Going Off the Grid
by Jennifer Donahue
Adventure_Photo/www.istockphoto.com People choose to build off-grid homes for a variety of reasons. Some are committed to reducing their impact on the planet, while others are interested in a simpler way of life. And some have no choice—the remoteness of their property makes building an off-grid ho...
Energy-Saving Techniques
by Jennifer Donahue
photovs/istockphoto.com Saving energy is often a top concern of homeowners, whether driven by a desire to lower their utility expenses or tread lightly on the earth. Each year we see new technologies that help make saving energy easier than ever, but there are some tried-and-true methods to consider...
Easy on the Environment
by Jennifer Donahue
You hear a lot of lingo when talking about the environment and building: LEED certification, efficiency, green building, eco-friendly, sustainability. It can be overwhelming! But the simple truth is that making sensible choices in your home’s design can lead to lifelong benefits. A home that’s easy ...
Ensuring Energy Efficiency
Considering the rising costs of energy and the environmental awareness that is so necessary as natural resources become more scarce every day, log home owners are taking advantage of opportunities to maximize the energy efficiency of their homes on a regular basis. While doing so, they discover not ...
Eco-Friendly Garden Design
by Jennifer Donahue
MossCreek The rustic charm of a log home is ideally suited to a natural garden that is in harmony with the surrounding environment. Creating a garden that not only adds beauty to the landscape but is also gentle on the earth is easy and inexpensive if you keep a few important principles in mind. Why...
Eco-Friendly Fireplaces, Wood Stoves, & Alternatives
by Jennifer Donahue
Nothing sets a cozy, romantic mood like the crackle of a fire in the fireplace. The smell, the warmth and the glow can make a house feel like home. But for heating purposes, are fireplaces or stoves an environmentally-sound choice? The answer depends on the fireplace or stove you choose, the fuel yo...
Going Green
by Laura Cleveland
The New Face of FLOR Most of us are familiar with FLOR tiles and think of them as being bright solid colors—not exactly ideal for a log home. But FLOR products have come a long way since the company was established in 2003. Now the eco-friendly tiles are available in a wide variety of colors, textur...
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
by Jennifer Donahue | Photo courtesy of Appalachian Log Homes/by Roger Wade
Using reclaimed and recycled materials when building your home is not just a good way to be kind to the environment—it’s a great way to save money and add visual interest to your home! Reclaimed materials make your home truly unique while keeping materials that still have a little bit of life left o...
Passive Solar Principles
by Jennifer Donahue | Photos © Andersen Corporation
Who hasn’t been drawn to the warmth of a sunny spot on a cold day, or cooled off in the shade during the dog days of summer? Passive solar design takes that natural comfort and incorporates it into the design of your house. Put simply, you can design your home to gather and make use of the sun’s lig...
Thermal Mass of Log Walls
by Jennifer Donahue
Cushman Design Group/photo by Roger Wade When talking about green building, energy efficiency, and passive solar design, you may hear the term “thermal mass.” The term refers to the ability of a material to stabilize the temperature of your home by storing heat from the sun (called solar gain) durin...