Hi Amy ! Chris ! Simon!

What a Top Notch Crew ;o)

It sounds like the build site is full of bubbly fun ! Thanks for the updated Blog video journal !
Is that an R.V. on site ? Totally cool :o)
At least you are able to get an early start as soon as the sun's up !

Sweet dreams :o)

Goldilocks and The Three Top Notch Bears .

Hi again Amy!

Glad to finally hear from you again. Sound sot me you need an assistant there to take pictures and video of all the work going on. Even 'This Old House' sets up a online cam for their website. You need to get more help to keep us up on what is going on.
Is the roof going on yet? Seems to me we have to getting to that phase by now. Maybe if all us bloggers came to the site we could cheer you on. Hope your playing some music that keeps you hopping and getting things done. I know when I want to speed things up I put on some favorite music and rock n' roll. I am sure the rest of the bloggers are anxious for more pictures....
Right Gang?

We have some good name for the cabin lined up and some not so good as well. Our Nature's Nest is really moving along and we all want more. You know ... hurry up and wait... for what is next. Keep up the good work, love your 'go for it' attitude. Your confidence in the contractors is encouraging.

After viewing and participating in the voting on eash of the entries I find this cabin will be a wonderful place to live or vacation. This cozy cabin nestled in the great Appalachian Mountains will be the pride and joy of any family to own, and it might as well be me. Keep up the good work DIY, this place is perfect.

Hi Amy & DIY Gang~
Glag to hear everything is going so well! Any high jinx or pranks to report?

Hi Amy, Sounds like things are moving fast. I agree with Lynn, I know I am very anxious to see more pictures. It would help us think of more names for the cabin. You could always take pictures of Chris and Simon by the cabin so we could see who you are talking about. Or as mentioned often by the bloggers, a webcam at the site would be such a plus. Glad things are going so smoothly. Enjoy the mountain air.
Life is sweet,until next time.

Good to hear that everything is coming along smoothly without a hitch. Can't wait to see more photos of the build. Thanks for keeping us updated.

Correction on my previous blog. I should have said; You could always take "more" pictures of Chris and Simon by the cabin.

I found their pictures had already been posted.

Please post more pictures,would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

OH YES! I agree with you Lynn. I think our cabin will be up in no time with a little Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen and the like. Who knows; it sure can't hurt!
Ditto on the quest for more pictures.....I can't wait to see them.
Keep up the good work Amy and keep those Vlogs rolling in!!!!

Thank you for the update Amy & Crew!

It sounds like everyone is enjoying the build and things are rocking and rolling in the right direction. :)

Amy,

Your excitement is contagious! It is exciting to hear that the logs are now being set.

Here's A Five Star Kudos To You And Your Crew!

Wow Wee! The "DIY Great News Cabin Vlog" is another awesome way of keeping us of all informed! Glad to hear your working with an expert crew of log cabin builders,"Log Home of the Smokies!" sounds like they have it down pat!(Thanks for the really really short slideshow of the cabin! When the going gets good-the good gets gone!) It's going to be beautifully rustic! And Amy, along with your expertise I have no doubt it will be extra super duper heavy duty awesome!!

Psssst. I see something in the background of both of your vlogs...hmmm?

All sounds positive-can't wait to see more. Just wondering if you guys have seen any of the area wildlife after business shuts down in the quiet times? Thanks for the update...

I wasn't sure what Hilary was referring to with this comment......

Is that an R.V. on site ? Totally cool :o)

It was great to get the vlog update! Looking forward to more pics of the cabin's progress. It will also be fun to see if any of our blog suggestions are used!

Hi Amy and diy staff:

Sounds exciting cant wait to see the more pictures
of the wip...good luck.

the paulson's

WOW is right!! Gave me goosebumps! How beautiful the cabin looks! The fireplace is amazing. The winner will be grateful that the cabin has been built by such skilled, talented and caring people. It is one of a kind. Looking forward to seeing more.
Life is sweet! Until next time...

