There are pros and cons of being your own general contractor. For many people, part of the dream of building their own home is the chance to be closely involved with every part of the process, from choosing the site to designing the floorplan to selecting fixtures and...
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...
Stock, Custom, or Something in Between?
Your land, lifestyle, and budget play equal parts in determining the ideal floorplan for your home. Building a home from the ground up can be a dream come true: the chance to configure, room by room, the home you always wanted just the way you always envisioned it....
Making Your Research Count
Take advantage of all the available resources, from magazines to home shows and even the Internet, to determine what type of home you want. Taking the notion of a log or timber home from idea to reality requires a great deal of patience and preparation. Like marriage,...
The Most Popular Log Home Floorplans
Log home experts discuss the benefits of starting with a stock floorplan and the features the most successful homes have in common. Sometimes the hardest part of building a home is figuring out where to start. That’s where ready-to-purchase (or stock) home plans can...
Finding the Right Contractor
Enjoying the journey of building a log home requires finding a homebuilder that’s right for you. The successful search for a good builder is a key component of your log and timber homebuilding journey. Choosing the right builder to make your dream home a reality is...
Simply Scandinavian
A Canadian couple’s desire for an uncluttered log home results in a minimalist look throughout their 2,000-square-foot home. This small and cozy log cabin is a showcase for Dominique Fournier, the owner, builder, and founder of Confort Nature, a company specializing...
Setting the Stage
Building a log & timber home in stages is a creative way to afford your dream home now and provide flexibility for future lifestyle changes. In your dreams, you imagined the builder handing over the keys to your new log or timber frame home, each inch of the house...
Getting Started
Making your dream home a reality is a step-by-step process. More people are opting to live in rustic residences than ever before. The warmth of wood, the solid construction, and that powerful connection to nature all add up to a feeling of safety and sanctuary that we...
Go Your Own Way
Taking on projects that save money may be an option for homeowners with some log and timber building projects. When the log or timber home they have always wanted begins to take shape, some homeowners bring their own personal skills to the project, pitching in with...
Location, Location, Location
For those exploring options in building their forever log home, one of the first considerations involves the three basic rules of real estate: location, location, location. In this sense, the idea relates to more than resale value. Choosing to build in a conventional development or subdivision presents its own array of challenges—usually in conforming to the often confusing and always lengthy list of building restrictions that apply. Of course, such restrictions may well make const…
Rustic Furniture
If you would like to get back to your roots when furnishing your log or timber home, rustic furniture is the way to go. Typically wooden and distressed looking, rustic furniture can invite a sense of simplicity and old-fashioned charm. “Rustic décor seems to relax people,” says Shirley Brown, owner of Papa Bear’s Northwoods Store in Baraboo, Wisconsin. “They feel like they’re in the great outdoors.” Rustic, by definition, is untamed. Furniture pieces look “lived in,” and chipped pain…