Stories A Classic Lindal Home in Virginia

by Josefin Kannin

Rustic Style & Modern Amenities in a Rural Retreat

After 13 years in New York City, Len and Linda Santalucia were ready for a change of pace — and scenery. They planned to buy land in a rural area and build their dream home when Len retired. Originally, the husband and wife envisioned a log home in the woods, similar to their lakeside cabin in rural Pennsylvania. They loved the old-fashioned look of the cabin’s cedar siding, as well as the secluded location.

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The Santalucia’s 2,992-square-foot Custom Lindal Cedar Home in Virginia has cedar siding, a metal roof,  and accents of cultured stone. The circular driveway surrounds a perennial garden bed.

Log Home or Lindal?

Len and Linda purchased 9.5 acres of woodland in Richmond, Virginia, right next door to a horse farm owned by Len’s brother. It was the perfect spot to build their home. Initially, they contacted several log home companies, but in the end they abandoned the log home idea; put off by the high level of maintenance required and the fact that none of the companies they contacted could provide the level of customization the Santalucias wanted, either in terms of the floor plan or the interior finishes. That’s when they decided to explore the option of building a custom Lindal Cedar Home.

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Leather armchairs surround a stone fireplace in the great room. The fireplace is built with Boral Southern Ledgestone Wolf Creek cultured stone. The same stone is used for the outdoor front columns, front house façade, and foundation walls.

Design Modifications

Len and Linda contacted their local Lindal distributors in the Richmond, VA, area to learn more about the Lindal process. A Lindal, they discovered, could combine the old-fashioned look and feel of a log home with the latest developments in prefab home engineering and materials. What’s more, they could finish the interior any way they liked. Len and Linda worked with Cedar Crest and Lindal’s expert team of design professionals at the company’s Seattle-based headquarters to draft their ideal home design. For inspiration, they looked at several different floor plans in the classic Lindal plan book, Living Dreams. After several iterations — and with help from Len’s sister-in-law, Vickie Santalucia — Len and Linda created a home design that met all their requirements. Their custom Lindal was completed in 2015 — just in time for the holidays. It has the warm wood feel and classic appearance of a log home, but without the high maintenance.

Custom Lindal Cedar Home in Virigina bedroom 2

Vogue, the Santalucia’s English cream retriever, rests in the master bedroom. Their cat, Lindal, is on the bed. Says Len: “Lindal was a stray that hung around while the house was being built and the workers fed her. She adopted us after she became comfortable living in our new Lindal home. It just seemed right to name her Lindal.”

Building a Custom Lindal Cedar Home

Len and Linda borrowed ideas from various Lindal homes to come up with their custom home style. The final home design was a combination of several classic Lindal homes, among them the ViewVista Prow Star (found on page 36 of the Living Dreams plan book).

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Floor plan of the Santalucia’s home.

Changes and modifications included:

  • Adding a second floor with two guest bedrooms, each with their own private full bathrooms
  • High-end appliances
  • Custom cabinetry in the kitchen
  • Barn wood hardwood floors and accent walls
  • Custom masonry inside and out
  • Copper kitchen farm sink and oven hood
  • Cedar walls and ceilings
  • Custom bathroom sinks and tub
  • Custom exterior modifications include a metal roof, stonework around the windows, and a reclaimed barn door.

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A staircase leads from the living room to the sleeping quarters upstairs.

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A view of the living room from the upstairs. Linda opted for reclaimed barn wood floors throughout the home’s interior. 

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A striking red brick accent wall greets people entering the house from the side entry off the deck. A sliding barn door to the left closes off the dining room from the two-story front entry foyer. Of the many different materials and design elements present, Len said: ‘We wanted to mix the rustic feel of cedar wood walls and barn wood floors with the Italian Tuscan brick wall with archways.”

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A raised deck wraps around the entire home, situated on 9.5 acres of forested land.

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A screened porch is incorporated into the wraparound deck.

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The soaring 25-foot prow in the great room provides a breathtaking view of the densely forested property. “When you look out, it’s almost like you’re looking at a rainforest, “ says Linda. 

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The kitchen features custom cabinetry and high-end appliances.

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More custom cabinetry in the bathroom…

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The home’s interior is infused with light from floor-to-ceiling windows. Linda said: “People go nuts over our house when they walk in. They love the smell of the cedar. Most of the homes around here are modern. Where we live, there are no other houses like ours around.”

Sources

Lindal Cedar Homes materials package
Reclaimed barn wood floors and accent walls: Wellborn + Wright
Lighting: Restoration Hardware
Magnum Isokern fireplace and copper firepit: Acme Stove and Fireplace Center, Manakin Sabot, VA
Stone driveway: Luck Stone, Manakin Sabot VA
Oak table and benches on deck: Swingin Tree Farm, Powhatan, VA

Kitchen
Cabinets: Chesapeake Bay Cabinet Company, Richmond, VA
Countertop: Juparana Alba Leather from Arc Granite & Marble, Ashland, VA
Refrigerator: Sub-Zero
Dual fuel range and microwave: Wolf
Dishwasher: Bosch
(All kitchen appliances supplied by Appliance Contractors, Inc., in Richmond, VA)


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