I Don't know why you bother to ask for blog posts when you don't post many of them. I posted names for the house, and twice, they never made the blog messages. I know they went through, as it said thank you for your comments. Nothing bad about either post that would need to be censored either.

Hello Amy and Crew!

Glad to view your v-blog and hear all is well! I really would like to hear from you more often--more pics and videos of the cabin and surroundings.

The fireplace is looking great!! Can't wait to see all the choices come together in one fantastic cabin.

Rock on and stay safe, Kathy J

The slide show is great and getting better each time. The house is going up so fast!
AMY,
I love seeing your Vlogs, its great to have this type of info coming from you, it makes this so much more exciting and personal.

great job

I'm confused once again. The pictures show the plan for Greenbrier being built. Yet, this was formerly posted......

By Hilary.......
Smokey View ( pipped at the post by Greenbrier)...heheh
Tin Roof
Double Hung Windows
faux finish walls
round bannisters
heart of pine flooring
wormy chestnut door
country kitchen
quartz countertops
woodstove
natural tile in bathroom
Claw foot tub ( the sheer luxury of soaking !)
and finally, the outdoor patio with fireplace :O)
The Bears love toasting marshmallows on twigs, they get very sticky and will need to soak in that CLAW-foot tub :O) s'cuse the pun !

I accidentally sent the last blog without my email address included.

It referenced a former post by Hilary Ireland.

This cabin is truly a work of art. Thank you for providing us with opportunity to see how a cabin is built step by step. I'm really looking forward to watching the series on DIY.

Great slideshow of the cabin that is at
www.loghomesofthesmokies.net (Log Builder)
Wonderful view of the back of the cabin.
Could that be a partial basement?
Maybe you guys will add the outdoor water feature as a bonus? The water would cascade down the slope towards the stream making such soothing babbling sounds. What added pleasure that would be as you relax in the hot tub and enjoy the outdoor fireplace as well.
Life is sweet! Until next time....

Thank you for the slide show.

The fireplace is breathtaking and so is the home. :)

The fireplace looks "Rock Solid" and love that mountain slate! Excellent job!! I even noticed on one of the dormer windows the green tin roof that is starting to go up too!! This is so exciting seeing the different phases of the "Blog Cabin"!! And it looks well established!! Win or lose...you folks are an exclusive bunch of skilled craftsmen!!! Looking forward to the next "Blog Cabin Vlog"! And Amy, would love to see you clogging all about the cabin too!!

Derek & Dean putting in the fireplace awesome! I would have liked to have been there to see that...
I love their show Rock Solid. That must have been a great day on the work site with those two guys. They are nuts! But their work is superior.

Victoria: That is an old post. Hilary was just posting what Her choices were for the cabin. Some of her choices are correct. Here's the correct list of winning choices.

Greenbriar
Tin(metal)Roof(it is green in the pics)
Stone Hearth & Surround Fireplace
Double Hung Windows
Casa de Colour Aztec Cherry Oak Floors
Round Railing (Stairs)
Country Kitchen
Natural Tile Bathroom
Granite Kitchen Countertops
Modern Slate Walk-In Shower
Outdoor Patio with a Fireplace
Single Color- Eggshell Finish (Interior walls)
Wormy Chestnut Door (Front Entryway)

Hope this straightens things out. Good luck!

Wow, so exciting. can't wait to see more. I am hoping to take my son to townsend this summer for vacation. Fishing on the little river, tubing and of course visiting Pigeon Forge and Gatlingburg. Maybe we will be able to catch a glimpse of the blog cabin. It is looking great. Thanks amy, and the rest of the gang.

ps. does anyone have any new names to put out?

cindy

Hey, just fantastic how the cabin building comes along. It shows that you have some really good people working on it. It is going to be hard to find a good name for the cabin. "Three Bears Cabin" would be one of my suggestions.
'Til later.

Jutta

We have been writing new names on the blog, but it does not take them? So here it is:
Whiskey Mountain Lodge
Nature's Lullaby
Bear Claw Trails
White Cloud Retreat
Tree Top Haven
Just a few...... Keep thinking, can not go wrong with Home Sweet Home, if I win! Good luck everyone!

