Q&A / 

DIY Log Cabin

log cabin that Dick Anderson is working on.

Here's a log cabin that Dick Anderson is working on. The massive roof overhang is to protect the narrow porch you see on the front of the structure. Photo credit: Dick Anderson

Dick Anderson is a motivator who lives in Darlington, WI. He took issue with a opens in a new windowpast column of mine that discussed the challenges a DIY person faces when building their first log cabin. STOP now and read my past column titled opens in a new windowDream Log Cabin Challenges before you read Dick's comments below.

After reading Dick's comments, please do me and others a favor and put a comment below this post. I'm wondering if you feel I'm a Dream Crusher in my column. Thank you!

"Dear Tim (aka Dream Crusher),

Just found and re-read a column of yours "Log cabin a nice dream - reality can be a challenge" from August 4, 2013  and was wondering how did you get so good at tempering enthusiasm?

From your answer to Scott B. of Marais, Minn. and having been in education I think that you have another calling, that of being on your local school board.

I would have got to you sooner but as you will see in my attached picture have been pretty busy.

I believe as they say, leap and the net will appear! Many times I have told my students, "Crossing a bridge in your future will be a bit easier after you have built one or two."

Most often thinking about things too much tends to spoil it."

Here's the email reply I sent back to Dick. I did a few minor edits to it for clarity:

Great great photo and email!
I need to go back and read that past column.
I got great at tempering the enthusiasm homeowners experience when they try to eat elephants by reading *thousands* of HELP emails from people who jumped and the magical net you talk about - for some reason - never appeared.
I feel that it's vital to give people a true picture of what's ahead and then allow them - if they're BRAVE enough - to jump.
The problem with the average person trying to build a log cabin is a vast majority of them will simply not succeed.
Those that WILL do it because they read a column like mine and mumble, "Heck, I CAN DO that! What can be so darned hard?"
That's how it is with anything. If you have the three D's, you'll succeed.
  • Diligence
  • Determination
  • Discipline
What's the gallows for in the structure? To hang yourself if you fail? (That was a pun as it's a manual crane for lifting logs and purlins up to the roof.)
🙂   Love love love that project. Tell me more about it.

 

SPONSORS / 

7 Responses to DIY Log Cabin

Leave a Reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.