Essential Elements of an Ideal Winter Cabin
If you dream of a winter getaway with lots of skiing, skating and hot-drink sipping, these tips will make your cabin as cozy as can be
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
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As the days have grown shorter and a blanket of snow has draped itself over the ground in many places, thoughts have turned to skiing, sledding and ice skating for many.
Whether along the edge of a ski slope or nestled in a forest clearing, a small cabin is the ideal venue for enjoying this time of year and winter sports. Nothing cavernous, but something simple, small and cozy, with bunks for kids, a sleeping loft for parents and a large, open space for gathering — a place where you can sit by the fire and have some hot cocoa and rest your muscles from all the day's activities.
Let's take a closer look at some ideal winter getaway cabins.
Whether along the edge of a ski slope or nestled in a forest clearing, a small cabin is the ideal venue for enjoying this time of year and winter sports. Nothing cavernous, but something simple, small and cozy, with bunks for kids, a sleeping loft for parents and a large, open space for gathering — a place where you can sit by the fire and have some hot cocoa and rest your muscles from all the day's activities.
Let's take a closer look at some ideal winter getaway cabins.
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It should be someplace where big timbers and rocks convey solidity and permanence. Where the structure can stand on its own against the forces of nature.
And it should have a warm glow emanating from the interior. The front door should act as a glowing lantern.
And it should have a warm glow emanating from the interior. The front door should act as a glowing lantern.
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| Big logs and a simple gable roof are also ideally suited to a cabin in the woods. This archetypical cabin looks like it could easily have been built out of the Lincoln Logs set I played with many years ago. Just make sure that the roof can handle the weight of all that snow, and the main floor is raised up enough to stay above the snow line. See more of this guest cabin |
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| An 800-square-foot cabin with a simple shed roof offers a modern update. While the roof provides the right structure to withstand and shed the snow, the slope creates a room that can be all windows. |
| A winter cabin can go unused for a time, so keeping the local fauna out of the cabin can be a challenge. Securing windows and doors with sliding barn doors is smart. Don't forget to have a good-size front porch. No sense in letting all of that snow get tracked inside. See more of this cozy Vermont cabin |
The cabin interior can run the gamut from a dark and north-woods aesthetic to something contemporary and bright. A sleeping loft or two flanking a larger communal space is usually all that's necessary. And keep the finishes durable and low maintenance. Materials such as wood boards on the walls and ceilings will allow you to enjoy the place with a minimum of fuss.
And try an attractive, clean-burning woodstove if you don't want a fireplace. A stove placed in the middle of the space will be just about all that's needed to heat the entire cabin.
And try an attractive, clean-burning woodstove if you don't want a fireplace. A stove placed in the middle of the space will be just about all that's needed to heat the entire cabin.
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| A winter cabin should definitely have a good-size entry room — a place for taking off the ski boots, storing the skis, hanging the coats and otherwise dealing with all the stuff for winter sports. The entry should have a seat or two and finishes made to last, such as porcelain in lieu of ceramic tile. |
by robert kelly
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While a sleeping loft is a great place for the parents, you can't beat a bunk room for the kids. Certainly they will be too tired to stay up late and chat after a day of skiing, sledding and snowball fights.
by robert kelly
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Since chances are that there will be only one bathroom, make it large enough for multiple children to use it at once. Just make sure to place the toilet in a separate water closet so that some can be brushing their teeth while others are taking a shower or using the toilet.
by robert kelly
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Don't forget to have a spot outside with a fire pit and cozy chairs — a place for having a cup of hot cocoa and roasting marshmallows. A place that, even on the coldest of days, makes you enjoy the great outdoors and the crisp, clear and star-filled winter nights.
See more of this ski barn
See more of this ski barn
Ideabook published on Dec. 19, 2012.
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Is that a euphemism for the two-legged kind that frequently 'visits" vacant cottages?
And #5 noted 'A stove placed in the middle of the space will be just about all that's needed to heat the entire cabin'. Get one that heats as well as has a cook area so you can cook pots of soup, stews etc on top. This saves on using propane for cooking. Also use those ceiling fans to keep the heat that rises to the ceiling, moving.
And on a wood burning stove use a LLBean enamel cast iron stove pot that holds water, which when hot, adds moisture to the air which is a must for wood floors, wood ceilings, wood cabinets and wood furniture, which can dry out in a warm environment that lacks moisture.