November 2016 Blog Posts (20)

The modern log home can look and feel any way you want it. Check out these current log home design styles for inspiration.

Adirondack style log home.[/caption]

Everyone is familiar with “the little log cabin in the woods.” It’s the quintessential log home style, and it’s a charmer to be sure. But don’t feel restricted by the expected.

The beauty of log home design is in its versatility. Truly if you can envision it, there’s a designer and a log home…

Many people are looking to get more use out of their home and create a place that serves different purposes. The attic is an ideal place to transform to make it a habitable living space that can be enjoyed long-term. To turn your attic into a great place to spend time in, there are a few designer tips to…

A sampling of popular log home wood species and their attributes.

Northern White Cedar

Area harvested: Maine and Great Lakes states Heartwood colors: Light to medium or straw brown Sapwood colors: Nearly white Weight*: Light Heartwood decay resistance: Resistant

Bald Cypress (Red & Yellow)

Area harvested: Southern states and South…

Follow along a typical log home construction sequence of events.

The entire construction process for a modest log home (built by a pro) ranges from four to six months, but it can run a year or more for large or complex designs. Factors that affect construction time include seasons, weather, availability of labor/subcontractors and builder expertise. Builders’ processes may vary, but use this order of events as a guide to benchmark your log home’s…

If you’re applying for financing to build your log home, here’s what you can expect on the lending horizon.

Most log home buyers finance their purchase. The tax write-off alone makes getting a mortgage enticing even for those rare few who can pay cash. But how do you determine how much house you can afford, and how much of that will come from the bank?

When you’re ready to buy your log home, calculate your target budget by adding your assets and how much you…

With hundreds of exceptional log home manufacturers and handcrafters out there, how do you choose? Here’s how to find the one that can make your log home just the way you want it.

Any major purchase is stressful. The idea that as soon as you commit to a choice, it will be difficult — if not impossible — to change your mind can send even the most decisive buyer into a second-guessing frenzy. Buyer’s remorse is NOT something you envision in your dream-home scenario.…

Efficient water systems are more popular than ever, but you might not be quite ready to completely replace their entire plumbing system. Here is a look at a few upgrades and additions that can be carried out in a single afternoon on practically any budget.

Faucet Aerators

Some new faucets come with aerators, but they are generally not designed to…

A North Georgia log home provides every creature comfort imaginable — all within a lush mountain landscape.

Each November, Jack and Patty Cartwright host a hayride, bonfire and campout at their log home in the mountains of north Georgia. On average, 250 to 300 friends and clients join the fun.

Guests bunk up in the Cartwrights’ five-bedroom home, camp on their land or rent…

A smart home automation provides many obvious and not-so-obvious benefits to homeowners. It can reduce the amount of time a homeowner wastes manually performing tasks like setting and resetting the thermostat to control room temperature or turning on and off nighttime outdoor security lights. It can also automatically detect system errors, repair issues and alert a…

When selecting the size, shape and look of the logs, the log home buyer is spoiled for choice. Here’s how to navigate your options.

So now that you know the timber options from which to choose, how do you turn this raw material into a home?

First you need to choose whether you want the look of a milled or handcrafted home. The primary differences here are the size and uniformity of the logs and the technique used to prepare them.

Handcrafted logs are…

A la carte or all-inclusive — buying a log home starts with the parts of the log home package/kit.

The “package,” (sometimes referred to as the “kit”) is the starting point of log homes for obvious reasons — it contains the logs. Logs are the bulk of the building materials used in log homes, rivaled only by stone and, in some cases, glass. So when you’re selecting a package from a log home producer, you’re buying the majority of the structural components that will…

What should you look for when you’re shopping for land for your log home site? These five tips will help you narrow the field.

1. Stick with Your Passion

Your garage is one of the largest spaces in your home--and one of the first to fill up. Between cars, outdoor equipment, and all the items that you store in your garage throughout the year, it doesn't take long before you're wondering where you're going to find more space. By adding on to your garage, you can accomplish several things with ease.



1.…

Walking into a cluttered closet in the morning is no way to start your day! Investing a little bit of time and effort into organizing your closet will increase the functionality and appearance of your closet. As an added bonus, an organized closet will also save you time. The days of sorting through piles to find a matching shoe will be a distant memory. How do you…

Join us at Log Home Living as we celebrate, commemorate and honor our United States veterans and service men and women this Veterans' Day.

Here are the stories of three United States veterans who had the opportunity to start new after coming home from war, thanks to Operation FINALLY HOME.

Operation FINALLY HOME provides custom-built, mortgage-free homes to wounded, ill and…

Picking the right person to build your home is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Our 1-2-3 strategy will get you on the right track to finding a log home builder.

1. Check Him Out for Yourself

If a builder is having an open house or is displaying a project on a home-and-garden tour, sign up. Not only are these a lot of fun and a bounty of great ideas, they will…

The ins and outs of wood species, their characteristics and how they react to becoming part of your log home.

More than two dozen species of wood are commonly used to build log homes in North America. Almost all are softwoods: evergreens such as pine, cedar, fir, cypress, hemlock and spruce. Although each log home producer favors certain species, the successful use of so many varieties is a clear indication that there’s not one type of tree that makes a better log…

A majestic hybrid log home fulfills one family’s dreams of lazy days lounging by the water.

Along a wooded peninsula high above the gentle twists and turns of Wisconsin's Eagle River — about 100 feet above to be exact — a bald eagle's nest rests precariously in a pine tree.

“The nests can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and are hanging from branches the size of your arm,” says Mike Manske, who has been…

Thanks to building systems, modern log homes can stand up to even the toughest assailants nature can throw at them.

Log homes are built tough. Where other types of housing have succumbed to extreme weather like hurricanes and tornadoes, their log home neighbors have stood strong. Why? It’s all thanks to a carefully engineered building system.

A building system is a pre-determined way of assembling the various components to ensure high levels of structural…

Our six keys to getting the perfect log home design.

Dreams. This is where every log homeowner’s journey begins. Drooling over magazine photos and model homes, analyzing ideas,…