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 CABIN
COMFORTS Story by Teresa Wolff Photography by Roger Wade BACK For many a fishing vacation in the pristine Snowy Range Mountains of southern Wyoming would be the ideal way to shed the hectic pace of everyday life. Those fortunate enough to be Jerry and Jorja Allen's guests at Fish On Ranch enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the 550-acre ranch and more. Guests are entertained in style, then enjoy lodging in the perfect log cabin. Though the Allens considered making the main house larger, they opted to build a separate dwelling for maximum privacy. They situated the three-bedroom, 2,800 square foot cabin as close as feasible to a nine-acre man-made lake, yet a considerable distance from the main house. When considering the design of the guest house, the Allens' overriding concern was comfort. "We wanted a place where our guests could enjoy all the amenities of the great outdoors without feeling they might be intruding or ruining valuable carpeting or antiques," Jerry says. The Allens purchased this particular parcel of land because it was large enough to accommodate their plans for expansion but too small to be a working ranch. Since the purchase, they have built a barn and roping arena in addition to the main house and guest cabin. As with the main house, the Allens selected Log Knowledge of LaPorte, Colorado, for the cabin project. The company handled all of the construction details from start to finish, including the design work, handcrafting of the log shell and completion of the framing and finish work. This was critical for the Allens, who have a permanent residence in Ohio and were unable to be present during construction. Though the main house and guest cabin are similar in construction, each has its own unique design elements. The Allens carefully considered the use of each structure, then designed the houses and chose their contents accordingly. Both houses are custom Log Knowledge designs built of 12-inch lodgepole pine, and Engelmann spruce logs. The main house features the great room concept with high open ceilings while the family room in the guest cabin sports lower nine-foot ceilings. "From the moment our guests open the door, we want them to feel at home," Jerry explains. "The lower ceilings just make it feel cozy.'' An open floor plan on the guest cabin main floor includes the kitchen dining area and family room. Because the evening meal is generally served in the main house, the kitchen area has just enough space for breakfast, lunch and snack preparation. From the kitchen island, the guest house cook can interact  with those relaxing in the family room. Both the island and the fireplace are fashioned of river rock from the property. The fireplace mantel, similar to two found in the main house, bears the inscription "Fish On Ranch." Two bedrooms and two baths complete the main floor footprint. A flat ceiling in the family room accommodates the master suite above while the guest bedrooms feature sloping shed-style ceilings. The master bedroom suite comprises the entire loft; it is an area Jerry calls "my favorite part of the house." Dormer windows at the top of the log staircase and in the master bathroom combine with oversized windows in the bedroom to provide an abundance of natural light and an unobstructed view of the outdoors. "The guest house can accommodate up to 10 people, if necessary, by taking advantage of the sleeper couch in the family room and a daybed in the master bedroom," Jerry says. "With the available room in both houses, it is not unusual for us to have up to 20 guests at a time." Carpeted floors in the bedrooms offer comfort on cool Wyoming mornings. Jerry and Jorja selected tile for the rest of the main floor because "it is not as noisy as hardwood floors and requires less maintenance than carpet." The Allens did not want their guests to worry about wiping their feet after a day of fishing or other outdoor activities. Jerry and Jorja are proud of the bathroom tiles which are inlaid with intricate trout designs. Rough pine planking on the bathroom walls and ceilings offers a pleasant contrast to the smoother pine cabinets. To break up the home's full log construction, the Allens opted for stick framing and drywall behind the kitchen cabinets. Tongue and groove pine ceilings add the textural variation Jerry and Jorja sought to create in the cabin.  One
thing the cabin shares with the main house is a fishing decorating
motif. The Allens' passion for the sport is evidenced in the inlaid
designs of a living room end table, on the upholstery on dining room
chairs, and in fly fishing prints and fish statuary throughout. The
cabin is fitted with a variety of textures and colors, especially
on lodgepole pine pieces by Old Hickory Furniture Company that the
Allens had outfitted with interesting upholstery designs. Jerry and Jorja also commissioned Chad Koske, a Wyoming artisan who doubles as the ranch manager, to build a number of beds, end tables and even an entertainment center of dead-standing lodgepole and ponderosa pine. Log Knowledge framed all of the windows and doors in the guest house with standard buck material, then trimmed them with knotty pine on the interior and cedar on the exterior. Covered redwood decks wrap around the cabin to give it a distinctive "hip' look. Outside,
guests may don a set of waders to test their luck with the rod and
reel, try their hand at roping in the arena, or just enjoy the view
of the mountains. No matter the activity a comfortable, restful
retreat awaits at the end of the day. It is the guest cabin, planned
and created with care, that lets visitors to Fish On Ranch know
they are valued. -- Log
Knowledge, Inc. Hawkeye
Landscapes Old
Hickory Furniture Co. Chad
Koske Working Horse Log Homes |
