This tranquil and secluded 20 acre setting will give you a chance to relax and enjoy the therapeutic value and natural beauty of the great Ozark Mountain region. We have just finished a complete restoration of this vintage A-frame cabin, complete with solid oak flooring, granite counter tops, new kitchen cabinets and all new stainless appliances
(refrigerator, range, microwave, and dishwasher), T
he new bathrooms, are equipped with all new fixtures and cabinets. The first floor has two bedrooms (one king and one queen with new mattresses) and one bathroom. The second story loft area has one large bedroom with two twin beds (new mattresses), and a private half bath. The upstairs loft overlooks the open living room and dining space, as well as a wide open view of the great outdoors through the full glass exposure in the front of the cabin. The large front deck is great for outdoor gatherings and a cookout on the gas grill. The living area is a great place to relax, read, visit, surf the net, or watch Netflix on TV. THIS IS A SMOKE-FREE, PET-FREE ENVIRONMENT. THE STORY OF MURRAY'S CABIN
In the early 1970’s Johnny Murray was a young man with the dream of building an A-Frame cabin with a spiral stairway in the woods of the Ozark Mountains. At that time, the world was facing a major energy crisis created when the OPEC oil Cartel imposed an embargo on oil shipments to the United States. New homes were being built with energy efficiency in mind, and the A-frame design was perceived to be a low cost, energy efficient design that would be easy to heat and cool if built properly. In 1973, Johnny, at the age of 23, designed an A-frame cabin that he would have built in a wooded area so the trees would provide shade from the summer heat. In addition, he would orient the fully exposed glass front of the cabin in the direction of the Winter Solstice (38° South of due West), thus allowing the heat of the sun to flood the cabin with the un-shaded winter sunlight. This orientation would also help cool the home in the summertime by allowing the flow of the prevailing breezes to blow through the cabin during the heat of the summer months. Johnny purchased a mostly wooded 20-acre tract of land, subdivided it into four 5 acre lots, selected his favorite lot for his building site, and then sold the remaining three lots to help finance his new cabin in the woods. He contracted with a master builder, Carl Vanzant, to build the cabin, which was completed in late 1973. The design of the floor plan was basic, but functional, and the décor was modern by 1973 standards. The color scheme for the interior was earth tones, with whitewashed walls/ceiling, cedar stained woodwork, and, along with everything else in the 70’s, avocado green appliances and fixtures, including the bathtub, toilet, sink, and avocado green tiled bathroom walls. The washer/dryer closet held a prominent place in the center of the dining/living area at the end of the kitchen counter. Directly across from the washers/dryer was the new spiral stairway. The downstairs living area was fully carpeted, and vinyl tile flooring covered the bathroom and bedrooms. The entire upstairs floor was decked out in bright red s**g carpet. Johnny and his wife, Patricia lived in the cabin for two or three years before selling it and moving on. It then began housing a succession of owners and renters. Each occupant added their own idea of what a cabin in the woods should be. There was a large carport with a deck above that was added on to the back of the cabin. Access to the deck was from the upstairs bedroom. The carport was poorly attached to the cabin, allowing rainwater to leak down the back wall causing major damage and deterioration. Other additions included makeshift closets, a fully shingled roof over the kitchen/dining area, relocation of the washers/dryer to the back bedroom, and a large, open pit fireplace that dominated the living area. The walls and ceiling became blackened with soot from the open pit fireplace, and were eventually covered over with a deer scene masonite paneling. The downstairs bedrooms were painted in the choice of each tenant’s favorite color. By the late 80’s the cabin became a victim of the savings and loan crisis, and was repossessed by the federal government who held the mortgage through one of the federal home loan programs. The federal government refurbished the cabin to minimum standards and then resold it. Once again, the cabin saw a succession of tenants, each leaving their own marks, and once again the cabin continued to degrade with each passing tenant. In the meantime, in 1982, Rose and Jim Horner had purchased the vacant 5-acre lot that adjoins the corner of the 5 acres that the cabin occupied. They built their new home on the lot in 1992, and over the years, purchased the other two lots of the original 20-acre tract that Johnny Murray had sub divided. They watched as the cabin slowly deteriorated and over the years saw, what appeared to be, questionable activity taking place at the cabin. In 2002, the cabin and the 5 acres that it occupies once again came up for sale. The Horners inspected the cabin and found that although it had been severely neglected and abused, the structure itself was still in excellent condition, due to the superior materials and craftsmanship that had been used to build the cabin in the beginning. In order to save it from further ruin, the Horners purchased the property, and began the long process of cleaning up the land and preserving what was left of the structure. Not wanting to see another cycle of renters and owners, they decided to restore the cabin and upgrade it to a first class vacation rental. The restoration process began in 2011 with the removing of the carport and rebuilding of the back wall that had been damaged by the leaking rainwater. A new roof replaced the original 1973 roof, and the exterior was re-stained its original cedar color. Atrium doors replaced the original sliding glass doors in the front of the cabin, and the original deck was replaced by a new one. The open pit fireplace had been removed by a previous occupant, so the next job was to remove the deer scene paneling from the interior walls/ceiling. The blackened planking behind the paneling was then scrubbed, from top to bottom with TSP and bleach, revealing the original whitewashed planks. The cedar beams were re-stained their original color, and the badly painted bedrooms were repainted in neutral tone, complimentary colors. The washer and dryer that had been moved to the back bedroom were partitioned off to create a small new utility room with a washer/dryer combo unit. The old furnace was removed, and a new high efficiency central heat and air system was installed. The old plumbing system was also replaced and a new septic system installed. The shingled “roof” was removed from the kitchen area, and the entire kitchen and both bathrooms were stripped of all fixtures and cabinetry, back to the bare walls. The lighting in the poorly lit cabin was upgraded with new pendant lighting added in the dining and living areas, and new fixtures were added and/or replaced throughout the rest of the cabin. The downstairs main bathroom was the first to get a complete makeover with a new, brilliant white bath/shower unit, new ceramic tile flooring, Italian marble tiled walls, new, black vanity, new, white cultured marble vanity top and sink, and a new white toilet, all with gleaming chrome plumbing and accents. The next phase was the removal of all of the old flooring and the installation of solid oak plank flooring throughout the entire downstairs area. The hazardous spiral stairway was removed and replaced with a safer conventional stairway. Next, the kitchen/dining area was furnished with custom built cabinetry, including a kitchen island with sink, all topped with New Venetian granite countertops. The kitchen was then equipped with all new stainless steel appliances, including, range, microwave, dishwasher, and refrigerator. The last phase of the project was the restoration of the upstairs loft and bedroom area with the ½ bath. The original walls/ceiling had been scrubbed at the same time as the rest of the cabin was cleaned, and retained its original whitewash and cedar finish. The original 1970’s red s**g carpeting was removed and replaced with a neutral tone burber carpet. The half bath that had been gutted earlier, was re-equipped with new ceramic tile flooring, a hard surfaced hickory plank wainscoting surround, a black vanity with cultured marble vanity top and sink, new white toilet, and brushed nickel plumbing fixtures. In September of 2015, after four years of restoration, Murray’s cabin, named after it’s original owner, was finally finished, and offered to the public as a vacation rental. The response was immediate and overwhelming. Within two weeks, the cabin had been booked for the next three months. The guests have all been amazing people who come to the cabin for a spell of peaceful, relaxing down time, and to enjoy the beauty and opportunities of the Great Ozark Mountain Region. Our hope is that you take full advantage of all that the cabin has to offer, and that you leave fully refreshed and with pleasant memories. Jim and Rose Horner
