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...
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:...
Home Trends
Many homeowners who have imagined themselves in a log cabin all their lives are making it a reality. “People are moving away from densely populated areas,” says Brett Youngstrum, who handles sales for Yellowstone Log Homes, an Idaho manufacturer founded by his...
Nine Steps to Log Home Life
Tips for a seamless journey to building and living in your new dream home. Producers of timber frame and log homes report that interest from homebuyers in 2021 is at unprecedented highs. Buyers are seeing the historically low interest rates and the absence of new...
Kitchens and Pantries
Covid-19 changed the way we grocery shop, eat out and cook at home, resulting in some great new kitchen and pantry designs. If your home is anything like mine, the kitchen is where the action is. When my kids were young, it is where we shared family meals. As they...