We love building cabins and there is no better example than “Bowhaven”. Situated on over 50 acres of land, with trails designed, created, and maintained by Keziah, Bowhaven is a cozy refuge from the hustle and bustle of life.
Gently nestled by small eastern white pines, Bowhaven has ample windows providing a sense that the woods are just outside.
The cabin is 12 by 24, with a 2 foot “bumpout” to allow for more space in the bedroom and kitchenette.
Local and Sustainable
Bowhaven was built with local and sustainable supplies. Wide plank pine flooring was sourced from a local Maine mill in Damariscotta, along with shiplap wallboards and v-match tongue and groove ceiling boards. Rough sawn full dimension hemlock 2x4s were used in the bedroom and living room, because they’re beautiful and offer a rustic contrast to the planed shiplap. Many shy away from building with hemlock, but the local expert at Parent Lumber in Mechanic Falls assured us, “Hemlock stays true even after drying, it just has to be cut right.” He added that “It depends on the talent of the sawyer” and that we wouldn’t have any problems framing green since we weren’t using drywall. He was right and we were glad to support Maine’s small businesses and the vast expertise not found in big box stores.
The exterior is 1×12 rough sawn Eastern White Pine board and batten purchased from a local sawyer in Windham. A retired shop teacher, and endless advocate for the trades, we were pleased to support his retirement “hobby”—running his tractor and Woodmizer mill.
Windows and Doors
The screen door, front door, and all windows were repurposed. Instead of new, we opted to source from Facebook marketplace and Craigslist in order to give new life to items built to last by previous generations. Although it is faster to install new windows and doors, the end result doesn’t have the same charm that you can get with beautiful repurposed items. We built custom jams for the doors and windows. Old window sashes were rehung with hinges to open inward. An Anderson sliding door was repurposed into a large bedroom window.
Fun fact: the windows in the gable end of the cabin were used as decor in our wedding. Using a glass marker, Kez traced the dinner menu on the window panes.
Offgrid
Building offgrid is a challenge, but a worthwhile one, because the forest location of the cabin wasn’t up for debate. After much research, we settled on a battery and inverter system that is tied into a panel box with breakers. The wiring, outlets, switches, etc, are just like a normal house. Building offgrid is fun, completely doable, and environmentally friendly.
Interesting Features
The cabin was designed with large roof overhangs. Because rough sawn pine was used for the shiplap, it was important to keep rain and snow off the boards as much as possible. The boards are stained to prevent rot, but with the large overhangs, the siding should last years and years with no issue. Additionally, no windows ever have to be closed when it rains.
The cabin is insulated with sustainable Rockwool insulation and is heated by a small Drolet woodstove. In the winter, it is wonderfully cozy and holds heat all night long so there is no need to tend the fire in the middle of the night.
There is a small efficiency kitchen with a refrigerator, sink, custom rustic cabinets and a rolling lower cabinet that doubles as an island if additional counter space is needed.
The custom loft ladder is made from pine and mahogany scraps. It can slide up and out of the way during the day to maximize space.
Since our family will also stay in the cabin, it was important to have some child friendly features. The loft was designed to feel magical with the ladder to climb, two twin beds with storage cubbies, and a beautiful railing. Designed by Keziah and built by Kyle, the balusters feature flora and fauna from the local area that children can identify on hikes with their parents.
Inspired by a family trip to Holland, Kyle added a gable trim detail borrowed from a Dutch design where the soffit / shadow board return over the metal roof, meeting at the peak and ending with an interesting detail below on both sides.
Trails
The cabin is surrounded by over three miles of private trails with custom wood burned signage made by Keziah. Keziah, a lifelong fan of the Narnia series by CS Lewis, named the trails using a Narnia theme. Open up the front door and embark on the Dufflepud trail or even Lantern Waste!
If you’re interested in being a guest at the Bowhaven cabin or would like to come by and see it for yourself and learn more, feel free to contact us.
Bowhaven Creative 