We did it! We’re homeowners! After an exhaustive two year search, we finally found a cabin that we loved (and where our offer was accepted). If you’ve been following along on Instagram, then you already know all about our search and heartbreak in trying to find the perfect place. But we found her. She’s 90-years old, has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 6 lots, a garage that’s falling down, freestanding greenhouse, lots of rooster plates, quilts, bird houses, and ceramic animal statues, and so many projects that need to be completed to get her whipped back into shape. We’re very excited and can’t wait to get started!

Finding the right cabin was a very long labor of love. I used to visit Lake Arrowhead as a child with my father as part of Indian Princesses. Every winter, I’d look forward to our daddy-daughter trip to Camp O-Ongo where I’d adore sleeping in bunk beds in a cabin you’d have to trek through the snow to get to, inner tubing with friends at Snow Valley, and that first slice of pizza tradition as soon as we got to the top of the mountain. My family would also occasionally stay in a cabin owned by one of my father’s coworkers and I remember tossing peanuts off the elevated back deck and watching the blue jays nosedive from the trees to grab them when I was 16. If I closed my eyes, I could still see the route to get there in my mind, even though I couldn’t remember any street names.

So in 2021, when Brian casually mentioned he’d always dreamed of owning a cabin in the mountains, I booked our very first AirBnB as a birthday surprise for him and up the hill we went for the first time in 25 years to sit on the deck and listen to the trees. Little did I know that I booked a house that was directly below the blue jay-peanut-nosedive cabin I last stayed at in 1996 until all those memories came flooding back when we passed by the small brown home with A-frame entry and vintage 80s light fixture.

For the next two years, Brian and I spent countless hours mapping out homes for sale and driving around to get to learn the lay of the land. We had to learn about what it meant to have “lake rights” (Lake Arrowhead is a private lake), while exploring the differences between local neighborhoods like The Villas, Blue Jay, Cedar Glen, The Palisades, Skyforest, and Twin Peaks. We also had to learn to deal with a booming housing market where cabins were snatched up the day they went on the market for well over asking price. We were looking for a cabin that made our “hearts sing” while also dealing with heartbreak when none of the listings were making music for us. And when they did, and that orchestra started to hum, none of the offers we submitted worked out.

After an exhaustive two year search that included approximately 747 different cabins (give or take), immeasurable Zillow refreshes, and a few days of tears over losing out on every cabin we put an offer in on, up popped a listing one fateful Friday morning that had only one exterior picture – one. I showed the shabby, faded red shingles to Brian and his interest was also piqued. As I scrolled through the quaint cottage’s details, at the same time, up popped an email on my screen from our agent sharing some info about a different listing. I looked at Brian and said, “I feel like the universe is really pushing some cabin energy hard right now.” The universe was right.

The next day, we were ascending the mountain again for the first time in a year. Because in that time, no listing that came up even remotely looked to be worth the tank of gas or round of drinks at the Lakefront Taproom that became a tradition every time we went cabin hunting. But this one was different.

The second we pulled off the main road and hit dirt, a sharp hair-pin turn, and a dead-end street, we knew this could be The One. Upon seeing the curved cobblestone staircase, the towering pines, those shabby red shingles flanked by white shutters with a pine tree cut out, and the freestanding greenhouse, we could hear that familiar melody begin in our hearts again. And when our offer was accepted the following week, that cautious melody grew into a loud and sudden song. A song that sprang up at just the right moment.

The Exterior

We were looking for something that had 1920s or 30s charm, shingles, and rock for me and a garage for Brian. So when we pulled up to this gem, we immediately knew this was it. We love how much outdoor space there is, all of the towering trees that make it feel super secluded, and the peek-a-boo view of the lake if you look in just the right places. We also love that there are different levels and areas that we plan to make into defined spaces like an outdoor fire pit, BBQ area, pond with waterfall, hidden hammock or swing, and maybe an above-ground vegetable garden. We’re also considering a hot tub to sip hot toddys under the pines in the snow.