Hey! Great Vlogs. Keep'em coming! This cabin is a dream come true for so many. I owned a log cabin once and would love to do it again. How about naming it DIY (Dream It Yours)?

Hi Guys!

Well Amy, I bet Dean and Derek kept you in stitches while they worked on that 'Rock Solid' fireplace. They always give me a chuckle on their show, it's just like my house. I always loved the stone fireplace. Love it! It's good to see you've raised the roof. It is lookin' GREAT.

Love seeing the pictures. It gets more and more exciting to see it all come together. And you know we are all starving for more......

Please let us know what the views are going to be like from that front porch. We really would love one them all the different sides the next group of pictures so we can imagine it from the Front porch rockers we have in our heads. Always loved watching the world from the front porch rocker. At Grandma & Grandpa's we watched the stock cars on their way to the race track down the road. Does anyone else have any memories from the front porch rocker? Would love to hear them.

When are the windows and doors expected? Is it going to be the standard green or some other color material. Love that weathered copper look. Can't wait to see that tin roof being installed. We all know when the doors and windows are in we closer to moving inside and closer to the finish.

I think that even if we do name the cabin by vote, the winner will probably rename it. The idea for names keep comin' and it is would really be hard to pick one. How about this one? 'Winner's Dream'
We are all hoping to get into the running for the cabin.

Well keep up the great progress. Waitn' to get more of the progress in pictures. Happy Building!

Greetings to all; I understood during the voting that the pictures we chose from were just to give us an idea of what the item would look like. I am wondering if the same holds true for the cabin plans. The original plans for the Greenbriar has two single windows that are right next to each other on the right side of the door. There is a single window on the left side of the door. However when looking at pictures of the cabin, it looks like two single windows that could be right next to each other is on the left side of the door and there is no opening for a window on the right side of the door. Perhaps I can't see it? Just curious what is happening. Thanks.

Amy,

The work looks terrific. Thank you for inviting us to share in the excitement of building a log cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Has anyone commented on the fact that the front of the cabin does not look like the Greenbriar floor plan? Go to http://www.loghomesofthesmokies.net/Greenbrier.pdf to see the Greenbriar floorplan for yourself.

How amazing..everything looks great. Love the fireplace. Keep up the good work everybody!

The cabin looks like it is coming along wonderfully. I love the fireplace. Rock Solid is one of my favorite shows and it is so cool that Derek and Dean built the fireplace in the cabin. I can't wait to see more pictures!

Greetings all! Lesley; I noticed the difference in the windows and door when pictures of the front first were posted, I was waiting to see if they were going to change it. I just decided to say something too. (see post previous to yours)
The door is single in size, not allowing for glass on both sides of door. However the door was something we voted on, which was just an idea of what it might look like. I did not think they would omit the glass though. I think many voters selected that one because it had the glass on the sides of the solid door. Hopefully they will tell us soon why they made these changes.

Thank you for the information regarding the floor plan. That clears the air. :)

My husband and daughter wanted to add a few names for the cabin:

Memoirs Cabin
Cloak Cabin
Cabin Castle
The Gathering Place

My husband and daughter are both watching the home develop too. My husband wanted to comment that the build is amazing and he loves the fireplace.

I imagine it would be very relaxing to read a newspaper and take in the scenery nestled by the fireplace.

OKAY! Thanks; Jacqueline, I did not see those little bits of tin on the roof. Green is good. Though why only a few pieces, Flashing or what???????????

Kathy, you're right too. Is this a smaller version of the GreenBriar or did they move the door(kind of looks that way). Something is different,there.
What's up with that, anyway? Yeah! we should have windows on the door sides like the door sample we voted on. It sure needs something....

We want windows to see the world outside. Hope the kitchen has an island and no penninsula like the sample floor plan. NO PENNINSULA, PLEASE!

Of course we are not the planners, are we? Too bad. It's lookin' good anyways. Keep up the good work!

