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…
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…
After spectacular kitchens and luxurious master bathrooms, the perfect master bedroom is often at the top of any home buyer’s wish list. The options are endless when you are designing a space that suits your style. You can go for a bold wall color that sets off wood accents or stay with soothing neutral and natural tones. The space can be elegant and refined or rustic and cozy. Being surrounded by things they love inspires some, while choosing minimal decorative items appeals to oth…
An all neutral color palette looks beautiful in a log home. The tile on the walk-in shower ties the golden brown color of the logs in with the stone floor. Extra storage is provided by a distressed dresser and a Victorian coat rack hanging on the wall. The open ceiling allows for ventilation.
More than just a sprawling desert, the Southwest extends from the heights of the Wasatch and Rocky Mountains to the bluffs and mesas and finally to the flatlands of the Rio Grande. Log timber homes in the region were heavily influenced by its Native American and Hispanic inhabitants, but today you’ll find homes of every shape and style in a wide variety of climates.
When Allen Morris’s father first purchased vacation property and built a cottage nestled in the hills of Black Mountain, North Carolina, in 1970, it was with the hope that his children and their children would gather there for years to come. Little did he know then that more than 40 years later, the family’s retreat would grow to encompass five homes, including Allen Morris’s log home and corporate retreat. “As our family grew we built a second cottage and a third cottage and a fourth cottage,” says Mor…
For many log home owners, the most daunting task in completing the purchase or construction of their ideal residence is dealing with financing. Although economic pressures have weighed on the market and banks have often been described as reluctant to lend, even during the best of times obtaining a loan for a log home requires planning, patience, and understanding of the necessary steps. While the processes of financing conventional and log homes share similarities, securing a loan for a log home has som…
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 aesthetic with cost containment always in mind. Simply getting started is a challenge in itself. But Chris Wood, vice president of sales at Hearthstone Homes, sees opportunity in the basic design of the log home. “Keep it simple,” he offers. “Straight roof lines, a rectangular fo…
From the design phase, through construction, and into a long, enjoyable lifetime, the maintenance of a log home is a critical element in retaining that like-new look, controlling present and future costs, protecting resale value, and preserving a significant investment. Owning and maintaining a log home presents ongoing challenges; however, an understanding of the available options during design, completion of construction, and future years facilitates informed decisions and simplifies the process. Rath…
Log homes have a nostalgic appeal for homeowners longing for a simpler life. And the relaxed, rustic feel of a log home seems right at home plopped in the middle of a grassy meadow, nestled in rolling hills, or tucked away in a thick forest. That’s country living, and many prospective log home owners today are yearning to build on a spread of land set apart from the busyness of American life as we know it today. “The country’s the only place to live,” says Ed Whi…
As the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Be an opener of doors.” And if those doors happen to be works of art in their own right, so much the better! It might be tempting to think doors are one aspect of your home where it’s safe to cut corners. But details make a big difference, and the doors you choose for your home, both inside and out, can make a major visual statement. A high-quality door should last a lifetime as well as add to your home’s appeal. .
Whether you’ve dreamed of a spacious, airy lakeside home or a cozy mountain cabin, there’s no denying the appeal of wood—from stately oaks to towering cedars. That appeal increasingly includes timber frame homes, built of massive timber supports that showcase the dramatic beauty of natural wood. Sometimes called “post and beam,” timber frame construction is one of the oldest forms of homebuilding. Timbers are typically fitted together with different joinery methods, including dove…
