Silver Linings

When disaster struck, plans to convert this Montana vacation retreat to a fulltime residence were put on fast forward, but resulted in a stunning, modern interpretation of log home living.

- Brooke Fishel

When Brian and Julie Hanson purchased their log home in Flathead Valley, Montana, they knew they eventually wanted to bring the 1990's 2,400-square-foot home into the 21st century. However, their remodeling timeline was sped up when a burst pipe caused flooding that went undetected for more than 10 days.

“We were living in Atlanta and got the call on New Year’s Eve of 2014 that a foot of water had been sitting in the home for almost two weeks,” explains Julie. Their unplanned trip to assess the damage confirmed it; plans to rework the vacation home’s layout to suit a full-time residence would now be a much bigger (and higher priority) project.