Broken Bow: Your Questions, Answered

It’s hard to believe we started our Broken Bow projects a little over a year ago. After breaking ground in early spring, we had high hopes to fly through the construction process as McCurtain county doesn’t require normal inspections and permitting that you have in a place like Dallas. I envisioned collecting unique and vintage furniture for a more curated feel. So I started collecting early, knowing it would take time and I didn’t want to feel rushed. Before I knew it, my receiving warehouse had four cabins worth of furniture and my storage unit was full of accessories and art. I was feeling very prepared for an August install for the four smaller cabins.

However, COVID was definitely still an issue. As were industry wide delays and local Broken Bow labor shortages. Our August install quickly became November. Then November crept up, and I pushed another month to give everyone a bit more time to get things in order. This time of year, everyone is swamped and I knew I couldn’t reschedule our installers again. Not to mention, we were paying for storage and we were definitely antsy to get our vacation rentals live for bookings.

To read more on our Broken Bow projects, click here and here.

So I decided we were packing up and moving everything in the week of December 6th and would work around any construction still happening. Bold move, I know. We spent Sunday loading up my storage unit and everything in our garage into a UHaul. The receiving warehouse and professional installers I work with loaded up their UHaul and trailer full of all the furniture I had collected. At 7 am on Monday morning, we started the 3 hour drive to Oklahoma. Pulling into our development, I knew we were going to have to be flexible with our move in. Only two of the four cabins had been painted. Electricians and cabinet makers were still working. Tile installers were still grouting the bathrooms. The cabins are only 1500 square feet each (roughly), so having all of those trades plus a team of 7 installers made for very tight quarters. We started on the two we could and shuffled furniture around from truck to truck. This allowed us to send UHauls back to Dallas once they were unloaded and cut some cost.

After two late nights of painting, we were able to move into the last two cabins before heading back to Dallas on Thursday. Art is hung, beds assembled, TVs mounted and furniture installed. There is still work to be done, but the big stuff is set. We’re going back next weekend to finish setting up kitchens, fold towels, and style with some finishing touches. But all in all, it’s pretty cool to see it all come together! Furniture was selected piece by piece. 90% of it came from an antique store or a field in Canton or Round Top. This takes alot of effort and vision and I am really proud of how warm and and unique they feel. I have a memory of selecting each piece which is special and gives the cabins so much character!

I work with the most wonderful installation team. I knew they were good, but honestly, I could not have done this install with out them! They work so efficiently and swiftly with positive attitudes to boot. My best friend also owns the management team we’re working with, they came too. Whitney and Bree organized and divvied up all the kitchen goods, bedding and bathroom products so I could focus on furniture. It was a ton of work, but we made it fun!

Throughout the day on Thursday, I received a bunch of questions that I am answering here!

Who was our builder?

We used Fairmount Homes which is convenient because they’re based in Dallas, already have projects in Broken Bow they’re building AND the best part is that they’re close family friends of ours. Not to mention, they do great quality work and we trusted their process.

How long did construction take start to finish?

We started the drawing process for construction documents about a year ago. I believe we broke ground February of 2021. As I mentioned, McCurtain County doesn’t require inspections or permitting. We assumed this would make the whole process move a lot faster. What we didn’t account for was the widespread material shortage everyone started to experience by early summer. Also, labor in general is more of a challenge. Our builder ended up sending up several trades from Dallas. The proximity did lead to some delays, but it’s just sort of how things go up there. I’d plan for a year to be safe.

When can you rent our cabins?

We’re shooting to be live before Christmas! We are listing our cabins through The Cabin Collection. Be sure to follow them on Instagram to get updates on these current 4 cabins, plus our others which are under way!

What is the status of the bigger cabin?

We’re calling our larger vacation rental Idyll Haus. Idyll Haus is a 4 bedroom, 1 bunk room, beautiful, modern Scandinavian inspired retreat. We are framed and roughed in, and after a delay in window delivery – they’re slowly rolling in. The optimistic side of me is hopeful to install sometime in May. However, I’m also trying not to set expectations. Just know I have collected some super special things for this cabin and I can’t wait to drink my morning coffee in in it’s light filled living room. It will also be available for rent through The Cabin Collection.

Are the four smaller cabins ideal for multiple families to rent?

Yes! That was the whole thought. Each of the four smaller cabins is three bedrooms. Two of the cabins have a bunk room as one of the bedrooms. They’re the perfect set up to rent with multiple families. There is a communal play set and large fire pit. Each have their own smaller fire pit on the porch as well as a hot tub.

How did we pick the cabin names?

We’re calling the four smaller cabins Hartwood, Coba, Rincon and Arboles. Naming was honestly not as easy as I thought (although Idyll Haus came pretty easily). Hartwood is a favorite restaurant of ours in Tulum, Mexico. Fun fact – our son Bowen’s middle name is Hart after the same restaurant. Which you might think is odd, but their pork ribs are life changing. Coba is our favorite ruins in Mexico. Rincon is a shout out to my husband’s home state, California. Arboles is Spanish for tree.

I am currently in the drawing/conceptual phase on 2 more rental cabins. One has a decidedly Mid-Century Modern vibe, but I wanted to really lean into Northern California / Big Sur / Mid Century vibes. I visited Nepenthe in Big Sur many years ago and more than the food, I remember the feeling the interior design had on me so I wanted to try and channel that here. I feel like the Mid-Century style became cheaper feeling when it started to become mass produced, so I wanted to draw from early concepts when it was more of a progressive movement.

The second cabin feels a bit more Northeast to me. I’d like to use cedar shingle siding juxtaposed with big modern windows. I’m having a lot of fun with our architect on this one! He really knocked it out of the park taking my sharpie sketches and making them reality. So stay tuned, more Broken Bow to come!