When we were first married in 1979, we lived in Casper, Wyoming where
i was an oilfield engineer. We would go up on Casper Mt and go cross
country skiing or simply wander around and enjoy the peace and views.
Three years ago, while looking thru Wyoming property on Craigslist, I
saw a pic of a cabin and I immediately recognized it from those days.
We took a trip to WY and bought the place, 4 acres half level with
Aspens and half with a mild slope with Lodgepole pines. Year-round
access on a paved road at 8500' it is immediately adjacent to miles of
snowmobile trails. The view is astonishing looking southward toward
Muddy Mt. Wildlife is prolific with deer wandering across the place
every day and bears are a problem. Mountain lions have been a problem
off and on and this year they have wolves.
So, what is the problem? The cabin. It is made from hand cut logs
cut on site. It's age is unknown with one source saying it was built
in 1903 but the earliest official record is from 1953. It is roughly
400 sf with a fireplace of on-site stone and has a huge porch added at
a later date. The floor was also added later as the original cabin
was built on the ground with no foundation. It is falling down from
rot in some of the logs.
Before we bought the place, I had a local guy inspect the cabin and he
said it is a lost cause and his best advice was to "Tear it down, burn
it down or allow it to fall down". We discussed this with people on
the mountain (some seriously crazy people there) and many of em were
appalled at us tearing it down until they see its interior condition.
Unfortunately, I fell in love with it.
I can put my hand on the logs and I just know it was built by two guys
in a couple of weeks and they had very few tools except their axes.
Touching the logs and seeing the axe marks you can almost feel their
presence. Inside, two enormous logs span the space above to hold up
the roof logs and these logs have depressed on one side due to rot in
side logs so the whole structure leans, The roof sags a lot in the
middle. Snow load in the winter is as much as 6' but is dry snow.
After spending time there for two summers, I can no longer allow it to
fall down. Without my wife's knowledge, I applied for a building
permit to re-roof it and replace the logs. The county there called me
back telling me that if I got a permit for this I could not get a
permit to build a "real" cabin my wife wants. My wife and kids do not
like the old cabin and want to see ti go or ignore it and allow it to
fall down. I simply cannot do this, it has to stay somehow. Somehow
I think I am destined to rebuild it and I have no enthusiasm for my
wife's "dream cabin". Am not sure how to deal with this.
BTW, where the pavement ends just beyond our property, it is dirt road
for 10 miles to junction with a paved road at which intersection is
Dick Cheney's mailbox.