THE CABIN

A hail-filled hike in the Goat Rocks Wilderness made us fall in love with the mountain town of Packwood many years ago. I know what you’re thinking, this is a terrible, rom-com start to a real estate love story. The thing is, though, it is absolutely the truth. For years we daydreamed about real estate and in 2020, right before the height of the housing boom, we were able to do something that had always felt out of reach- purchase a cabin in the woods.

The original owners of the land on which the cabin now sits clear cut the two lots and used the wood from those very trees to build a mountain hideaway with soaring 19’ ceilings and a big wraparound porch. While the bones were beautiful, the interior was in desperate need of attention. Dark beige walls, an uncomfortably small bear-themed shower, and an undetermined draft source from the yet to be renovated kitchen have tested our patience, problem-solving skills, and our ability to manage a never-ending list of projects.

For design, we turned to our friend and former colleague Jess at Smith Studio to keep the checks and balances in place. She is a phenomenal design partner to work with and has done wonders to help reduce decision fatigue keeping our goals front and center. If you make one investment in your home, invest in design assistance and try to make it Jess. You can thank us (and Jess) later.

The renovation work, on the other hand, was self-taught and executed during the sporadic trips to the cabin that our non-traditional work schedules allow. Some months we made it out for five non-consecutive days, other months we’re there full time. Needless to say, the journey to present day has been an adventure.

We documented everything, in part so we can laugh at our naivete in the future, but also so that we can share what it really means to build something like this. It is our hope that the intent behind what we’ve built permeates throughout everything that PMH touches. While we made the space, we hope you make your own memories here.