How-To Archives – Log Cabin Homes Magazine

Passive Solar Principles

by Jennifer Donahue | Photos © Andersen Corporation | Jul 9, 2021 | Building, Energy Efficiency, How-To, Planning

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 light and warmth in the winter, while minimizing the warming effects of the sun in the summer. The result: a comfortable, bright, efficient home. There are many factors to take into consideration when inco…

The Battle of the Budget

by Mike Haskew | Jul 9, 2021 | Financing, How-To, Planning

For those who embark on the journey of building the log or timber home they have always wanted, one point become clear early in the process. The dream may be realized only within the boundaries of what the budget will bear. Finding the necessary balance between building and budget is a curious combination of art and science, aspiration and reality. Taking some time to consider the parameters that must guide the building process reduces stress while saving later effort and money. “W…

Designing a Log Home for Easy Exterior Maintenance

by Wyatt Myers | Jul 9, 2021 | Designing, How-To, Maintaining, Planning

We all dream of living in a log home. But what we don’t dream about is spending countless hours maintaining that home. The good news is that if you build it right in the first place, maintenance won’t be an issue. To help with that effort, we spoke to several experts about what it takes to design a log home for minimal exterior maintenance. Here’s what they had to say. 1. Examine the Overhangs Most wood rot and damage comes from water splashing onto the logs. If your roof overhangs adequately in a…

Maintaining Your Investment

by Jennifer Donahue | photo Hiawatha Log Homes | Jul 9, 2021 | How-To, Maintaining

For most of us, our home is the biggest investment we’ll make. So it makes sense to spend a little bit of time and effort maintaining that investment. Log homes are naturally stable, but be sure to follow the maintenance recommendations of your log home manufacturer. “The wood, if properly constructed and maintained, is like a fine wine—it improves with age,” says Original Log Cabin Homes President Tom Vesce. “As time goes on it gets better and better.” Proper maintenance can also help to ensure y…

DIY? The Pros and Cons of Building Your Own Home

by Jennifer Donahue | Jul 9, 2021 | Building, How-To, Planning

Log homes have come a long way from the days of Little House on the Prairie and Grizzly Adams. Modest one- and two-room cabins have given way to multilevel showstoppers that are equal parts art and architecture. Still, the yearning to invest sweat equity remains strong for some log home owners. There is romanticism to knowing you built your home with your own two hands. At the advent of the modern log home industry in the 1960s and 197…

Saving Water

by Laura Cleveland | Jul 9, 2021 | Energy Efficiency

On average, the first two people in a home each use 20 gallons of water per day. Each additional resident uses about 15 gallons per day. For a family of four, that amounts to a whopping 70 gallons consumed every day, or 25,550 gallons per year. Most of those 25,550 gallons go down the drain … literally. Is that any way to treat our most precious natural resource? Here are a few practical ideas for conserving water: • Use a rain barrel to collect run-off from your roof. Start with a simple rain barrel co…

Bedroom Gallery

by Log Cabin Homes Magazine | Jul 9, 2021 | Bedrooms, Designing, How-To, Room-By-Room

The trend these days is toward putting the master bedroom on the main floor of the home, but why not choose the loft if it is as spectacular as this one? The owners get a bird’s-eye view of their property and can enjoy looking at the intricate roof structure of their log home. Rocky Mountain Log Homes The sense of space and height in this bedroom is accentuated by the painted sheetrock and upper windows that mimic the roof line and highlight the roof struc…

Planning Exterior Spaces

by Jennifer Donahue | Jul 9, 2021 | How-To, Landscape, Outdoor Spaces, Planning, Room-By-Room

Some of my favorite time at home is spent on a quiet spring afternoon, sitting on my deck listening to the rain hit the metal roof overhead. Whether it’s watching the sun set on a long, lazy summer evening, entertaining family around an outdoor fire pit, or playing a friendly game of flag football on the lawn, our time spent outdoors is the stuff memories are made of. Many of us choose our home’s location specifically for the abundant natural beau…

Luxury Living for Less

by Tracy M. Ruff | Jul 9, 2021 | How-To, Planning

Along the road to log home ownership, you will eventually hit the inevitable speed bump of wants versus budget. “Wants versus needs” might be the first thing that comes to mind, but a log home has to have the basic needs in order to receive a certificate of occupancy: logs, a kitchen, an HVAC system, a roof, etc. It’s when you you start putting in the wants from your own personal list that your budget gets stretched. You want to infuse your home with the things that will tru…

Designing & Decorating Kitchens

by Log Cabin Homes Magazine | Jul 9, 2021 | Designing, How-To, Kitchens, Room-By-Room

Oceanside Glasstile (www.glasstile.com) handcrafted these backsplash tiles from recycled bottles to form the jewel in the crown of a rustic kitchen. The traditional olive-toned subway tile sets off irridescent metallic tile that has been set on the diagonal. Glass tile reflects the light in what could be a dark space over the stove. 1867 Confederation Log Homes Who says you can’t mix materials and styles in an open…

Things We Love

by Log Cabin Homes Magazine | Jul 9, 2021 | Designing, How-To

Are you looking for gorgeous Arts & Crafts tile or lighting, a handcrafted bed frame, or a mesmerizing fire sphere? We did a little shopping for things we think will complement your log or timber frame home. The Art of Tile Nawal Motawi started making tiles in her garage and selling them at a local farm market in 1992. Today Motawi Tileworks occupies a 12,000-square-foot facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and sells tiles through 400 U.S. stores. Shown here are several styles of tile from the Arts &amp…

Design for Living

by Jennifer Donahue | Jul 9, 2021 | Building, Energy Efficiency, How-To, Planning

The esteemed poet and author Maya Angelou once said, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” What we know about energy efficiency has increased exponentially in recent years. So now that we know better, there’s no excuse for not doing better when it comes to homebuilding. Not only are energy-efficient building practices an important way to preserve the environment, they lead to a more comfortable home and can also save you money—…