Nestled in the woods adjacent to the Patapsco State Park, this manufactured log cabin was built in 2002. Charming as it was, the new owners wanted to upgrade the rustic refuge to ‘modern log cabin’ and enlisted brennan+company architects for an extensive house renovation and new garage/ mountain bike/ future pool house.

The original cabin layout confused front and side entries and included a prominent loft stair in the center of the house, hindering connection between kitchen and living spaces. Most interior finishes, including kitchen cabinetry, consisted of clear knotty pine wood, creating monochromatic spaces where scale was lost. The loft area above the kitchen was remote and uninviting given the steep stair and rustic wood railing.

brennan+company architects collaborated with the owners in re-envisioning the interior spaces to allow for better visual connection and circulation. The existing stair to the basement was rotated 180 degrees and shifted back to allow more entry space. The loft stair was relocated to a new mudroom entry with an added dormer allowing light and headroom.  The overall result allows communication between kitchen, living and dining spaces. Two simple islands of cooking and entertaining allow for an elegant kitchen plan that allow user and visitor to work and move. Windows at the kitchen, loft, dormer and skylights above the main living space bring additional natural light.  Cable steel rail replaces the wood log rail, opening the view inside and out.  Nesting the dormer within the existing roof log structure was no small feat. The simple metal shed roof, natural materials and clean modern lines relate to the original log house and the new garage.

Given the proximity of house to many mountain bike trails and owners’ passion for riding, new work included a 2-car garage, bike storage room and an after-ride covered porch gathering space. Additional exterior work includes a more formalized front entry, side terrace and mudroom porch entry. Work was coordinated with a civil engineering and landscape architect for a site and landscape plan that enhances the woodland property, while addressing forest conservation and site slopes.