Groth's Home
Sentimental Journey

A Nevada log home is one couple's fulfillment of childhood dreams.

Story by: Francesca Scalici
Photography by: James Ray Spahn
Styling by: Colleen Macomber
Home by: Real Log Homes®

Building a log home is about recreating a bygone era where simplicity and basic goodness prevailed. But it also can be a personal journey back in time to capture a childhood place or state of mind. So it went for Jim and Carolyn Groth. The creek that runs through their Carson City, Nevada, property is part of Jim's old stomping grounds.

"I used to go fishing and camping on the very spot where my home is located," he says. For Carolyn, the connection is less literal, more literary. "When I was little, I read a book called My Side of the Mountain. It was about a little boy who ran away and lived in a hemlock tree. I always wanted to live in a tree. That's why I wanted a log home."

But before they could live the dream, they had to build it. On the recommendation of their builder, the Groths teamed up with Wayne Greene, an Independent Representative for Real Log Homes in Virginia City. The process went smoothly-materials shipped on time and technical support was always available during the nine months of construction.

But there were still a few challenges, starting with the inconveniences that went along with the Groths living in a small guest cabin on their property during construction. Eating out and doing laundry at their parents' house became a way of life. Add to that an excitable wood-burning stove that had them throwing open the windows in 15 degree weather, and it's safe to say Jim and Carolyn were happy when they could stretch out in their three-bedroom, two-bath log home.

The two had distinct priorities for the 3,100-square-foot design. Jim wanted what he calls "a big, inefficient, ski-lodge fireplace" in the living room. And that is exactly what he got with the stacked Cultured Stone hearth. It's a dramatic presence that reaches up to the peak of the 19-foot A-frame. On the opposite side of this behemoth, an efficient Quadra-Fire fireplace opens into Carolyn's kitchen-her baby. With family gatherings that sometimes add up to 30 or 40 people, she loves the two fully functioning antique ovens and the fact that their home has a flow that allows her to be a part of entertaining while preparing the feast. "I have the perfect kitchen," she says

And while she's not literally taking in the view of the outdoors from the treetops as in her cherished book, Carolyn meditates alongside the creek and meadow just outside her window. As for Jim, he's so smitten with his cabin that even though there are only about 28 people living in an area that can hardly be considered a typical neighborhood, he finds a platitude appropriate, saying, "I think we have the prettiest house on the block."