Hello! We currently live in the Chicago and plan on moving to the Denver area in the next year or so. Our ideal plan is to rent a house and build a beautiful log home (with some help) to live in and get a better handle on our financial situation.
My husband and I have dreamed of a log home for years. Before we had children and I was a broke grad student, I volunteered to drive a truck full of antiques down to a client of my step-dads in SC. This client lives in the Chicago area and built a log home on a several hundred acre retreat for fishing and hunting. My husband, then boyfriend, tagged along to keep me company. We spent a night at this lodge, and it was truly the most magnificent home I could dream of. We have a much smaller budget, but here's some pics if you are curious.
http://www.hearthstonehomes.com/new/agostini/index.html
I am so excited that I found this group and have been enjoying reading the posts. Even more excited to take the class and start making this dream a reality!