What’s in a house style? Does it have dormers? Does it have stunning tall columns’? Or is it made of logs? Housing styles differ from one region to the next all across the country. Even though the variety spreads country wide you will continue to find a southern style house in the north and a Malibu house in the east. When you make it to the mountainous areas of the country you will find one common denominator… The Log Cabin!
Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountain are no exception. Although the countryside has condos, ranches, and chalets, Gatlinburg and the surrounding areas are synonymous with log cabins. A log cabin can be custom built, bought as a kit or hand-made like the pioneers did. Log cabins come in various shapes, sizes, stories and full of amenities if that fits your unique style.
A log home begins with a certain type of tree, primarily pine or spruce. With some research I have found that log home manufactures differ from area to area and may build a custom log home with the tree species of your choice. They first will mill the logs to strip them of their bark and make them smooth. The logs are then shaped into one of four profiles determined by the customer. D shaped, full round, square, and Swedish. They then will interlock based on the profile of the log. Dovetail, the most common type for modern construction will work with the square profile milled log, as for the Swedish milled logs, saddle notch interlocking is used in construction. Examples of all four of these types and styles can be seen across the Smoky Mountains.
Century 21 Four Seasons Realty on East Parkway, Gatlinburg is based out of a log cabin. Originally from Finland, the logs are Swedish cut and finely crafted. The inside boasts a massive fire place from floor to ceiling. The exposed cut ends jut out from the walls or the rooms in a most appealing architectural way. The overlapping of logs at each corner brings beauty and interest. For the windows and the doors, the logs were notched out so trim can lay flat to provide additional appeal and weather guard to the structure.
If log cabin is not your style, the Gatlinburg area has chalets. Chalet is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region in Europe, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house. Gatlinburg is home to the only ski resort in the state of Tennessee and the majority of the chalets will be close to the ski resort. Although there are many definitions of the word “Chalet”, Gatlinburg refers to a chalet as a house or vacation home in the mountains.
These two house styles are extremely different; Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains have much more to offer then just these two styles. There is a house style for everyone’s needs, wants and desires here, in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee!