Log Home Haven

Situated trailside on one of Vermont's most popular skiing spots, you'll find Tucker and Chris McDonagh's luxury log home—a 6,000-plus square foot residence designed primarily by the McDonaghs with input from master log crafters, an architect, and local tradespeople. The family, whose main home is in Connecticut, spends winter weekends here, as well as several weeks in the summer.

"Chris and I have always loved rustic style," explains Tucker. "When we bought the land, which is actually on an Okemo ski trail in Vermont, we were able to build our ideas and have it naturally fit the surroundings." The family had skied at Okemo in the 60s and 70s, so when they were looking for a location for a second home, this was the obvious choice. The home took 16 months to build, and was completed in December 2004.

The premium amenities and custom features in this well-appointed log home are almost too numerous to mention, but suffice it to say that no detail was overlooked—from radiant heating inside-and-out, to gourmet kitchen appliances and a full luxury spa on the lower level. Easily the most distinctive aspect of the home revolves around the log selection process, and execution of the frame.

Working with the master crafters at Montana Log Homes, the McDonaghs immersed themselves in the building process. Living trees were not felled for this home; instead, standing dead Montana lodge pole pine were used. (Beetles kill the trees and loggers pull out only those that are no longer living.) "We counted the rings on a large log in our great room, and some were more than 125 years old," explains Tucker. To keep the rustic look of the logs, they were "skip peeled" by hand with a knife, which helps retain some of the bark.

Chris and Tucker flew out to Montana to visit the supplier and timed their arrival so that they were able to hand pick several of the home's "character" logs. Unbelievably, the log frame was preset in Montana and then transported by truck to Vermont. The McDonagh kids had the opportunity to accompany the truckers up the mountain with their log home. "The reset process was amazing," explains Tucker. "Chris's grandfather loves to make furniture and he flew out from Chicago to join us. It was a real family project."

The home's reset occurred during a bitter cold week in early January. During a seven-day spell of zero-degree temps and minus 20-degree wind chills, three builders from Montana and three local Vermont builders erected the distinctive log home. "It was just amazing, they were walking across a log 35 feet up with the wind howling…" says Tucker. "I can remember being worried about them freezing and maybe falling and suggested they take a day off for the weather to break, but they wouldn't. 'This is what we do,' they said. All in all, it was quite a process."