A Log Cabin Saved

An abandoned and dilapidated shack becomes a thing of beauty.

Bets Hahn couldn't imagine what her husband, Dave, saw when he fell in love with a dilapidated old shack 2 miles away from their pretty farmstead near Nappanee, Indiana. But instead of focusing on the boarded-up windows, rotting roof, and a mess left by a family of raccoons, Dave envisioned restoring the cabin and saving a small piece of Elkhart County's history, along with creating a neat gathering spot for family parties.

"You have to have a vision or it would just be a long job," says Dave of the two-year remodeling project that transformed the cabin into a quaint clubhouse now situated near the Hahns' swimming pond.

The 22x26-foot cabin, which Dave and Bets believe was built around 1860 by local settler Christian Stouder, has a new wraparound porch, sleeping loft, and wood-burning fireplace. Inside, a 16-foot antique harvest table provides ample room for feeding a crowd.

Moving the cabin

Dave struck a deal to obtain the cabin in 2004 in exchange for removal and clearing the ground. The first job was to clean out piles of debris and to remove the old roof, two garage doors, and sheets of drywall slapped over the walls inside. "We took out four dumpsters before we could move it," says Dave.

The couple's daughter Wendy, son-in-law Eric, son Ben, and daughter-in-law Lori often pitched in to help on weekends and evenings. The Hahns carefully dismantled, labeled, and power-washed the cabin's poplar logs one by one. The logs were then loaded onto a trailer and transported to the Hahn farmstead.

Dave and Bets moved to the farm in 1974 shortly after they were married. They raised crops and operated a dairy herd there until 1989 when they moved to town and Dave went to work for a local oil company. He also works part time for his family's auctioneering service; Bets works as a cafeteria manager for the local school district.

In 2001, Dave and Bets bought 4 acres, including the farmhouse and buildings, from Dave's parents and they moved back onto the farm. They remodeled the white frame house with new windows, drywall, and doors. They also added a sun room and new landscaping. In 2003, they dug a quarter-acre swimming pond. The tiny log cabin was just the accessory to give the place a unique, homespun look. "It dressed things up a lot," says Dave.

Rebuilding

Dave poured concrete footers and added cement blocks to build a foundation for rebuilding the cabin. The original wood floor planking was reinstalled over new floor joists. The Hahns also installed new windows and a back door, and they moved an interior door to serve as the cabin's primitive, yet stylish, front door.

Rebuilding the log walls was a learning experience, say Bets and Dave. Their son and son-in-law helped set the V-shaped logs, using a forklift to put them in place. That only took about a day's time, and Dave was impressed with how easily the logs lined up. "When we set them, they were perfect," says Dave. "It was just as square as it could be."

Chinking the logs with cement mortar was more time-consuming. The Hahns consulted a friend about mixing the mortar in just the right combination of water and cement so it wouldn't crack. They used chicken wire and slabs of wood to help stabilize the cement, which was applied in three layers. "You have to build it out slowly or it will sag on you," says Dave. "It was a long process."

The Hahns designed a fireplace to fill a gap from missing logs where garage doors had been installed years earlier. To save costs, they had the large, two-story fireplace built from manufactured stone instead of natural or cut stone. The fireplace is used for cooking -- Dave especially enjoys making waffles in an antique iron -- and for heating the cabin, although Dave and Bets say the cabin can be chilly in the winter. "That's the one issue we haven't solved yet," says Dave.

Originally, the cabin had three rooms on the first floor, but Dave and Bets opted for one large room instead. Removing the interior walls meant a support for the upstairs loft was needed. So a single basement jack was placed near the center of the first-floor room. Dave wrapped the jack in old barn siding to give it a rustic look. "You really don't even notice it," says Dave.

The new porch columns were made from lumber salvaged from the original floor joists. The floor for the L-shaped porch is wood decking. The porch provides a restful place to sit and it helps protect the logs from weather, says Dave. The cabin has new custom-made trusses and a new shingle roof. Old barn siding nicely finishes off the gables under the eaves at each end of the cabin.

Electrical work was minimal -- just a few outlets and one ceiling lamp. A wrought iron candelabra illuminates the large harvest table, and oil lamps and candles are lit when more light is needed. There are no kitchen or cooking appliances besides the fireplace and no running water. A church pew, a smaller harvest table, a few chairs, cabinets, and two beds upstairs round out the furnishings.

"We kept the whole thing simple," says Dave.

Old-fashioned holiday

Soon after the cabin was completed, the couple hosted Dave's family for Christmas dinner. "We made it an old-fashioned Christmas," says Bets. "We served a simple meal of potato soup with fruit and nuts. For the gift exchange, we just exchanged hats and mittens. The family really enjoyed it."

The restored log cabin and nearby beach is the perfect spot for summer outings, too. The swimming pond has a waterfall, which adds to the scenery and helps circulate the pond water. Buoys keep beginning swimmers in the shallow end, while a raft with a pirate's flag entices more advanced swimmers into deeper waters. The cabin adds a convenient place for the guests to change into swimwear, eat, or rest.

The four Hahn grandchildren especially love sleeping in the two-room loft. A small, but modern outhouse was added in 2008, and Dave built a covered walkway to connect it with the cabin. An Easter egg hunt, birthday parties, and civic club meetings have also been held in the cabin. "People enjoy it," says Dave. "I'm really happy how it turned out. I wouldn't change a thing."

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