Log Cabin Homes Magazine

A Sense of Peace

by Mike Haskew | Photography Karl Neumann | Jul 9, 2021 | Entire Home, Room-By-Room

David and Melissa Hatter have always felt right at home in Big Sky, Montana, even though they are also quite used to the bustle of the big city of Atlanta, Georgia. Melissa works as a director of information technology, while David is an entrepreneur and owner of financial services companies with a “passion for leading people to financial security.” It seems the wide open spaces and breathtaking mountain vistas of Montana provide the couple with another sense of well-being—one that is priceless. They re…

The Best of All Worlds

by Jennifer Donahue | Jul 9, 2021 | Building, How-To

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…

Raising Your Home’s IQ

by Jennifer Donahue | Jul 9, 2021 | Designing, How-To, Planning

The impact of harsh winter weather is a big concern for many homeowners, and Michael Leahy’s cabin in northern Minnesota is no exception. To help mitigate the effects of subfreezing temperatures, Leahy has outfitted his home with a customized system that monitors everything from furnace function and propane levels to activity on the property. “Roughly 50 to 100 things around the cabin can be monitored and controlled remotely,” says Leahy. “Beside…

Gallery of Log Cabin Exteriors

by Log Cabin Homes Magazine | Jul 9, 2021 | Entire Home, Room-By-Room

A milled log home basks in the afternoon sun, tucked neatly into a hill for protection against the elements. The strategic placement of vertical siding and subtle timber frame accents adds interest to the horizontal logs. This log home blends perfectly into its setting in the Michigan woods. Deep green trim and cedar shingles enhance the unique roofline. The covered entryway welcomes its owners and their visitors. Yankee Bar…

Zero-Net Energy Homes

by Jennifer Donahue | Jul 9, 2021 | Designing, Energy Efficiency, How-To, Planning

With energy costs on the rise, it’s not just environmentally friendly to keep your energy consumption reined in—it’s wallet-friendly too! And the best time to consider your energy savings is when you’re building a new home. If you plan appropriately, it’s possible to build a “zero-net energy” log home. Also called “energy neutral” or “net zero,” zero-net energy (ZNE) homes actually collect or produce more energy than they use, making it possible to live independently from the energy grid. “A zero-…

High Among the Pines

by By Karen Doss Bowman | photos by Photos courtesy of Rocky Mountain Log Homes | Jul 9, 2021 | Entire Home, Room-By-Room

When Judy and Richard Steed of Fort Worth, Texas, began planning their retirement home, they wanted a place where they could retreat from the busyness of their normal routine. While visiting their daughter’s home in Montana several years ago, the couple discovered The Stock Farm Club, a private, golf-based community nestled in the Bitterroot Valley. They loved it and decided to purchase a lot in the Mountain Home sites, tucked in the foothills of the Sapphire Mountains. “We wanted to be …

Smart Roofs?

by Mike Haskew | Jul 9, 2021 | Building, How-To

With everything under the sun being labeled “smart” these days, it follows that smart roofs are in our near future. A smart roof coating made from waste cooking oil from fast food restaurants (minus the smell, of course) is being processed into a liquid polymer that hardens like plastic. When applied to roofing material, the coating switches roles from reflecting to transmitting heat by reading a thermometer. The coating can be adjusted to the location of the home. It is both nontoxic and nonflammable a…

The Undiscovered Jewel

by Donna Peak | Jul 9, 2021 | How-To, Planning

It takes a unique blend of vision, entrepreneurial sprit, and artistry to see a piece of raw, undeveloped land and picture what it could become. Fortunately for folks who are interested in enjoying the splendors of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Sandy Wood and Pete Pyles had all three in spades. This collaboration between Sandy, a real estate developer and builder, and Pete, a log home builder, has resulted in The Olde River Club —a spectacular gated log-friendly community perched high atop one …

Blue Ridge Beauty

by Jennifer Donahue | Photography Dustin Peck, Courtesy of MossCreek | Jul 9, 2021 | Entire Home, Room-By-Room

When builder Rick Riddle of R & R Builders Co. in Denver, North Carolina, saw the Bitterroot home design from MossCreek, he knew it would be instantly attractive to homebuyers. “MossCreek is a residential design firm that creates custom designs. We also work from a portfolio of existing designs that can be modified to a client’s needs,” says Allen Halcomb, president of MossCreek. “The Bitterroot is one of our most popular existing designs.” A strong, well-considered design will attract even the most…

What You Need to Know – Financing

by Mike Haskew | Jul 9, 2021 | Financing, How-To

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 similariti…

Westward Ho!

by Laura Cleveland | Jul 9, 2021 | Designing, How-To

Are cowboys and Indians and ranches and cattle the first things that come to mind when you think of Western style? It encompasses all of these things and so much more. Western style incorporates the Spanish, Mexican, Scandinavian, and Asian cultures brought to the American West by its many immigrants. Settlers who moved from the East to the West brought their own styles with them: Adirondack, North Wood…

The Ultimate Stress Reliever

by Bridget Mccrea | photography Roger Wade | styling Debra Grahl | Jul 9, 2021 | Entire Home, Room-By-Room

Tim and Daphne Livingstone don’t have to change their latitude to change their attitude these days. All they have to do is make a right-hand turn onto the road where their log cabin home is located to enter a “stress-free” zone where natural surroundings, a tranquil setting, and a 2,632-square-foot log home join forces to create a sanctuary for good living. “Since moving into our home my whole temperament has changed,” says Daphne, an events coordinator at the California University of Pennsylvania…