Glad to see Ahmed getting 'The Dirt On'...
I was hoping the blog cabin had a green house, that's how much I love my plants! So I am really looking forward to seeing Ahmed work his horticulturist magic!!!

Hi, Ahmed,

What kind of mulch will you be using in the cabin landscaping?
Personally, I love cedar mulch as it smells wonderful and repels insects--a great benefit in my flower beds! I've also tried Hershey's Cocoa Mulch...especially in the front yard for the acid-loving hydrangeas. The smell, of course, is delicious! One caveat though, is that it can be toxic--if consumed in excess--by family pets.
Good Luck with your efforts...you join a great cast of talented experts! Rebecca from Cleveland

Hey Ahmed Hassan! We can't wait to hear the landscaping details on the DIY series! Love the evergreens planted around the cabin and the flagstone walkway and the driveway. Is that concrete that is painted to look like stone? If it is that is getting popular on the east coast here too! It looks very nice! Keep up the great work along with Amy! See ya on DIY television!

When I the picture of the cabin,it was almost as great as seeing my frist born child. it will be hard to beat. and the fireplace breath taking. GREAT JOB GUYS !!!!!!!! Nancy

Amy

Just a short note to say the cabin is as lovely as any I've seen in any of my trips to the Blue Ridge. You an the crew have done a great job to capture the mountain dream of a retreat that could make anyone feel rested and at home.

Hi Ahmed!

It is good to know that you are working with the exterior enhancements to the Blog Cabin. Love your show and and gotten some great ideas from your show.
Hope your experience with the blog cabin is a good one. I know that you will enhance the grounds of our cabin lot. Are you going to show us what you'll be doing? I love it when there are native plantings, hope you are planning some of the native flora and fauna.

Great to see you are on the team.

Hey blog cabin gals & guys. We were vacationing in the Smokies this week. Coming into the Smokies we were driving through Townsend and by chance we saw Kinzel Springs. I immediately got so excited I just couldn't believe it diy it was there. But we couldn't stop at the time. Since I knew about the cabin already this nearly drove me nuts knowing it was there and I was not able to see the house and it within my grasp. Drove me nuts, My husband tortured me, saying no way they won't let us see, we won't be able to find it and he made me wait until we left town today after staying for 3 days. Drove me nuts. I told him we just had to try to see if we could see. I just wanted to glance at it. Ok I begged him. This was all I wanted to do besides stay in a nice cabin. I am such a fan of the scripps networks on both hgtv and diy. We have always wanted to buy property in the Smokies. So since I knew your little secret, we snooped. We actually did find it and I did get to see the house. I loved it. We took a couple of pictures. But your secret is safe with me. I was so tempted to just jump out of the truck be nosy and have my picture taken on the porch but we didn't out of respect for your property. I really loved the house. You have done a great job. Looking forward to seeing the series and having a chance at winning the home next week. My husband said he told one cabin sales rep about it and they didn't have a clue. I was surprised that she didn't know and her within a mile of your sight. Don't worry I scolded him for it. You secret is safe with me. Just don't put this on the posts if you don't want to. Thanks for all the hard work everybody God bless u all. P.s I like the name blog hollow it fits the house to me.

Have fun doing what I love to do.

Hello to Amy and all bloggers. I've been watching the site and blogs faithfully since April when I first heard of the cabin on the DIY network. Amy and the DIY crews have done a fabulous job, and bloggers made great choices. As far as we are concerned choice of location couldn't have been better. I moved to that area in '83 and family matters forced me back to Kansas, been trying to return ever since. Helped my best friend build his home over the hill from Kinzel Springs, near Laurel Valley. My wife and I planning to move there soon as we can. Watching the video on selecting a location makes me homesick for all my friends in the area. And for Amy, if you stop in to Thunderhead Perk, tell Jamie that Greg and Natalie say hello and will see her around Aug.25 when we get there. Going back for a visit, and to look for property so we can relocate to Townsend or Walland. Hope to run up the mountain and check out the Blog Cabin in person. I'm sure that as beautiful as it is in the pictures and videos, it's even better in person. I'll be entering as allowed, and praying , but whomever wins the cabin will be the luckiest person on earth in my mind.

OH MY GOD, I can't believe how beautiful the kitchen is in the blog cabin. Picture perfect. I love it and I wish I had. Thank you for such a wonderful job. Someone is going to be very lucky.

It is great to see you on site with your expertise and plans for plants!

for my dream cabin my family needs at least 3 bedrooms. A medium size living room so my 5 kids and husband will have room. we would love a lakeside view for fishing. and the floors would be real wood floors. outside would be a porch going all the way around. and the roof would be a amazing dark green.
and a hottub for relaxation.

Love the show love the Cabin.. I hope they will do some Water gardening. I know sounds a little strange for a cabin maybe... But I just love the sound of running water.

Hi, DIY Blog Cabin. My name is Oscar and im from the S.F. Bay Area. Its great to know that someone will eventually own your build. Not to many people give homes away, and im sure who ever wins it will trully enjoy it. Its a beutiful build. I see plenty of cabins in the Santa Cruz Mountains aswell as Yosemiteor Tahoe. Your selsction of features are extensive and dipictive of any other. And could be considered one of a kind. Im sure your hard work was paid of well to satisfaction and could please anyone.

