Cabin Fever

When Virginia Sanchez makes up her mind, that’s it. A few years ago, she wanted a house on the river. And not just any house. She wanted a rustic log cabin where she and her husband Herman could host their family for weekends, holidays, and special events.

After purchasing land along the Suwannee River in their native Dixie County, the couple traveled to North Carolina to draw inspiration from luxurious log homes. Sanchez started sketching plans for her riverside residence and resolved to find a dream team that could turn her drawings into reality. She turned to builder Carl Colson to craft the two-story, 10,000-square-foot home from the ground up, and designers Dianne Davant and Priscilla Hyatt Councill of Dianne Davant &  Associates to help her refine her house plan and curate a cozy interior.

Photo by Daniel Newcomb

“My brother didn’t think I could work well with a designer because I am strong-willed and opinionated,” Sanchez says. “But after Googling luxury log home designers, finding [Dianne and Priscilla], and meeting them in person, I fell in love with them right off the bat.”

The North Carolina trip—where Sanchez saw homes that were beautiful but also drafty and drippy (she wondered how much harder the upkeep would be in hot, muggy Florida)—taught her a few things. Most importantly, her home could not (and should not) be a literal log home. That’s when Sanchez found Everlog Systems, Inc, a Montana-based company that makes concrete logs, siding, and timbers that look and feel like wood, but are low-maintenance and energy-efficient. For the interior supports, she found a logger who provided the sturdy local cypress trees that anchor the residence’s interior.

Photo by Daniel Newcomb

“In Florida, most of the things we do revolve around the water, but this project revolved around the Suwannee River and the nature of that whole area,” Davant says. “The home is infused with stone, wood, antler accents, eclectic textures, and warm natural hues. It’s luxe but comfortable enough to make people feel right at home.”

“We didn’t want it to be so fancy that you didn’t feel like you could touch anything,” Sanchez adds.

Photo by Daniel Newcomb

Davant and Hyatt Councill relied on their North Carolina showroom for some of the cozy pieces they selected for the abode. But getting those items delivered was no small feat.

“The location is so remote that delivery people got lost, even with GPS,” Davant said. “We had to talk them in all the time. I don’t even think we knew the real address until recently.”

Photo by Daniel Newcomb

In the end, the struggle was worth it. Davant and Hyatt Councill say the Sanchez family was moved to tears as soon as they saw the home and began to imagine family gatherings they’d host.

“If you have a castle like this, but you don’t have your family with you, then what do you really have?” Sanchez said. “At the end of the day, family is what really matters.”