A view of the living room from the loft. A Cool Spaces home at 4 Gutshall Lane in Upper Allen Township. July 22, 2022. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

This custom-built log home was a labor of love for the couple who built it. The connection they had to the home is etched on one of the exterior logs - a cornerstone of sorts - tucked around the back side of home by the garage. It reads, “Built by James & Nancy Gutshall ‘1989′.”

Located down a short private lane, and constructed on nearly 8-acres, the home is built of kiln dried logs and material purchased by the former Kuhns Brothers Log Homes of Lewisburg.

According to a family member, “My mom and dad chose a log home because they both came from farms and love the coziness of a natural structure. They also visited the model log home in Lewisburg (the former Kuhns Brothers Log Homes) and fell in love with it.”

Building the home was a family affair with everyone participating in the staining of the outside logs and sanding and applying polyurethane to all of the inside wood.

James Gutshall did a lot of the loader work moving stone and backfilling of topsoil around the foundation of the home. Over the years, the log home became a place where the family would gather to celebrate holidays and special occasions.

The commanding centerpiece of the home is the stone chimney that starts at the finished walk-out lower level and extends all the way to the roof, with fireplaces in the lower level and in the open vaulted living room.

About 23 tons of local mountain stone from the Marysville, Perry County area was used to construct the chimney. Both fireplace mantels are made from logs from a barn that once stood on the property.

A Cool Spaces home at 4 Gutshall Lane in Upper Allen Township. July 22, 2022. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

The exterior log wood theme of the home extends to the interior, with walls and ceilings completely covered in sanded and sealed knotty pine wood. All the home’s windows are also framed in wood.

This wonderful tactile finish, with its warm ambience and olfactory stimulation, extends to the finished lower level walls and even to the four-season room and the attached two-car garage walls and ceilings.

Throughout the open 3,800-square-foot floorplan of the home, the exposed beams and joists give a view of the construction of the home with steel plates and lag bolts especially evident from the second story loft area that overlooks the living room with its soaring cathedral ceiling.

The home naturally flows to the open kitchen with its exposed ceiling beams, island with seating, and adjoining dining area with views out the sliding doors to the outside deck area overlooking the backyard.

The flow continues down the hall where all of the three bedrooms and two of the three full baths are located on the wing to the right of the home when viewed from the front.

Down at the other wing of the home, past the sunlit open living room/loft/kitchen area and the front entry, there is a large laundry room with partial bath, a four season room and door entry to the attached garage.

The lower level runs the entire length of the home, making for a huge space, and includes a full bath, and the aforementioned fireplace. Except for a walled off area that includes the home’s mechanicals and some storage, the lower level is finished and includes a door to the backyard.

The final clincher for the property is the detached, heated four-bay garage with 2,500-square-feet and a large loft area, separate office area, full bath and ten-foot doors.

Located at 4 Gutshall Lane in Upper Allen Township, the home is listed at $2 million by agent April Deamer, with Turn Key Realty Group.

Want more Cool Spaces? See all of our stories showcasing the neatest homes in central Pennsylvania by clicking here. Know of any Cool Spaces? Submit ideas to dgleiter@pennlive.com.

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