There are several key factors to consider before designing your home’s floor plan. You’ve seen it on TV—expansive windows, soaring ceilings, people chatting in every corner. Open floor plans, aka “great rooms,” can be fantastic for families with children and those who...
The Light Stuff
A good lighting plan can take your home from dark to dramatic, highlight key architectural elements, and illuminate work spaces. Warm reading light in a cozy den, bright task light over kitchen counters, strategically placed walkway lights along a garden path:...
Build or Buy?
The Pros and Cons of Building vs. Buying a Previously Owned Log or Timber Home. After months of a hot real estate market, where sellers were fielding multiple offers and deals were happening within hours, the sudden uptick in interest rates froze the real estate...
Design Advice from the Experts
Experienced log and timber frame home builders provide valuable information on designing a home that you’ll love. It’s no surprise your log or timber frame home builder seems to know just the right place to put that reading nook you wanted, or the perfect way to...
Practicing Regular Basic Maintenance
Consistency is the key to saving time and money. Once you complete your new log or timber frame home, you may anticipate that all the work is complete. However, since wood is an organic building material, one must not forget Mother Nature. Her damaging arsenal...
Smart Money
Savings can be found in every aspect of log home construction. Global thinking, seeing the project in its entirety, is critical to cost-effective log home construction. Every aspect of a log home project requires planning and foresight and an eye for the practical and...
Designing for Curb Appeal
A great first impression will make people want to see the inside of your log & timber home. Whether you’re building a cozy cabin, a modest retreat, or a big family getaway, the exterior of your home makes a memorable impression that gives people a sense of what to...
Looking In and Looking Out
There are several considerations to achieve energy efficiency and drama by using windows to complement your log or timber home. Log and timber homes are often designed to complement their natural surroundings, so the way your design incorporates windows to bring the...
Getting Competitive Bids
Experts give sage advice about comparing bids from different log & timber companies. The experience of building a log or timber home, making the vision become a reality, is extraordinary and may take place only once in a lifetime. The advantage of previous...
One Story or More?
There are pros and cons to building a one-story versus multi-story home. Building a new home comes with a multitude of decisions, but one of the most important and foundational questions is how many stories you want your home to be. As with most design decisions,...
Main Bedrooms
The master bedroom is more than just a place to sleep—it’s your place to retreat from the world. In an ideal world, my master bedroom would be a sanctuary. A retreat from the stressors and demands of everyday life, it would be quiet and cozy with a massive closet to...
Energy-Saving Techniques
Saving the environment and your money begins in the design process. 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...