Seasons come and go. The sun glares and sets. Rain, wind, and winter snow are continuing possibilities. Since the elements take their toll on any structure, consistent maintenance means good looks, savings in time and money, and fewer headaches for the log or timber homeowner. But questions persist as to the best approach. “I like to look at it as being an investment and not a cost,” observes Tony Huddleston, senior vice president of sales and operations at Per…
Bedrooms 1. Add a fireplace for those frosty winter mornings when you’d rather linger in bed. Consider electric, pellet, or gas options. 2. Make your bedroom a refuge by using plenty of soft surfaces—rugs, curtains, pillows—to ensure peace and quiet. 3. Create a bunkroom for kids with tree-trunk supports and branches throughout to make it feel like they are sleeping in a treehouse! 4. Tuck an office nook behind a sliding barn door or heavy curtains. 5. Buil…
After years of dreaming, you’re finally ready to make your dream home a reality—but between the first steps and the day you walk into your newly finished home, there are myriad options to consider and decisions to make. If you’re like most of us, you have a scrapbook (or the digital equivalent) of ideas and examples of the house of your dreams. Ideally, you’ve also got a realistic budget in mind and a mental list of wants and needs. Now it’s time to put pencil to p…
This home is perfectly oriented toward panoramic views on three sides. A private top floor deck allows the owners to enjoy the beauty of their surroundings. The stone foundation and pillars anchor the home to the ground…
In many homes, the kitchen is the hub of the action—where we start and end our days, where families gather to reconnect over a meal, and where friends are sure to congregate at any gathering. In a log or timber frame home, it’s the natural place to marry a cozy rustic ambience with modern convenience and function. “Trends are driven by a number of things including lifestyle and efficiency,” says Elle H-Millard, industry relations manager and trend specialist for…
Planning for both the present and the future presents an array of options for those considering the construction of a log home during challenging economic times. Several financial factors have influenced the concept of log home construction in recent years. Money is tight, and lenders are setting the bar ever higher for borrowers. Cash down payments and overall equity positions weigh more heavily on the credit decision than anyone can remember, and it is a given that credit scores and payment his…
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…
When buyers are ready to make their dream home a reality, some think that choosing a log and timber producer will be as easy as rolling off a log. We are talking about trees here, right? How difficult can this be? But what they discover is that modern log and timber homes are much more than just randomly stacked logs. Specific tree species, crafting, sealing, and fastening techniques and the engineering principles behind them are combined to form a building system. This building s…
Whether they know it or not, today’s home buyers have an array of options when it comes to mortgages. Despite the doom-and-gloom news surrounding the lending industry, Baby Boomers looking to build log homes where they will retire in the future still have choices, says Greg Ebersole, a loan officer with Graystone Mortgage in Mountville, Pennsylvania. “The media tends to play up the fact that it’s difficult to get a mortgage, but in reality it’s no harder th…
A 2009 survey (Housing for the 55+ Market—Trends and Insights on boomers and Beyond) by the NAHB and the MetLife Mature Market Institute confirmed assumptions that buyers age 55 and over are seeking smaller homes with a more efficient use of space. This a quite a contradiction to trends of the past decade, which saw a sharp increase in the desire for very large homes now dubbed “McMansions.” The study also showed that buyers in the Boomer market (ages 45-6…
Artistic architectural elements, a spectacular view, or even classic décor elements can combine to create a home of unspeakable beauty and functionality. But one element knits it all together: the floorplan. Whether the floorplan is selected from a design book or created as a one-of-a-kind design by a homeowner and architect team, it tells a story about a family and how they live in a home. “The way your home is laid out is very important. All the little details can make a huge impact on your home, so t…
The different types of construction and terms used to describe log and timber homes can be confusing to home buyers, especially when it comes to timber frame and post-and-beam homes. While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are important distinctions between the two types of construction, and key questions to ask when you are planning your own home. “There are some basic similarities to post-and-beam construction and authentic timber framing,” says Stephanie Jo…
