When planning your perfect log cabin home, there are many decisions that must be researched. Whether you are contemplating the idea of a log home or beginning the design process, the end result can vary greatly depending on the multitude of choices made. The choice of wood species is one of the biggest and first decisions to make. Next, you must consider corner styles or joint methods, chink or no chink, and which drying method best suits your needs. You also need to learn t…
A beautiful log home—it’s a great dream for anybody to have for their retirement years. Now imagine if that home required zero maintenance: No painting, no toilet repair, no worries … talk about a beautiful dream! Of course, a home that doesn’t require any maintenance really is a dream. But what you can do is take steps during the planning process for your log home that will minimize maintenance in the long term. And that’s a dream that everybody can live with. To help us come up with the best planning …
Building a log home is, quite simply, an adventure. And nobody should undertake an adventure without adequate preparation. When Jock Davidson, owner of Daniel Boone Log Homes, considers the process of building a log home, he advises, “The nature of home building, particularly log homes, is usually more art than science. No two log homes are exactly the same, and therein lies the art. The single biggest pitfall that homebuyers face is unrealistic expectations. The home will invariably take longer to buil…
Sam and Gale Easter, self-described “loggies,” are enthusiastic about living in the log home of their dreams. But during the planning stages for the house, the couple took time to carefully research log home companies and builders. They were looking for professionals that would not only turn out a quality product, but who also would deal with them fairly and honestly. “The company we chose answered all our questions right up front,” says Gale, now owner of Roanoke River Vall…
A log home is a beautiful complement to any setting, no matter if it’s poised out in the middle of a wide-open prairie or hugging the shoreline of a lake or ocean. But there’s just something irresistible about a cabin in the woods. Nestled among the trees, a log cabin home or weekend camp against a deeply wooded backdrop just seems at ease and, well, right. When designing and building your dream woodland log cabin home, there are a few factor…
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 out of landfills. There is a difference between reclaimed and recycled materials. Recycled materials are reprocessed and often turned into an entirely different product, while reclaimed materials are reu…
“Getting comparative bids when looking at log homes is very important, unless you are very well versed in log home materials and construction practices,” says Tom Kuhns, president at Kuhns Brothers Log Homes Inc., in Milton, Pennsylvania. “In fact, getting bids is actually a part of the learning process. No two log home companies are alike. Each company has different ways of doing things and different qualities and quantities of products so you need to decide what is best for you.”&n…
When Wes and Chris Spiker decided to build a log home on their property in Missoula, Montana, they knew they wanted a company that would respect their needs and not just offer limited options. “We were looking for architects that would work as a team with us and listen to us about what we wanted,” says Chris Spiker. The couple ended up choosing Rocky Mountain Log Homes not only because they were willing to work with the Spikers on their own home design, but because they were known as a reliabl…
Somewhere in our youth, nearly all of us have pretended to be a detective. Looking for clues, asking questions, taking notes, searching for answers… back then it was just child’s play, but who knew you were arming yourself with skills that would come in handy as a homebuyer. Now that you’re ready to make one of the largest investments of your entire life—your log cabin dream home—it’s time to channel that inner Sherlock Holmes of your childhood and really put it to work. So don that inspector’s cap and …
There are some do-it-yourselfers out there who take on the task of building their own log home. But the average log home buyer needs to find a builder or general contractor to build it. This person takes all of the package components that you purchase and crafts them into your home. It is a very detailed and meticulous job that requires a true professional with excellent building experience and communication skills. Yet finding this person takes as much research as it did to select the right log home co…
There are so many decisions involved in building a home. But when you’re building a log home, a few special considerations come into play, too. Of all the aspects you have to consider, hiring the right builder is probably THE most important decision you will make. Keep the following five points in mind as you start shopping for a builder who will transform your log package into a perfect log home. Fact or Fiction? Price should not be the deciding factor in your builder selection . Fact. Although se…
When Barry Ivey and Lany Sherman sit down to design a log home these days, some of their customers’ first concerns fall under the “environmentally conscious” category. Looking to incorporate green elements into their homes, both new owners and those looking to retrofit existing structures are concerned about site sustainability, environmentally friendly materials and construction methods, and water and energy efficiency. “We’re seeing a strong desire for environmentally …
