There’s no definitive answer on when the buying process begins. For some folks, it begins the first time they clip a photograph of a log cabin from a magazine and start a file. For other people, it’s the first time they walk into a log home model and start picking out floorplans. When it comes to building a custom log home, the buying procedure isn’t only about money. It’s a progression that lasts from concept to completion with steps in between. “A lot of patience is needed thr…
When Charles and Lana Sangmeister said goodbye to the hustle and bustle of central New Jersey seven years ago they had no idea that they’d be in for such a treat. After retiring from their jobs, the Sangmeisters returned to Lana’s Montana roots and purchased 277 acres of land in the small town of Nye. Nestled in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, the region proved to be the perfect backdrop for the couple’s new log cabin home. Before that dream came to fruition the Sangmeisters studied hundreds o…
Log home producers mill logs to uniform dimensions and then combine them with other structural components and building materials to make a log home package. The uniform look of a milled log home is often what is most appealing to log home buyers. When Sue and Mike McKenrick moved to Morgantown in the northeastern part of West Virginia, they wanted to settle down somewhere with space and privacy. With their four children grown, they didn’t need a huge home, but as avid motorcyclists they sought room for …
All doctors are familiar with the phrase, “First, do no harm.” It’s part of the Hippocratic Oath they swear to uphold once they become doctors. It means that they will treat patients to the best of their ability and judgment without doing them any unnecessary harm. When you are planning your new log home, why not treat it and the property you are building on as your patient and do your best not to disturb or contaminate it or the other living things you will be sharing it with? Today, “green” is t…
When asked if I would like to write the Trend Watch column on the subject of shared log homes I replied to my editor, “Of course, this will be fun.” Within a minute or so I was thinking to myself, “Hmmmm … shared log homes? REALLY?” The term “shared home” conjured up images of college days, when I was one of many housemates (my experience was not as bad as Animal House), living pretty inexpensively in a large, somewhat dilapidated rental home. Even after univer…
We often pour energy and creativity into the “public” rooms in our houses: great rooms, kitchens, and entertainment rooms. But we should reserve some of that care and effort to create an idyllic environment in our most personal rooms: the bedrooms. Resist the temptation to make your bedroom multifunctional: studies show that we sleep better when we reserve our bedrooms for relaxation, not work. From layout to furnishings, your bedroom designs should reflect your …
During the 32 years that Ellis Nunn has been designing luxury log and timber homes he’s seen many different design trends come and go. A member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Council of Architects Registration Board (NCARB), Nunn is president of Ellis Nunn & Associates Architecture in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Nunn’s firm specializes in high-end mountain-style and log home architecture. Over the last three decades Nunn has designed over 300 log homes. A leader in t…
While some economists continue to lament that one of the longest recessions in U.S. history persists, signs of recovery and a return to economic vitality are surely coming around. Despite a lingering concern for the future, those looking for the log home of a lifetime can take heart. Somewhat ironically, there may never be a better time to buy. The reasons for this sudden surge of opportunity are varied; however, the most dramatic lies in the price of money, the funding that makes a log home purchase po…
Some folks maintain that everything happens for a reason. When Kevin Nunn, owner of Bear Creek Log Homes, was hired to build a log home for a client in the mountains of North Carolina, an opportunity seemed to fall into his lap, one that he could not resist. The project was located at Cave Rock Estates, a new development just south of Sparta, not far from the Virginia border. Kevin’s client, the owner of the development, had purchased 280 acres with the intention of dividing it into parcels for sa…
A ski trip to Deer Valley, Utah, more than a dozen years ago awakened a deep love for log homes in Donn and Candy Fuller. “We rented this beautiful handcrafted, full-log home with more than 10,000 square feet of space,” recalls Donn Fuller, an orthopedic surgeon in Fort Myers, Florida. “It was just gorgeous.” On another ski trip the Fullers discovered where they wanted to build their dream vacation home: Big Sky, Montana. “Another orthopedic doc friend invited us out and we just fell in love with Montan…
A home is the epitome of self-expression. It shows the world your personal style and hints at what is important to you. It offers an escape from the world, creating a sanctuary for those who pass through its doors. But building the ideal sanctuary involves planning and budgeting to accommodate all the design options you might desire. Beginning with the structure, a home will speak volumes about who lives in it and where it is sited. But what about the design deta…
Landscaping should be at the top of your list when you begin to plan your log home. A National Gardening Association survey found a well-designed and maintained landscape can increase the value of your home by as much as 15-25 percent. “Too often the landscape is an afterthought” says Maureen Parker, owner of Common Ground Landscapes in Boyne City, Michigan, “and landscape architecture is much more than plantings. Planning for your landscape starts with positioning your …
