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...
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...
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....
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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…
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…
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…
