How-To Archives – Log Cabin Homes Magazine

Preserving Your Log Home

by By Karen Doss Bowman | Jul 9, 2021 | Exteriors, How-To, Maintaining

For many people, becoming a log home owner takes years of planning and saving funds. Once you’ve built your dream log home, you want to do everything possible to protect your investment. Regular maintenance is certainly important, and carefully selecting high-performing stains and finishes will help preserve the beauty and integrity of your home for years to come. Stains and finishes protect the logs from the elements, including sun, wind, and rain—strong forces that can cause severe damage over t…

Construction Time

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

The average log home can take anywhere from four to eight months or more to build, depending on its size. A custom log home is well worth the time and effort. Prior to construction, you plan for months, sometimes years, to make this vision become real. Because of the many stages that happen before the home is ready to move in, the construction process can seem daunting. Understanding the steps beforehand makes you a well-prepared consumer. It is your knowledge and passion to build a log home that help g…

Home on the Range

by bridget mccrea | Jul 9, 2021 | Building, How-To, Planning

Different topographies and climates can impact the log home construction process, and can also impact your experiences as a log home owner. A structure built in the southeastern United States, for example, must be able to withstand hurricanes and tolerate high levels of humidity, while one constructed on the West Coast has to stand up to earthquakes. The elements can take their toll in areas where high winds or extreme cold are prevalent, and natural&nbs…

A Course of Patience

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

There’s no definitive answer on when the buying process begins. For some folks, it begins the first time they clip a photograph of a log cabin from a magazine and start a file. For other people, it’s the first time they walk into a log home model and start picking out floorplans. When it comes to building a custom log home, the buying procedure isn’t only about money. It’s a progression that lasts from concept to completion with steps in between. “A lot of patience is needed thr…

Sweet Dreams

by Jennifer Donahue | Jul 9, 2021 | Bedrooms, Designing, How-To, Room-By-Room

We often pour energy and creativity into the “public” rooms in our houses: great rooms, kitchens, and entertainment rooms. But we should reserve some of that care and effort to create an idyllic environment in our most personal rooms: the bedrooms. Resist the temptation to make your bedroom multifunctional: studies show that we sleep better when we reserve our bedrooms for relaxation, not work. From layout to furnishings, your bedroom designs should reflect your …

Quality & Craftsmanship

by Bridget McCrea | photos by Ellis Nunn & Associates; Teton Heritage Builders; Laurie Waterhouse Interiors/photo by Roger Wade | Jul 9, 2021 | Building, How-To, Planning

During the 32 years that Ellis Nunn has been designing luxury log and timber homes he’s seen many different design trends come and go. A member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architects Registration Board (NCARB), Nunn is president of Ellis Nunn & Associates Architecture in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Nunn’s firm specializes in high-end mountain-style and log home architecture. Over the last three decades Nunn has designed over 300 log homes. A leader in t…

Why Buy Now?

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

While some economists continue to lament that one of the longest recessions in U.S. history persists, signs of recovery and a return to economic vitality are surely coming around. Despite a lingering concern for the future, those looking for the log home of a lifetime can take heart. Somewhat ironically, there may never be a better time to buy. The reasons for this sudden surge of opportunity are varied; however, the most dramatic lies in the price of money, the funding that makes a log home purchase po…

Skimp or Splurge?

by Laura Stapleton | Jul 9, 2021 | How-To, Planning

A home is the epitome of self-expression. It shows the world your personal style and hints at what is important to you. It offers an escape from the world, creating a sanctuary for those who pass through its doors. But building the ideal sanctuary involves planning and budgeting to accommodate all the design options you might desire. Beginning with the structure, a home will speak volumes about who lives in it and where it is sited. But what about the design deta…

Landscape Your Property

by Margaret A. Haapoja | Jul 9, 2021 | How-To, Landscape

Landscaping should be at the top of your list when you begin to plan your log home. A National Gardening Association survey found a well-designed and maintained landscape can increase the value of your home by as much as 15-25 percent. “Too often the landscape is an afterthought” says Maureen Parker, owner of Common Ground Landscapes in Boyne City, Michigan, “and landscape architecture is much more than plantings. Planning for your landscape starts with positioning your …

First, Do No Harm

by Laura Cleveland | Jul 9, 2021 | Building, How-To, Planning

All doctors are familiar with the phrase, “First, do no harm.” It’s part of the Hippocratic Oath they swear to uphold once they become doctors. It means that they will treat patients to the best of their ability and judgment without doing them any unnecessary harm. When you are planning your new log home, why not treat it and the property you are building on as your patient and do your best not to disturb or contaminate it or the other living things you will be sharing it with? Today, “green” is t…

Share and Share Alike

by Debra Grahl | Jul 9, 2021 | Entire Home, How-To, Planning, Room-By-Room

When asked if I would like to write the Trend Watch column on the subject of shared log homes I replied to my editor, “Of course, this will be fun.” Within a minute or so I was thinking to myself, “Hmmmm … shared log homes? REALLY?” The term “shared home” conjured up images of college days, when I was one of many housemates (my experience was not as bad as Animal House), living pretty inexpensively in a large, somewhat dilapidated rental home. Even after univer…

Lasting Legacy

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

When you first build your log home, you’re thinking about how it will fulfill your family’s current needs. After years of living in the home, as your children and grandchildren grow up, you begin to build a history of cherished memories around it. Then, you may begin to think of your home differently. It’s not just as a place to sleep and eat anymore, but much more. It has become a building block for your children and their children’s future. It’s the place where family gathers for holidays and vacation…