Greetings Bloggers! It's my guess that this is going to be a gas fireplace; simply, because I'm not seeing a chimney protruding out from the roof anywhere. Am I wrong? If this is the case then maybe the outdoor fireplace will be for burning wood. Amy, can you give us an answer on what type of fireplace is going to warm up the winners? Also, can you tell us what lot number in Kinzel Springs this beautifully rustic cabin is being built upon? I know we're on a budget for this cabin retreat and also realize extras are included such as the hot tub and the natural flowing brook on the property which does make a budget increase; however, will the windows on each side of the door be excluded? Is it too late to have the building contractors cut out two holes on each side of the door for extra light? Or maybe are ya'll planning on including a full view Andersen storm door? If so, than this will let in a lot of light and make a wonderful view of the outdoor surroundings. I have an Andersen full view storm door and I absolutely love it! But just want to mention the glass on both sides of the door and the full view storm door would be fantastic too! Just want to mention too that I am in love with the cabin! That is "Blog Cabin" "Fiddler's Haven" "Rocky Top Retreat" "Bloggers Bluff" "Fog Out"...

Greetings all!
Amy, We need your help in solving the mystery of the missing windows and chimney.
There is a window missing on the front of the cabin, to the right of the front door. After taking another look at the pictures and the floor plan I found another missing window. The floor plan shows a window to the right of the fireplace. When you look at the fireplace in the pictures, the window to the right of it is missing and the fireplace is very close to a wall.(Is that wall the front of the cabin on the inside?)
Jacqueline noticed that the chimney is missing. Is there some structural reason the floorplan had to be changed? We are also curious if the front door will have the glass on both sides of it. Hope you can solve this mystery.

Lynn;When that picture was taken, looks like they had just started the tin roof.

Is it possible for the Blog Cabin to have a place on the DIY message board like the Best Built Home does?
Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Hope you guys are enjoying that warm weather.
Life is sweet! Until next time...

Reflecting back on the voting it has become abundantly clear that the photos were representative of style and don't reflect the final product.

The layout and all other elements of the home will simply be valued by the ultimate winner, I'm sure. I personally would be very proud and happy to be able to care for such a wonderful gift. :)

Extra super duper heavy duty awesome. I love that.

Greetings all! Amy, We know you guys are working really hard and are very busy, but what about an update with some pictures to go along with it?
In honor of Mother's Day?
Or a loved one's Graduation?
Or just because it's a beautiful day?
Enjoy the mountain air!
You are missed!
Hope to hear from you soon.

I wanted to share some of my thoughts.....

Kathy Beals = Author (it may be a blog disguise?)

Rock Solid = Waterfall

Hilary Irelang = HGTV (disguise formerly revealed)

Tin Roof = Green (not white)

Fireplace = woodstove (no copy cutouts)

R.V. = I notice one parked on site. OR (I could overanalyze and "perhaps" the winner may receive one?)

I hope everyone is enjoying Mother's Day either with their mother's, by the phone, or just in memories.
The construction of this cabin is really amazing.
I love the idea of the hot tub. We only use ours in the winter time. It's fantastic. But an outdoor shower with a natural stone floor would even be better. It could be attached to the outside of the cabin, the walls would be made of wood and the top would be open to see the stars etc... at night and enough room for two.

Dean and Derek say your afraid of spiders & mice... well i'm not to fond of the spiders, but mice we can feed to my cats. LOL

Great job your doing on the cabin! :)

Hey guys the cabin is looking beautiful thanks for all the pictures it looks awesome.I love the smokies.Loretta Johnson city tn.

How truly wonderful, what you are doing ! With so much heartache in the world in general and the war in Iraq in particular,the gift you are giving goes far beyond the material.Like the mountain itself, your site gives respite from daily struggles and a promise that, as long as the mountains remain, there will always be people who care enough to go that extra mile for " their brothers " . Thank you and DIY for the extra mile .

Hi Amy and crew!
The blog cabin looks as beautiful as I imagined it would be. I look forward to any and all pics or videos you send us, as especially your progress updates. I can't wait to see this paradise home as it progresses! What an exciting project this is.