Over the last three decades, Doug and Toop Guyer have turned a dark and dingy chalet in Phoenixville into the picturesque cabin of their dreams, writes Laura Beitman Hoover for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

When they bought the log cabin, the three-bedroom, 2,700-square-foot home had been vacant for two years. Despite its grimy look, and the fact that it was not remotely kid-friendly, the home was only 30 minutes from Philadelphia, and it had that something they were looking for.

“It takes a different kind of person to want a mini lodge,” said Doug Guyer, CEO of Brand Share, which has offices in New York and Berwyn.

The first project was to deal with two feet of water in the basement. Then, the newly married couple replaced the dark cedar walls with yellow pine downstairs and added a wood stove to create coziness.

A large patio with stunning views of the wilderness pond was next. And years later, the pair added a log fence to an unused in-ground pool, making it one of their favorite places.

Meanwhile, they made a few changes inside the home, as both enjoy having an open floor plan and natural elements of stone and wood.

Read more about the transformed log cabin in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.