Scott Moran spent a decade running an ambulance service, overseeing 140 employees and dealing with 911 emergencies. After life in the rescue-and recovery business, he says" 'the serenity of a log home in the country has great appeal." And so does the home. The sprawling gabled residence is set on 70 acres in rural Cambridge, Wisconsin, a 15-minute drive east of Madison. Moran sold the ambulance business in 1993 and invested a solid year of his time building the home he and his wife, Tonna, long imagined. "Ever since I was a teenager I always dreamed of owning a log home, and my wife had the same aspiration." While the couple followed their hearts, they didn't let emotions get in the way of their decisions. Moran spent seven years "doing my due diligence" prior to breaking ground. He toured mills, interviewed contractors, spoke

with Iog home owners and researched log home manufacturers. In the end, the Morans settled on Wisconsin Log Homes. In fact, Scott was so impressed with the company, he signed to become an independent dealer.
"It was a big change in occupation, but it's something I absolutely love. Never have I enjoyed anything this much," he says.

The Moran home is a custom 5,800 square foot plan with thermal log construction that features 8" white pine logs with saddlenotch corners. Moran liked the beefy designs offered by Wisconsin Log Homes which employs a full-time in-house design department - and its detailed engineering approach. The logs for the Moran home, like other Wisconsin logs, were machined to close tolerances so everything fit together on site. They were also shaped with a drawknife, resulting in a more traditional, rustic look and one that better holds the stain. For continuing log health, the raw exterior was given a good cleaning and

then sprayed with borate, which acts as a preservative and natural insect repellent. Moran particularly liked Wisconsin Log Homes' use of heartwood, but it was the thermal log system that won him over. Tom Steber, director of national independent sales for the company, says the thermal log system "gives its the energy efficiency we re looking for." It's super insulated with 6" thick core walls. The core is airtight and draft-free, and once the home is done, Steber says "there'*s never a settling issue."

The Moran’s four-bedroom, five-bath home is situated on a hill. The first thing you see is the front-canopied porch, which Steber says sets an impressive tone for the whole house. The master bedroom wing is on the main floor. Bryan Quinn, national sale consultant at Wisconsin Log Homes, calls the master suite "incredible. It's well thought-out, well laid-out and all-inclusive." Amenities include his-and-hers closets, a study and a bathroom with side-by-side showerlicads. Upstairs, a pair of bedrooms are occupied by the couple's two daughters; down-stairs in the basement is a fourth bedroom, rec room and office.

An open floor plan was important to the family, but it was designed within certain limits. "Some homes are so open and the rooms so cavernous there's not enough definition between the rooms," Moran explains. "You feel like you're in a museum." The couple wanted a comfortable and cozy design but one airy enough to entertain 20 or 30 people and still allow for plenty of elbow room. They worked with an interior decorator, Faith Wolf of Faith Wolf Design, to assess furniture and traffic flow. "We didn't want rooms with furniture nobody uses that is just for show," Moran says. The plan worked. According to Bryan Quinn, the home "doesn't have you feeling like you're in a furniture store. The house is so comfortable that once visitors come, they don't want to leave. That's the sense of serenity and peacefulness this house provides'" When designing the floor plan, the Moran’s also thought long term. They considered how they could make use of the spare bedrooms once their daughters Natalie, 13, and Allison, 11, went off to college.

"We built the house with the idea that as the kids moved out, the bedrooms could be used as a bed and breakfast," Scott says. Commercial-grade kitchen appliances worked into the equation - a justifiable bonus since both Scott and Tonna enjoy cooking. Moran says the location lends itself to a B&B business plan. The village of Cambridge in south-central Wisconsin is home to NASCAR racer Matt Kenseth and his fan club headquarters as well as Rowe Pottery, a favorite with out-of-towners. "There are a lot of neat attractions for a small community," Moran points out. Though the prospect of converting the home into a bed and breakfast is still some

years off, Scott and Tonna already picked a name. "Whitetail Ridge" reflects the abundance of whitetail dear on the property and the fact that the edge of the property runs through the Glacial Drumlin Ridge.

When it came to his own property, homeowner Scott Moran put his money were his mulch was. Moran transformed his 70-acre parcel into a dramatic landscape that earned him grand prize in a regional home improvement competition. Then again, as owner of a landscaping firm specializing in wildlife enhancement, Moran might have had an edge over the competition. The green-thumb authority says landscaping a log home requires special consideration. Shrubbery should be placed far enough from the home - an extra foot or two further than a conventional home - so rain and moisture won't splash up onto the logs. Adequate spacing also maximizes sunlight and air circulation between the greenery and the foundation. Stone and mulch both work well for healthy flora and each has its advantage. Stone represents a one-time upfront cost, and if logs are high enough off the ground, makes good sense. However, stone creates a bigger splash factor.

Mulch, either bark or shredded, requires more maintenance but won't splash up against the foundation like stone.
If using mulch, buy only clean organic material. "Ground-up mulch from tree services is often from diseased wood and can harbor insects," Moran says. "Not a good idea. Pure organic cypress and cedars are good choices."

Featured in Log Home Design Ideas 10th Anniversary Issue