A waterfront log cabin updated for a modern family
Though a fair number of this area’s early settlers built and lived in log cabins, sightings today are rare.
Alexandra and Justin Novak live in Riva, where their log cabin provides a view of Hardestys Cove and Beard’s Creek, which flows into the South River.
The couple met in Michigan, where she was working on her doctorate and he was a bartender. The two enjoyed riding on his boat on Lake Superior. Eventually, she inspired him to return to school and complete his engineering degree. They married shortly after.
After completing her Ph.D., Alexandra worked in North Dakota, where their now-6-year-old son, Paul, was born.
The couple moved to the East Coast to be closer to Alexandra’s mother, who works at the Pentagon, and Alexandra was recruited to work at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as a planetary geologist. They rented a house in Galesville and Justin was hired as a mechanical engineer at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
While in Galesville, the Novaks looked to purchase a home near the South River, where they spent quite a bit of time boating. They looked for months until they found the nearly 1-acre property.
“I was not excited about the log cabin look at first,” Alexandra said. “Now I love it.”
Built in 1925, the house had three owners before the Novaks purchased it. The original log cabin is still visible, but it has been expanded. A large room was added to the waterfront side of the house, and an oversized deck was added onto the extension.
“We saw it had a lot of potential. We loved the property, the waterfront, and the rooms were the right size,” she said. “We could tell the previous owners took good care of it.”
The Novaks purchased the house in 2014.
Soon after, Paul made a plaster tile. While it was drying, he placed his hand in the warm plaster. In the imprint made by his palm, Paul pressed several glass and stone pebbles. The tile was placed near the front door.
Crofton home improvement company Elevate Design Build LLC designed and built a new kitchen. The old galley kitchen was in a small room near the front door. The new kitchen was installed in what was then the living room.
The firm also bumped the waterfront side of the house out farther, moving it onto the deck. Still, plenty of deck remains.
Most of the downstairs area was dark. The ceilings were cov- ered with dark, stained beadboard.
The built-in bookcases, sawed to fit around each individual log, also were darkened wood. Justin painted the ceilings and bookcases a snowy white. In areas where, instead of logs, there was floor-toceiling knotty pine paneling, they cut the paneling down and turned it into wainscoting. Above the wainscoting ledge, they put in sheetrock and painted it.
Justin also brightened up the old stone hearth by constructing a wooden mantel, which he painted white.
The old kitchen area is being converted to a laundry room and a half-bath. Throughout the house, Justin deftly handled other projects. He turned several unused spaces under the eaves, including two areas in Paul’s colorful bedroom, into closet space.
Five steps lead up to the front door.
The landing forms part of the deck, which wraps around two sides of the house. The left front of the house still sports its log cabin construction. To the right, the house has tan siding thatmatches the color of the plaster used to hold the logs in place.
Most of the main floor has an open layout. Just after entering, a visitor can look out five sets of tall windows to enjoy a view of the cove.
The floors are a blond wood. The older part of the home is separated from the newer additions by a single step running the width of the house.
The newer area contains the modern kitchen, with gray-veined white marble countertops and white cabinetry, as well as the living room and dining area.
In the older portion, wicker furniture is placed around the hearth.
Next to this space are an entrance to the guest bedroom and stairs to the second level. The guest bedroom room features a full bath and a storage closet.
Throughout these areas are crocheted artworks by Alexandra and her relatives, and handpainted painted ceramic plates, woven fabrics, paintings and prints that reflect her MexicanAmerican heritage. There are also several drawings by Paul, plus dozens of framed photos of the Novak family.
Upstairs, the three share a large, full bathroom with its own vanity area. Paul’s room is vibrant, lavished with rainbow colors and items like a model of the solar system, stuffed dinosaurs, dogs and Muppets, plus a working and well-used toy train table.
In contrast, his parents’ room is subdued, in pale tones of cream, ice blue and frosted greens. On one wall is a print of a classic Picasso painting of a couple that looks a bit like the Novaks.
“A lot of the work we did,” Alexandra said, “keeps the feeling of a log home but gives it a fresh update to make it more modern.”
The Novaks say they love the yard leading down to the water and the family’s boat dock, as well as the deck on the second floor outside the master bedroom and the new kitchen.
“I love this house because there’s tons of room for Paul to run around — and there’s all this greenery,” Alexandra said. “We love being outside at night. It gets quiet and still here. You can hear the crickets. It’s a nice, peaceful moment before we go to bed.”