The Little Cabin by the River

Around this time last year, my Dad noticed a property not too far from his farm hit the market. It was a small log cabin, built in the 1960's that was listed as a foreclosure. On a wintery afternoon, we drove the mile or so to check it out. At this point, I think my father already had it in his mind that he was going to buy it. He said he wanted to get my opinions on the place, but I think he was really hoping that I would fall in love with it and convince Anthony that we should move there. You see, my dad's dream in life is to have all of his kids and grandkids living within two miles of the farm. I told him it was a little too small and too far away from work for us, but I did fall in love with the potential of this tiny log cabin by the river. After some negotiating with the bank (which went like this: the property was listed for close to $80K. Dad decided he wouldn't pay a cent more than $40K, so despite rejections and counter-offers he just kept submitting the same $40K offer until the bank finally gave in and accepted it! This speaks volumes of my Dad's personality...) the property was theirs. 

There she is: the little cabin by the river. And by little, I mean tiny--640 square feet to be exact.

My parents are still not sure what they ultimately want to do with the cabin (rent it? sell it? keep it for the family? turn it into an airbnb destination?) but in the meantime, they've started the renovations. If you follow me on Instagram, you got a sneak peak at the progress 2 weeks ago.

Progress at my parents cabin. The walls are framed, electrical and plumbing are roughed in. So awesome to see my drawings come to life #spaceplanning #interiorarchitecture #interiordesign #kitchenandbathdesign #steviestorckdesignco

A photo posted by Stevie Storck (@steviestorck) on Jan 5, 2015 at 10:44am PST

It will still be several weeks until the renovations are complete, but in the meantime I'm sharing a photo tour of what the cabin looked like when my parents bought it. Because I don't think any of us thought to take before pictures, all of these photos were taken from the real estate listing. In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing more about the plans and progress of the cabin, so stay tuned!

Another exterior shot, which includes the garage. Believe it or not, this was a really nice (finished!) garage before the house went into foreclosure. All of the electrical wiring, aluminum roofing and siding was stripped and stolen. The leaves on the ground are hiding the concrete slab foundation, which is huge! I think the garage is actually larger than the house. 

Interior shot of the living room. Very dilapidated and dirty with warped wood (veneer) paneling BUT that fireplace, those original hardwood floors, the exposed beams? Character galore. 

The hallway *ahem* I mean, kitchen. Very narrow space. 

The larger of the two bedrooms. Still quite small, but lots of light and those beautiful hardwood floors, again!

So, do you think we are crazy? Or can you see the charm hiding under all those years of neglect? Sound off in the comments below!