Renovations
Renovating a Log Cabin Interior Without Ruining What Makes It a Cabin
The fastest way to wreck a log cabin is to renovate it like a normal house. Here's how I update a log cabin interior without killing the thing people came for.
Renovations · June 9, 2026
The A-Frame That Started It All
I bought a falling-down A-frame with a sleeping bag and a circular saw and no real plan. Here's the whole renovation, honestly.
Read the log →The Latest From the Mountain
Renovations
Bringing an Off-Grid Cabin Back to Life
An off-grid cabin is a different animal. Here's how I bring one back — power, water, heat, and how you light a place with no grid behind it.
Renovations
A Small Cabin Interior, Reworked for Real Living
A small cabin doesn't have to feel cramped. Here's how I rework a tiny cabin interior so it lives a lot bigger than its square footage.
Renovations
What I Learned Gutting My First Cabin
My first cabin gut was equal parts education and disaster. Here's what it taught me, so your first one goes better than mine did.
Renovations
Lighting an Off-Grid Cabin: Wiring, and Not Wiring
When there's barely any power to wire to, lighting gets interesting. Here's how I light an off-grid cabin warmly without bleeding the battery bank dry.
Renovations
Restoring a Wood Stove and Building the Hearth Around It
A cabin without a good wood stove is just a cold box with a view. Here's how I restore one and build the hearth that becomes the heart of the place.
Renovations
Cabin Floors That Take Muddy Boots and Wet Dogs
Cabin floors live a hard life. Here's what I put down so they survive muddy boots, wet dogs, and dropped firewood and still look right.
Renovations
Reworking a Cabin Loft So You Can Actually Stand Up
Most cabin lofts are wasted — too low, too dark, reached by a death-trap ladder. Here's how I rework a loft into a space people actually want to be in.
Renovations
The Screened Porch That Doubled the Cabin
The cheapest way to make a small cabin bigger isn't an addition — it's a screened porch. Here's how I build one that becomes a whole second room.
Renovations
What I'd Never Do to a Cabin Again
Seven cabins in, I've earned some scars. Here are the renovation mistakes I'll never make again — so you can skip them.
Interiors
Cabin Living Room Ideas That Actually Feel Warm
A cabin living room should pull you in and not let go. Here are the ideas I come back to for a cabin living room that actually feels warm.
Interiors
Lighting a Dark Cabin: The Thing Almost Everyone Gets Wrong
If your cabin feels dark and gloomy, it's almost certainly the lighting — and almost everyone gets it wrong the same way. Here's the fix.
Interiors
Cabin Bedroom Ideas for Real Sleep
A cabin bedroom should be the best sleep you get all year. Here are the ideas I use to make a cabin bedroom genuinely restful.
Interiors
A Cabin Kitchen That Works as Hard as You Do
A cabin kitchen has to be tough, warm, and usually small. Here's how I make one that works as hard as cabin life demands.
Interiors
Rustic Cabin Bathroom Ideas Without the Kitsch
A rustic cabin bathroom can be warm and characterful without a single bear carving or 'gone fishin' sign. Here's how I do rustic without the kitsch.
Interiors
Modern Rustic: Cabin Style Without the Bear Carvings
Modern rustic is cabin warmth with the kitsch stripped out and the clutter calmed down. Here's how I strike the balance.
Interiors
Rustic Cabin Decor That Isn't a Cliché
Rustic cabin decor doesn't have to mean plaid everything and a moose over the door. Here's how I keep it authentic instead of clichéd.
Interiors
What Actually Makes a Cabin Cozy
Everyone wants a cozy cabin, but few can say what 'cozy' actually is. After seven cabins, here's what really creates the feeling.
Interiors
Styling an A-Frame's Awkward Angles
An A-frame's sloping walls are either your biggest problem or your best feature. Here's how I style those awkward angles so they work for you.
Interiors
The Lantern, the Lamp, and the Fire: Layering Cabin Light
Great cabin lighting isn't one fixture, it's layers — the lantern, the lamp, and the fire, all working together. Here's how I layer cabin light.
Cabin Life
How I Ended Up Renovating Cabins for a Living
Nobody plans to renovate cabins for a living. Here's the honest story of how I ended up doing exactly that, starting from the worst year of my life.
Cabin Life
How I Choose Which Cabins to Buy
Most cabins I look at, I walk away from. Here's how I decide which ones are worth buying and which are money pits wearing a charming roof.
Cabin Life
What It Actually Costs to Renovate a Cabin
People always want the number. The honest answer is 'it depends,' but here's where the money actually goes when you renovate a cabin.
Cabin Life
Renting Out a Cabin: Lessons From My First Season
Renting out my first cabin taught me a lot, fast. Here's what guests actually want, what books a cabin out, and what I'd tell anyone starting.
Cabin Life
Living Alone in a Cabin I Brought Back
Living alone in a cabin I rebuilt with my own hands isn't the lonely story people expect. Here's what it's actually like.
Cabin Life
Off-Grid Power, Water, and Heat: The Unglamorous Stuff
Nobody photographs the battery bank or the well pump, but off-grid power, water, and heat are what make a cabin a home. Here's the unglamorous truth.
Cabin Life
Tools I'd Buy Again, and the Ones I Regret
Seven cabins in, I've bought a lot of tools — some brilliant, some a waste. Here's what I'd buy again and what I regret.
Cabin Life
A Year of Seasons in the Blue Ridge
Cabin life runs on the seasons, not the calendar. Here's a year in the Blue Ridge — what each season does to the work, the cabin, and the light.
Cabin Life
The Reset: What the Cabins Gave Back
I set out to fix cabins and ended up fixing a fair amount of myself. Here's what the work gave back, in case you need to hear it.