Sherman Home
Full House

A Missouri log home on the lake gives new meaning to the phrase "build it and they will come."

As seen in the 2009 August issue of Log Home Living Magazine / loghome.com.

Story by: Margaret Foster
Photography by: James Ray Spahn
Styling by: Colleen MaComber
Home by: Timberoc Construction & Real Log Homes®

Other than its proximity to water, you probably wouldn't be tempted, at first glance, to liken Carol Sherman's log home to the Love Boat. There's no Acapulco Deck, for one thing. But the 3,000-square-foot home, nestled in Missouri's Ozarks and shared with her three sons, has become such a gathering place for Carol's friends and family that she often finds herself making the comparison.

"I kind of feel like Julie, the cruise director from The Love Boat," Carol says. "Last summer, we had different guests every weekend. The nice thing is, we probably wouldn't have seen them all if we didn't have the house."

Ironically, when Carol and her sons began searching for a site for their vacation home, they were looking to get away from the crowds. "We really didn't want the busy, lots-of-people-around kind of thing," Carol says. " We wanted something quiet." Since the family loves boating, they looked around for a waterfront site on Table Rock Lake, and ultimately discovered a gated community in quiet Shell Knob, Missouri, with access to the lake and plenty of room for their three boats: a power boat, a pontoon and one for skiing.

"I personally thought we would just build a little shack," Carol says. But a trip to a friend's log home in Michigan left that idea in the dust. "They had a really nice lake house, and we got the bug," she says.

Through word of mouth, Carol found local builder Brad Baird of Timberoc Construction, a Real Log Homes® dealer. Brad's team broke ground on the house, which is composed of 6-by-8-inch Eastern white pine logs, in 2006 and completed construction in about a year. Then Carol called in Berryville, Arkansas-based landscaper Kevin Smith of The Yard Dawg to create a driveway, paths and patios on the grounds. "They wanted a good way to get to the lake without walking down he gravel road," Kevin says. "They wanted to sit closer to the water and have a place to gather and reminisce." To enhance the gathering spots, Kevin selected plants that add color in almost every season.

"It's all oak and dogwoods and cedar, so it always smells nice," he says. "It's pretty private back there-very therapeutic and relaxing."

Now Carol and her three sons make the three-hour drive to their restorative vacation home every month-or, in the summertime, every weekend. And although she may have assumed the role of cruise director, Carol hardly runs a tight ship: "There are no schedules here," she says. "It's just nice to get a cooler and put some beers in it and sit on the dock."