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T he McGuanes’ authentic log home was built twice in two countries

Cedar Lodge, Gilbertstown, Longwood, Co Meath

Kelly McGuane on the first floor of the ‘great room'

The family living space/ ‘great room’ as viewed from the first floor balcony

One of the bathrooms at Cedar Lodge

One of the double bedrooms

The kitchen with U-shaped island

The front entrance to Cedar Lodge

Cedar Lodge exterior and garden

The large log cabin home of Kelley McGuane in Co Meath, has the distinction of having being built twice in two different countries. It was first constructed in Canada before being disassembled and shipped to Gilbertstown in Co Meath and rebuilt again on the site it occupies today.

K elley and her husband Aidan always wanted a log house. And an authentic Canadian version rather than the type of ‘log effect’ homes which are sometimes seen in Ireland.

Kelly McGuane on the first floor of the ‘great room'

“We wanted to build something different. We didn’t want a regular brick or concrete house and were searching for something that would create a nice environment for us and for the kids, a space where we would enjoy spending time. After travelling in Canada and visiting some log homes there, we realised that if we created a hybrid of log engineering with a contemporary feel we could have something special. I think we have achieved that.”

Cedar Lodge exterior and garden

Making their wish come true involved travelling to Canada. On their trip to the land of the Mounties they met their preferred builder and chose a design. The first version of the house was constructed in Canada to ensure that it fit together properly. Then all the logs were numbered, it was dismantled and shipped here. The building crew of four men and two women travelled from Canada and put it back together on the McGuanes’ 1.21ac site at Gilbertstown, Longwood in Co Meath.

In August 2008 their new 3,714 sq ft home was completed. And the total all-in costs were exactly what a new-build of the same dimensions would have cost them using conventional materials.

The front entrance to Cedar Lodge

“We did a huge amount of research,” Kelley says. “In the course of that we came across a Canadian home builder, Brian Roberts, a master craftsman who built to the specifications required by his customers.

“We travelled to Ontario in early 2007 to meet him and fell in love with his cedar log homes. We picked the kind of house we wanted and he designed it. When we came back home, he kept us updated on progress as the house was being built, sending us images at every stage.”

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The pictures he sent showed the wood being chosen, cut into the required lengths, morticed, treated and put in place. The logs for the walls are 16’’ diameter and morticed or ‘scribed’ before being placed one on top of the another.

“All the logs were numbered and it came together like a jigsaw puzzle.” The Canadian leg of the process took about eight months and in November 2007, after Brian Roberts and his crew were satisfied everything fitted to perfection, they dismantled it and packed the house for shipping to Ireland.

The family living space/ ‘great room’ as viewed from the first floor balcony

Once the house arrived, the crew followed and building started immediately. “The logs were laid out on the grass according to their numbers. They had all the holes and channels in place for plumbing and electricity. White cedar logs were used for the walls while red cedar was used for beams, structural support and the roof.”

The floors, doors and remaining fittings and fixtures were sourced and installed by local tradesmen. Kelley recalls moving in in August 2008.

“We didn’t have the floors or the doors done, just the walls and the roof, but our daughter was starting in the local school that September so we had no choice.”

And that’s when they first experienced an unexpected characteristic of a new log home. “I’ll never forget how the timber kept making cracking sounds as the house warmed up and the logs settled in. It was kind of scary at the beginning, we didn’t know what was happening, in fact it took it a few years to settle.”

One of the bathrooms at Cedar Lodge

The McGuanes have never regretted their choice and their ‘fully scribed’ log home is one of only 12 in the country. “You get a lovely feeling from the wood. It’s just a lovely place to live and it’s a natural, happy house.”

Laid out over two floors, it is accessed by a porch that doubles as a boot room and leads into an open-plan area that includes a kitchen/dining area with smoked oak herringbone parquet flooring and a double-height living area. This is known as the ‘great room’ with beamed ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The kitchen with U-shaped island

The kitchen includes a U-shaped Tipperary sandstone island with a quartz countertop. Double doors lead off the kitchen to a raised patio while a sunroom, with handcrafted wooden panelling, is also accessed from the kitchen. The master bedroom is on the ground floor and includes a walk-in wardrobe, a WC, a shower room and French doors leading to its own patio.

Upstairs has a loft area overlooking the living room with three tall windows. The front loft is used as an additional living space with the rear loft as a gym.

One of the double bedrooms

Three ensuite bedrooms and the family bathroom are also on the first floor where all the spaces feature exposed beams. Two of the bedrooms are double rooms and one is single. The family bathroom has a made-to-measure quartz sink unit and a pebble shower floor.

Among the mature trees in their garden are Canadian maple, red oak, sequoia and alders. There is also a stand-alone garage.

Cedar Lodge has been a source of curiosity for friends, family and passers-by since it was built. “We’ve had so many callers to the house,” Kelley says, “and so many people coming to look around and ask about it. Often they can’t even speak because they are so taken by it.”

After many happy years at Cedar Lodge, it’s time for the McGuanes to move on. The Co Meath home is now for sale for €725,000 through Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes, Farms and Estates.

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