Amy,

So glad you got some well deserved time off, but Italy?? I so wished I was there with you!! I am so excited about today. We have waited along time for the start of the sweepstakes and the shows to start. Everything is so BEAUTIFUL and located in the perfect spot. Although it is a long shot, someone has got to WIN and if its not me, well I am just THANKFUL to have the opportunity to DREAM! Good Luck to everyone and THANK YOU DIY for all you do for us!! I'll be waiting in MISSOURI for the call! HA

"Take me back where I belong, take me back to my home" (log cabin) in the Great Smokey mountains. I was born in the Blue Ridge mountains 64 years ago and want so badly to live in the mountains again, but cannot afford to build or buy a place to retire to.

The home is absolutely beautiful as is all the work you guys do. Another superior job.

Windows; Your views at the cabin are calming, but the kitchen area, which is usually the focal point for family life, has such a tiny window. Did I miss the sky lights? My favorite windows in the Las Vegas Hotels are the ceiling to floor windows. My biggest complaint about our $13,000 window remodel is we made the mistake of not increasing the window size. Our home boasts a cozy, but dark atmosphere. As the Household Engineer I can tell you from experience, it's depressing. Let the light in the log cabin.

We Love North Carolina! I would love to see a Cabin that looks down the mouth of the South Mills River surounded by mountains in Mills River NC. This has always been our dream to live on this river that has been a part of our family heritage. We have the perfect location for a beautiful Blog Cabin with one of the last permits to build. We are still dreaming that it can sometime be a reality before the permit expires. Thank you for all the ideas for the perfect cabin! Beautiful!

Where did the tool rack in the storage area on the right hand side under the house come from ? It looks really sturdy and a great area for tools.

Who is feeding the rooster while Amy is in Italy ?
I hear bears think roosters are quite tasty.

The cabin is looking nice and it is very pretty in Kinzel Springs.

DIY and all involved in building the blog cabin.
what a great looking, as well as, calming atmosphere. Who would not love to be the lucky
one to win this carolina mountain home? Whomever
wins, I hope they appreciate the wealth of beauty
that surrounds them. I lived in Fayetteville,NC
many yrs ago for about 1 yr. Such a beautiful
state. I would truly be blessed by GOD if I won!
But, so would anybody else who was chosen the
winner!

OK, my first blog attempt ... Of all the things with the Blog Cabin, I have just one question ... Where is the laundry facility????

The cabin is so beautiful! I love the tin roof and the front and back porch. My husband and I have always dreamed of retiring in the Smokies. We make the Smoky Mountains an annual vacation. It would be a dream come true to have this cabin, as I'm sure it would be for anyone. Good luck to all.

I'm almost 60 years young, born & live in SE Oklahoma where we actually do have mountains!! There's nothing like living in a log cabin as back in 1973, I helped my brother-in-law & his brothers build a log cabin the old fashion way. Cut down large pine trees, skinned the bark, notched em, & rolled each into place using mules & ropes up two smaller runner logs as we built the outside walls. We put a tin/metal roof on it. I spent many many days & nights on weekends & times when I had extra days to go up to the cabin which is still there as I write. For anyone who hasn't listened to the rain on a tin roof; you might think it's distracting, but at night it lulls you into a sleep with a smile on your face. Have been through the Blue Ridge area many times back in my younger days. Even if I don't win the cabin; it sure does bring back memories of the one I helped build here in the San Bois mountains of SE Oklahoma in 1973.

I think anything that DIY "jumps" on is entertaining and informative. We watch as often as we can and also are remodeling our home now..with tips from DIY. Thanks, Joe

I love the home and the Carolina's. Beautiful job, kudos to the builders and all of the hard work that was put into it.

WOW, what a great cabin. My husband and I lived in a log "house" for 7 years before having to leave it (boohoo) and moving to another state. We would love to still live in a log home, but our work now leaves us financially unable (we are in full time ministry). You have all done a beautiful job with the cabin. And I am so happy we found out about it while you were still building it through the series. Also, taking a tour online was great too. It brought back many memories of our home.

The location is PERFECT. That part of the country...and that state, is absolutely spectacular. I hope some day we can visit this log cabin...even if it's just driving by.

GREAT JOB CREW!!!

Hello to Amy and all bloggers. I've been watching the site and blogs faithfully since May when I first heard of the cabin on the DIY network. I have got to say that Amy and the DIY crews have done a fabulous job, and crew made great choices. I love the touch of the beautiful hummingbird. As far as we are concerned choice of location couldn't have been better, the view is awsome. We Love the area, my son was stationed in NC and our family enjoyed the area so much I wanted to move there, my son has since left the service, however, he hated to leave the area but family was priority. Winning this log home would be a dream come true for our entire family, we could make this a family retreat. I've been trying to return ever since. Watching the video on selecting a location sure made me homesick for the area. Hopefully I will be the lucky person to run up the mountain with my family and check out this beautiful Blog Cabin in person. I'm sure that as beautiful as it is in the pictures and videos, it's even better in person. I'll be entering as allowed, and praying, but whoever wins the cabin will be the luckiest person on earth. Good Luck to ALL!!!

I love log homes and this one is beautiful! Really did a wonderful job with it. And such a beautiful location - what a dream come true for somebody! Love HGTV and DIY along with all the great advice they provide. Keep up the good work.

Salam Ahmed Agha,
You are so talented. This is such a cool exciting show. Thanks for all your hard work and making a nice show for us to watch.
Sincerely,
Farzaneh