Grand Champion
Lewis Hitchcock
Allegan, MI

Also First Place winner in this category for the Midwest Region

Lewis Hitchcock and his wife just wanted a place to get away from it all. A place to
sit on the porch and enjoy lazy afternoons without the ringing of phones or doorbells. And they built their very own tiny hideaway with the help of family, friends, and a Wood-Mizer sawmill.

Lewis and his wife came up with the design themselves. They had their very own red pine and hemlock logs for use on the 460-square-foot structure. Since they didn't have to buy their own logs or much of anything else, they saved about $10,000 in building costs.

Lewis is a retired concrete company manager, and his old workplace donated the concrete needed for the foundation, along with the blocks. Their church was being re-built, so they salvaged the old windows for their cabin. Their nephew has a knack for chainsaw carving, so he cut the porch columns into artistic shapes featuring an indian chief, a bear, and a fish.

Even with all the special attention to detail, the cabin only took 10 weeks to complete. Lewis and his wife now have achieved their goal-to have a private place to enjoy each other's company.

"The cabin turned out better than I could have dreamed. My wife is very proud of it."