get a tingly feeling in my hand my legs start to shake a little bit okay I'll go up there I'm not having fun like these other guys something just kind of comes over me though with the heights we have to use caution when moving the large logs so no one gets hurt they weigh over a thousand pounds it went well everything just dropped right in we're doing good [Music] [Applause] that's this cool or what Wow oh this is gonna be a great view it's pretty smoky I hope it doesn't flow down progress on the house yeah these guys work through anything good luck the US Postal Service I hope so yeah you hear it it's thunder everywhere set that love God yet and then we're gonna shut it down for a minute I seen lightning around here that crane is a big old lightning rod and have the crane up when there's lightning if you're close enough to hear it or see it you could get hit the heavens have opened and put our construction to a stop with the rain and the lightning it's just not safe to run a crane plus it makes the log slippery of we have no choice but to shut it down these thunderstorms have slowed us down we can't afford any more delays if we're going to get this house built before with you [Music] [Applause] [Music] the weather has held us up but now the Sun is out and we're back on site the guys are working hard to get the roof finished one of the more challenging features of Ron Nancy's house is the interior log work portal that angle logs come together the tongue and groove is being installed and then comes the rafters and the foam insulation and Ron or Nancy's double-sided fireplace is being delivered it's a three-foot door Ron and Nancy are on site a lot Ron he's a little wild but we like him do you think I want to see if we can get the door frames wide it might be a little too narrow yeah every day Ron a man to show up and Ron he the first thing he does is walk around the house check everything out and put a little pressure on me makes me all nervous oh wow they got the fireplace in it's that good-looking or what wow that's beautiful whoa that's a nice fireplace that's massive Wow Ron I think you'd fit right in there let me get a shot here oh [Music] well you fit inside there but I don't know if this is gonna fit in the wall it's a little larger than the one that we told the guys we were gonna install around this whole way too small all right he wants the archway bigger doorways bigger fireplace bigger everything just gets bigger a sociable open-plan living space has always been at the heart of Ron and Nancy's vision for their home so they want to widen both the exterior and the interior doorways the fireplace is the focal point of the great room so ron has upgraded to a bigger wood burner to create a spectacular centerpiece for their dream home go big or go home in Libby Montana Ron and Nancy have asked LV for some last-minute upgrades to their dream home I hope we can make it work we can make it work the next thing they hear is that thing fired up and he's over there cutting logs when he's got that chainsaw in his hand you can just see how much he likes to do that stuff I've worked in a sport nice guy [Music] it's always a nice moment when the glass doors and windows start going in because it starts looking like a real log home Matt you gotta keep the bottom pushed in buddy there you go now keep the bottom from spinning out while they push it solubility oh sweet [Music] can I get rid of Danna today my three youngest daughters are coming on site and I hope they're impressed with Ron or Nancy's house there you go hon all right now in this nice the party goes all the way around the whole Iran so check this out look at this red wood blue wood white would go into it all colors of wood the girls have grown up around chainsaws and power tools so they're used to the noise of sawdust it's bigger than it look at the moment I love that view I really like the boys they're beautiful doors when I grow up I'd like to have a house like this I like the fact that my girls can see what their dad does who knows they might grow up to be log home builders with the doors and windows installed and the roof on it's time for Abby to come work on the interior [Music] I'm just arrived here in living Montana the cabin is definitely big that's what Ron wanted I know Ellie's team has worked really hard on all the interior and exterior finishes [Music] can't wait to get in there [Music] three good for the bar that Abby had made is heavy it took four of us to move it in yeah I wonder how Ron's gonna like it I think he's gonna love it so do you see the leather that's buckskin okay cool I'm gathering this is your footrest right yep where I'm gonna be able to belly up right to that bar I think it was worth the effort he likes things big some of challenges we're dealing with is Brian ants you really want to capture their views but they also want to live in their space I have some eclectic pieces some vintage pieces some modern pieces so we're gonna see if we can pull this one off for him so Andy what's up with this cheesy deer you would you wouldn't catch it on my wall but Ron might like it huh you know a lot of people don't like to catch deers so this is kind of elevate this is what we called eco-friendly now these are made out of old blankets like Navajo blankets that's cool and then what yeah and then but you would not just find this out in the wilderness no you wouldn't so do you want one for your living room it's not in my style but I can see people liking the blanket thing with the deer this deck is huge and so I've asked Ellie to bring over some lumber and see what we can come