Custom Log Home Builders in Durango - Dyerbilt Log Homes Illustrated Article


	Bryan salvaged the petrified root of the tree that Chad Haspells had carved into a bear, then skinned the root down to the subcutaneous orange mottled bark and sealed it with polyurethane for the front entry. The limestone see-through fireplace divides the entryway and the great room. Coppers Mine slate flooring sets the tone for the home’s many copper inclusions.
Custom Log Home Builders in Durango Joe recommended the custom log home builders at Dyerbilt Construction Inc., run by Terry Dyer and his son, Troy, as the general contractor. Even before construction could begin, a 1,300-foot-long driveway had to be blasted out of the side of a cliff. The stone was set aside and used in creating the landscaping The first phase of the project was to build a garage with a 999-square-foot guest cabin on the second story that included a living room, dining room-kitchen, two bedrooms and a bath. It gave Joyce and Bryan a place to stay during visits to check on construction of the log home and provided for “knock-out” access from the guesthouse to the second floor of the main home. Construction began on the 5,500-square-foot main log home, which, like the garage-guesthouse, features hand-peeled, chinked Engelmann spruce logs. “Even for the size of home that it is, it is cozy,” Joyce says. “Every section becomes a conversation area. ”The main home consists of a foyer, great room with bar area and wine cellar under the staircase, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom suite with a cedar walk-in closet, powder room, storage room for skis and snow shoes, media room, laundry and mudroom on the first floor. At the top of the staircase is the pool room in the open loft. Two large bedroom suites accommodate guests. One is decorated for a cowboy look; the second features a Victorian motif. An office and an exercise room lead to the entry of the guest cabin. “From the time we turned the first spoonful of dirt until we were able to move in, only 12 months had elapsed,” Bryan recalls, crediting Terry Dyer for orchestrating fast turnaround. Joyce enlisted Carol Madeen of Madeen Interior Design in Durango to help her create a “Lodgey Victorian” style. Bryan and Joyce did much of the actual furniture shopping, but when they found a piece they wanted, they contacted Carol to purchase it for them. In addition to a wood-burning fireplace in the great room, the log home is equipped with two large antique nickel-plated wood stoves, one in the pool room and the other, “Happy Homes,” is found in the master bedroom. Two forced-air furnaces and air conditioning systems, fueled by natural gas, feature seven separate heating and cooling zones that assure year-round comfort. The Hondrus decided against in-floor radiant heat because such a system responds too slowly to fluctuating outside temperatures in the Durango region. \| Log Homes Illustrated SEPT 2006 \|

	A copper hood and farmer’s sink complement the green-stained alder kitchen cabinets with granite countertops. Other highlights are the commercial-grade, six-burner Viking range and GE double refrigerator finished with a wood front. Leather swivel bar stools provide seating at the butcher-block island.
\| Log Homes Illustrated SEPT 2006 \|