The Greenhouse

Now, they called this freestanding building “The Greenhouse”, but in reality we think it was grandpa’s smoking porch considering the loungey-rockers, wall of screens, deer head on the wall, and volume of ashtrays in the cupboards. I just think it’s so stinking cool! One of the houses that we fell in love with where our offer wasn’t accepted, had a little playhouse-sized “workshop” out back that was built on top of old railroad ties that smelled like creosote that I really wanted to make into a third bedroom, so my heart’s been looking for a similar project on our “cabin quest” ever since. And boy does this “greenhouse” fit the bill! I have dreams of keeping the brick floors, adding a bathroom, putting on a real roof, adding floor-to-ceiling doors that open out onto a deck, and turning this into the cutest primary suite. And obviously it will be greenhouse-themed!

The Upstairs

Ok, we know this is going to look a little “quirky” when you first see it – we thought the same thing. Why is there a half wall, no door, and a weird twin bed when you first walk in to the cottage? We don’t know either, but we’re going to turn this into a real entry with a real bedroom with a real wall and a real door. The tiny yellow bathroom is super old and outdated and will be getting a major makeover too.

Now, we love the size of the living room with that pop-out bay window and there’s an original stone fireplace hidden underneath that ugly brick the previous owners chose. We’re not sure why they chose to cover up the original rock, but we’ll soon find out. This is the room where we spend the most time hanging out and watching the bluebirds and squirrels in the trees. Though truth be told, that yellow mid-century sofa is not the most comfortable sitting device. That honor goes to the two well-worn patterned recliners that lean so far back that Brian fell onto the floor on night #2. THUD!

Then that kitchen – yikes! Someone really liked yellow. And wallpaper. And pattern. We couldn’t believe that flooring is carpet on top of linoleum too (eww!). The selling agent recommended the sellers get rid of their old appliances so that the miniscule kitchen somehow looked bigger to potential buyers. Now we’re storing the beer and champagne in a cooler on the floor and making bacon outside on a camping stove until we’re able to remodel this place. Thanks, selling agent. Good news is that we get to explore more of the town’s limited dining options and have a couple fun cooking stories to tell over at our parent’s house now. (Ask Brian about his first attempted homecooked meal in our new home over old charcoal and an old mini BBQ he found in the greenhouse. Hint: We had Mexican in town late that night.)

The Downstairs

Ok, think the cabin couldn’t get any cuter? Us either. Think it couldn’t get any quirkier? You’re in for a treat! For the last portion of our tour, we’ll be heading downstairs to the remaining two bedrooms and already remodeled bathroom. But get this…there’s no inside staircase! I know, I know. That’s so stupid. I completely agree with you and it was my number one concern in buying this place. But then I realized that we have the opportunity to own a home that has three bedrooms and two baths when all of the other ones in our price range were one or two bedrooms. This is where compromise came in in realizing that we could actually host more of our family and friends at one time with this particular home. And besides, with the cabin being located in Southern California, most of the year is beautiful so it’ll just be those cold, snowy mountain months where I may curse our decision as I’m sliding down the stone steps and shivering to get inside for all of one minute. But once you’re inside, it’s warm and beautiful!

The downstairs has already gotten a little bit of a facelift in comparison to upstairs. We plan to put our own touches on it and add a washer/dryer to one of the closets so we can have clean sheets and clean underwear. Not too much to ask for, right?

Follow Along with Fawn & Forest

We named the cottage, Fawn & Forest, and you can follow along on Instagram as we breathe new life into this almost century-old gem. We plan to live with her for a bit and let her walls tell us her stories before we begin our new chapter together. We’ll be posting our design plans, inspiration, and then the renovation as we begin work. Lots to do! First up: buy some winter boots and get rid of all these rooster plates!

What’s your favorite part about the cabin? Let us know in the comments below.