up with to try to fill up the space Wow what'd you come up with so here I found a big slab uh-huh in the yard that I thought would be bench it's amazing it's huge we have to cut this back off when Ellie gets a chainsaw in his hand you never know what's gonna happen so I'm gonna take a step back watch the magic happen I like being creative with a chainsaw and with big pieces of wood for me there opee here I'll snoop lion out of control [Music] that looks so good what a view guys I think Ron's gonna like this pinch not bad huh it's not going anyway we just finished installing I can't wait for runnin antsy to get here I think Nancy is just gonna really appreciate him love what we've done for her today [Music] Ron will be happiest I seize the bar [Music] I'm very happy with the way the house turned out it's beautiful [Music] it's amazing Abbie transforms of space I can't wait for Ron or Nancy to arrive so we can show them their home I'm anxiously waiting to see what Abby's done in the cabin gonna be fun well there it is [Music] honey we're home that's snowing the roof is awesome Oh thou me Miss Daisy [Music] love the color of the logs that we picked all the staining job is excellent I think it's put together quite well I'm really looking forward to seeing what Abby's done on the inside hey guys hello hello welcome to your house nice to see y'all again you ready for this so come on inside come on in Wow oh oh I'm so excited [Music] feels really homey and I love what you've done with the place right well I'm excited for you guys to start living here I love the horns that's a buffalo right uh-huh check out those books on the table a little light reading yeah I don't think I'm gonna have time to read those LV [Music] this is a swivel chair that we talked about I do like it how do you like your view snow everywhere snow in the trees mountains poking out of the clouds Ron really seemed like the swivel chair that we put in I think it's great because he can look at the TV look at the fireplace and turn around and look at the view [Music] so run I think we need to look at the most important feature for you what do you think wow this is off the edge here let me tell you so what we did is we found an old GMC truck hood with the natural patina on it isn't it rusty oh yeah oh oh yeah we thought it would be perfect for you no I like it so lb how about a cocktail I don't know how to make I've never made one well this is a good time to learn isn't a self-serve for you guys let's check out your master wow this is beautiful Abby thinks it fits in here perfectly yeah you know it's not a large room but it fits a king-size nicely well that's what I was kind of worried about I think it all comes together quite well Abby mine John we're gonna go look at something for Nancy oh wow Abby this looks great this is what called a dormer the shed dormer gives you more space it widens it out lifts it up and so I have this great view a big window and a good sized space to work in look at that view the mountains peeking out it's gorgeous are you gonna get any work done sitting here looking at the view here I love it I love the Deaf space that Abby did upstairs you know in front of that window with a great view and lots of light came out really nice let's go check out the garage alright I'll be waiting run I think I like this they'll be I know I like this it's big and roomy so in this garage we gave you the real log tables which is the end of the house up there the beams are purlins to carry the roof and the ceiling board just like a house it's the real deal is this big enough for all your toys it's big enough for the toys I have now but we will be getting more toys so we might have to do some expanding at this time nice garage very nice that was the key on your list I got that I got that you got everything else so it's all good to go [Music] hey guys they have a surprise for you surprise I love surprises Elvie and i came up with this idea for a bench and this is actually made out of a tree that was in his yard took five guys to move this one it looks I hope you like it this is nice there are nice guys thank you very much yeah thank you I'll be well this is gonna be a real nice space to like your barbecue or sit down shade and summertime [Music] check out that view this is why we all live in Montana right it's something else the wraparound porch the deck is really a amazing feature partly covered partly open facing the mountains and it ties all the ends of the house together and they're both just tickled so do you think you'd ever be happy here absolutely no doubt about that he's been dreaming of this for a long time I do have one problem LV put some kind of heating coils in this is our dream home and it's happening which is very exciting look at this snow is this the beautiful or what it's nice it is nice I will be spending some time in that bar I'll be behind there mixing cocktails up for everybody all right hon you ready for a Montana Manhattan I don't know how good I am about it but you know after a few they they all taste the same because we drink beer so it doesn't matter arns she's gonna open up a beer winter has come but at least Ron and Nancy now have a cozy place to call home let's go on the deck right behind you well look at snowing oh that beautiful Cheers [Music]

Channel: Amish Meadows

Views: 309,571

Rating: 4.8331089 out of 5

Keywords: meadowlark, log, homes, amish, meadows, libby, Montana, cabin, cabins, handcrafted, rustic, custom, montana, lodge, episode 4

Id: OFoNUbeUVRM

Length: 42min 55sec (2575 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 18 2019