Our Tennessee Cabin

Back in 2014, my husband and I bought a little fixer-up cabin on 35 acres in rural Tennessee.

Admittedly, We were probably the only people who didn’t consider the cabin a tear down. With only three sides, no windows and part of the roof missing, it was in such bad shape, it came free with the land.

But, its outward appearance didn’t tell the whole story because, if you just took the time to look closer, you would see it also had rough-milled oak floor joists and sturdy framing throughout. This was a cabin worth saving.

On our first trip, we framed in the living room and installed windows, so we would have a temporary shelter to stay in while we worked. There was already a stone hearth and double chimney in the cabin, so after a bit of chimney sweeping, we installed a woodstove to keep us warm.

And so began the first of many work trips. Whenever the girls were out of school, we raced up to the cabin, eager to make progress. By the end of the first winter, we had the whole cabin closed in. 850 square feet felt expansive, since we’d grown used to sharing the living room.

Never ones to spend money when we didn’t have to, my husband and I had fun furnishing the cabin with curb finds and yard sale treasures.

For nine years, our family enjoyed owning the cabin property, hiking, picking blackberries and crabapples and spending time down by the pond. It was a magical place, and I’m glad it got to be a part of our kids’ growing up years.


Read More About Our Tennessee Cabin


Want to see more of the cabin construction process? Curious about how we furnished the cabin with curb finds and yard sale treasures? Below you’ll find everything I wrote about our little Tennessee cabin.

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