This is from the Rhea County Herald-News Online
If you click on the link it should show the picture of the Blog Cabin along with this article.
Blog Cabin Article News Article
DIY Network builds blog cabin on Watts Bar Lake in S.C.
BLOG CABIN Located just outside Spring City on Watts Bar Lake, online voters have brought this two-story cabin to life with the help of Blog Cabin workers, Barna Homes, Lakefront Estates and Rustic Design Construction Group. (Herald-News photos by Michelle Friesen)
By: Michelle Friesen
Source: The Herald-News
05-21-2008
Premier real estate meets network televison premiere at Watts Bar Lake, just outside Spring City, with the current production of Do-It-Yourself Network’s Blog Cabin at Lakefront Estates.
Lakefront Estates, in conjunction with Barna Log Homes and Rustic Design Construction group, hosted an open house for both prospective homeowners and Blog Cabin fans Sunday. Over 250 visitors came to survey property, meet the show’s hosts and take a glance at the cabin being built for the show.
Live entertainment was provided by ShoeShakerz of Knoxville, with Manny’s catering for the event.
Lakefront Estates boasts that 85 percent of the home sites are located directly on the water. The 90-acre development has two-mile wide panoramic views of the lake, with prices on properties ranging from $119,900 to $499,900.
Watts Bar Lake spans four counties: Meigs, Rhea, Roane and Loudon and covers 39,000 acres with over 780 miles of shoreline.
DIY Network, from the makers of HGTV and Food Network, is a source for know-how and how-to when it comes to do-it-yourself projects. It is in more than 47 million homes to date and has shows on home improvement, crafts, automotive, gardening and woodworking.
“Blog Cabin is the network’s popular interactive television series that invites the world to weigh in on key design elements of an incredible new home being built on the shores of Watts Bar Lake in East Tennessee,” said developer Walt Dickson.
People can vote online each day on the home’s design and materials, and later in the year, one sweepstakes winner will be handed the keys to the home.
So far, online voters have chosen such features as a fireplace, American craftsman style cabinetry, granite countertops and hand-scraped golden teak flooring.
The two-story cabin has three bedrooms, each with a bathroom, a wraparound porch and loft, and a spacious living room, kitchen and dining room.
Now in its second season, Blog Cabin, a 13-part series, will air in August, and the sweepstakes running from Aug. 1 to Sept. 14. The winner will be announced in late October or early November. Production of the show started in March and will continue on into June.
“Over 4 million votes were cast to help us design last year’s cabin, voting on everything from the kitchen cabinets to whether or not to add a screened-in porch. This year, we’re asking America to decide on more than 30 different design features, and we’re excited to see what they’ll tell us to build,” said Kathleen Finch, general manager of DIY Network.
Blog Cabin is hosted by Ahmed Hassan (Yard Crashers), licensed contractor Amy Matthews (Today Show Tips, Sweat Equity), licensed contractor Jason Cameron (Desperate Landscapes, Man Caves), carpenter Amy Wynn Pastor (Backyard Stadiums, Make a Move) and twin contractors Chris and Simon Hodshon (Blog Cabin).
“Things are going great,” Blog Cabin host Ahmed Hassan said Sunday. “For me it’s a little different, because my know-how is landscaping; now I’m doing carpentry and homebuilding, which is a stretch. I’m used to running the project, and now I’m the one asking all the questions.”
Hassan said that the hosts add artistic elements and give the cabin its character and uniqueness, as well as supervise the project.
Hassan debuted on television as a landscape expert on HGTV eight years ago, then when producers saw his passion for landscaping and his ability to explain things, they sought after his talents to be used on DIY Network.
“As I’m learning, the viewers are learning,” he said. “It’s fun and it’s a headache all at the same time.”
Michelle Friesen can be reached at michelle.friesen@rheaheraldnews.com
Proud Blogger of the Blog Cabin.
Carpenters Rock!
