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Beaver Mountain Log Home Articles: Twice the Fun! Overlooking the pools and eddies of the sparkling Beaverkill River on 10 acres of Catskill Mountain land in Lew Beach, NY, Dr. Stephen Levine and his wife of 33 years, Michiko, have built not one but two Beaver Mountain log homes! The first was a Settler model, erected in 1995 to complement an existing 1914 vintage country homestead on their property. The two homes allowed ample quarters for family and guests to enjoy weekends in the Catskills, just a 1-hour-and-45-minute drive from River Edge, NJ, where Dr. Levine maintains his dental practice and the couple has a year-round home. The Levines grew to love log home living a great deal, and had become accustomed to the variety and options afforded by two dwellings. So, when the original older country homestead was lost to fire in 1998, they built a second log home near their first one. Starting with the Classic Lodge floor plan, they worked with their Beaver Mountain designer to lay out a plan to meet their lifestyle needs. They moved a wall, and, by borrowing from the kitchen area, expanded the bathroom on the first floor. The Levines had shopped "oodles" of log home manufacturers before selecting Beaver Mountain for the Settler. An active alumnus of Alfred University in New York’s Finger Lakes region, Dr. Levine was a frequent traveler from downstate, motoring to the northwest, along NY Rte. 17. That meant he passed by our Model Homes display near Hancock, NY many times. "Curiosity got me one day, and I stopped in to talk," he said. "Our Beaver Mountain Building Consultant and the rest of the staff were just great. They really impressed me with their knowledge, sincerity and attention to detail. Later, we attended their home planning seminar. They just instilled confidence. We wanted a hand-hewn look combined with the efficiency of a machine-fashioned log, and they did really well with that." Denman Brothers of Grahamsville, NY served as builder on the Classic Lodge project. The Levines had seen finished structures on several Denman jobs and sought out references from two customers. "The Denmans were great," observed Dr. Levine. "They started moving earth to clear the lot in August, and by November, we had a heated interior in which to work." The Levines did much of the finish work themselves on the first log home, so when the second one went up, they had gotten it down to a science. They put in their own flooring, trim, moldings and window casings. "We enjoy putting on those finishing touches," said Dr. Levine, conducting a tour of the home. As you can see from the photos of the Levine’s Classic Lodge interior, their rustic furnishings add wonderful detail and atmosphere. Dr. Levine and Michiko traveled far and wide to shop for these, selecting handcrafted pieces from Steve Heller’s Fabulous Furniture on NY Rte 28, Boiceville, NY, and later others from Rusty and Tommy Gleaves in Northville, NY, in the Adirondack Mountain region. There are moments…as Michiko gazes out the second floor French doors opening out to a Catskill Mountain vista; and down below, as Stephen lays a gentle flyline cast past a mossy boulder guarding native brown trout, and their 13-year-old dog Sakura meanders in the thistles and cattails along the streambed…well, there are moments when this log home life just seems to agree with the Levines! |
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