Our crew recently returned from a Glass Forest® installation in North Carolina. Big Cabin collaborated with the owners' architect to provide Reclaimed and Sho Sugi Ban Siding, trim, timbers, ceilings and interior paneling, but The Glass Forest® stole the show. Massive insulated glass panels are merged with towering, hand-stripped cedar trees to blur the line between interior and exterior space.
On the night before the glass was being delivered from Canada, a snowstorm struck the area. The resort security team would not allow any trucks up the steep roads until after they had been cleared and sanded. In the afternoon, even though it continued to snow and the roads were still snow covered, we were able to use several other vehicles and tow straps to form a wagon train and pull the trucks up the mountain and near the site for unloading. We had to transload the oversized glass panel crates to the site from there in the snow the next day by chaining up a smaller truck/trailer combo.
The weather (early January) did not cooperate, and we experienced record winds and snow during the installation process. We developed a strategy to lift each glass panel (largest being 22’x12’ and weighing approximately 3,800#s) from the crates in the street and swing them around the home to the far (view) side for final placement. We were fortunate to have the services of a 75 ton crane for this phase and it was maxed out in lifting capacity due to the weight and distance to the far side of the house. We negotiated the heavy winds by keeping tag lines on both side of the glass panels and paralleling the panels with the wind direction.
The owner was on site for most of the Glass Forest® set and upon completion he said:
Our experience with Brian Schafer and his company Big Cabin was an exceptional experience. The vision he brought to life was an unparalleled event in building our dream home. Brian is not only an artist, craftsman, innovator, and creator of the most exquisite glass system imaginable, he performs his craft with the utmost professionalism. Brian approached our project as if it was his home and we were his family. The pride in his creation carries throughout the project from start to finish. The level of integrity is rare today, but this company exudes it. The project was timely and efficient and Brian and his team endured extreme weather conditions during our install. The determination they brought to our build was such a comfort and impressive display of workmanship. His accessibility and ownership in the project was an unprecedented experience for my family. The only negative experience was once the project was complete seeing Brian and his team go! We made him promise to return for a visit! He is now a life-long friend and forever dear to us. We cannot recommend choosing Big Cabin to bring your dream home to life enough.
Bert and Melissa
Banner Elk, NC
