-Posted by Isaac

About a year ago, we bought this 1800’s cabin down in the Hocking Hills. To say the least, the place was what you’d call a fixer-upper. Jayne fell in love with the rustic nature of it and the quiet of the surrounding hills. I kind of liked the 13 acres it sat on. Considering how close to Old Man’s Cave it was (9 miles) and how close to Logan (5 miles), we thought we were getting a real steal. Looking back, I think we were pretty naive.

It had four apple trees and two peach trees in the front yard. When we bought the place they were full of ripened fruit. We figured at the very least, we could feed our children.

First and foremost we bought the place as an investment with the intention of making this a business. We have friends in the cabin rental business, and I guess we took the bait…

If you’re at all interested in staying, it’s ready! Sleeps six. Jayne got us online just this week.

But aside from making another business, inventing more work for ourselves, the thinking was that we could also enjoy it. When we’re not busy in the bees or the honey house, our family would spend a lot of time hiking and milling around in the Hocking Hills. We thought having a little intermittent getaway down there would be great for the kids and more relaxing for the parents. Haha.

As the weeks wore on, it became apparent that we were in over our heads.

I had the Bobcat down there at least four times on various projects.

Fixing and cleaning. And more fixing. And more cleaning.

Yes, we were grateful for the boundless efforts of our children.

We had to basically gut the place, taking out the floor, building new walls, straightening beams…

By winter, still feeling in over our heads, the decision was made to hire a contractor.

Chuck Fleming was the man! Chuck is a self-proclaimed “hillbilly” that doesn’t do “computer s*%+"…but he certainly does know how to fix up a crooked house.

After Chuck came along, things really began to take shape.

I wish I had more “before and after” pictures. Here’s one I found of the old kitchen:

And here’s the new:

Plenty of “after” pictures…

The new living room:

The new music room (TV room):

The bathroom:

The kid’s bedroom:

The yard and barn also got a facelift.

We still need a coat of paint on the barn, but just about a week ago, I finished a fire pit…

…while Jayne hung out in the hot tub and enjoyed the view.

Hanging out, enjoying the view, soaking the nature, hiking the hills, savoring the peace… it’s been a long year in the making, but I’m happy to say we can finally do some of these things.

And you can too! Come check it out. Bring the family. It’s ready to rent as of Oct. 11th. You can reserve it by contacting our cabin rental company, Good Earth Cabins. https://www.goodearthcabins.com/ Or you can give them a call and request to stay at the Calico Ridge Cabin: 740-385-3795.