Some great ideas come from a simple first date, believe it or not. In the summer of 2011, Nick Olson took Lilah Horwitz on their first date, which was a camping trip to his favorite spot on his family’s property in West Virginia. They met at an artist residency in Pennsylvania. All Nick had in mind was for Lilah to experience the incredible sunset over the West Virginia Mountains from the edge of the forest fronting an amazing lake. It was a sight to behold for sure, but it ended up more stunning than that.
The great setting they found themselves in, prompted the both of them to start talking about their first home, and building it right there on the family’s land. Talk about amazing first dates…Nick was a photographer and carpenter, and Lilah was an artist with a passion for sewing. It seemed destiny brought them together, at the right place and at the right time. It was the start of a great romance, and an incredible journey.
“We hadn’t known each other for very long, but this idea of home and shelter and shared space became central in our relationship,” Lilah explained. Both of them agreed that they wanted to create their own home, and not move into someone else’s house. They would build it from scratch, using whatever they could, with the little money they had. They quit their jobs and decided to give it a go. They found plenty of old, available barns where they could get materials to use. They planned to construct the front wall of the cabin, which would face the lake and mountains, with old windows salvaged or bought at salvage yards, discarded piles, and antique shops. It would be perfect to watch the beautiful sunset every day.
The project took only about 7 months, and surprisingly did not cost a cent over $500. 90% of the materials were reclaimed from abandoned barns, like boards, beams, nails, roofing materials, and of course, windows. Even though Nick was a skilled carpenter, and Lilah was an amazing artist, the couple still relied upon YouTube tutorials and the public library to help them deconstruct the old barns and salvage materials they needed. It was a simple cabin project, but the end results were stunning.
“It was wonderful to bring our little things together, our little mementos and things we’ve built and put them in a home together, and I could look and say, ‘wow, I even put a roof over my head,” Lilah exclaimed. Nick also stressed that their home was constructed “less from a builder’s perspective and more from an artist’s perspective.” he goes further to say it was designed to “experience the changing light throughout the day in an interior space.” Well, after completing their project, the couple moved to Milwaukee to earn and save some money, while visiting the cabin to escape city life. Plans to add a summer kitchen and outdoor bathroom are the next in line. Their project has ignited their yearning to create more DIY builds, and eventually dream of purchasing some land to create a village of these homes. Time will tell if their dreams become reality, everything in the right place, at the right time. Just like their fairytale first date which started the whole thing.
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