Log Homes

Years ago, I began saving and documenting exactly what I wanted in my dream home.

Some of the things on my list I was fortunate to be able to incorporate into the home we currently live in -- a "stick frame home" that we built in Franklin, Tennessee several years ago.

But it wasn't until we had lived in that home for over 5 years (and spent that same amount of time browsing through magazines and photographs) that I felt confident that I knew, once-and-for-all, which features I really wanted (or needed) in our once-and-for-all "dream home"... our soon-to-be-built log home.

Here's my list...

Better kitchen and bathroom sink faucets & fixtures -- ones that show fewer fingerprints & water spots; and ones that are easier to clean behind & around; we'd like to actually be able to fit our hand (and a sponge!) behind the faucets to clean in and around them

Covered porches -- wide and plentiful, especially across the entire backside of the house

Preferably one porch with a bit of an "enclosed feeling"... more like a room (though not necessarily screened in) than an open breezeway

Ceiling fans on the porches -- there's just something "homey" yet "outdoorsy" when you take the inside OUT onto the porch, in my mind

Decks & porches with railings -- and the ability to add a baby-gate to keep our dogs from escaping

Kitchen cabinets with some glass door fronts -- to keep the room open and airy

No more WHITE -- the best part about going with a log home is that our color schemes will now be in the browns... rather than the whites! We currently have white baseboards, white trim around doors & windows, white crown moulding, white countertops, white cabinets, white stairway railings, white toe-kicks, white grout, etc and it's a nightmare to keep clean. I'm eager to see darker hardwood floors, darker baseboards, darker window & door trim, and darker walls (just a tad). Remember, we have two dogs... and they're black!

Lots of windows -- preferably without the need for curtains

South-facing windows at the front of the house -- for energy efficiency and lighting

Attached garage -- as opposed to a separate breezeway to the carport or enclosed garage

Less grout in the kitchen -- sounds weird, but the grout work around our kitchen sink and countertop is a pain to keep clean; plus, we have an extra line of grout between the counter and its own backsplash that for some reason is a separate piece requiring more grout... Ugh!

Laundry room on the same level as the master suite -- I'll never understand how people can enjoy doing laundry when they have to trek basketfulls of dirty clothes all the way to to the laundry room (which is usually in the basement, or far from the main bedrooms) and then carry all of the clean laundry back to the main closets & bedrooms

Larger laundry room -- rather than a closet; preferably with some counter space for folding clothes, as well as shelves & cubbies for storing practical cleaning items, and racks for hanging clothes to dry

Larger master bedroom -- with two adults and two dogs cohabitating in the master bedroom (the dogs in large crates), we're tired of bumping elbows... and paws... and barely being able to turn around in there

Big master bathroom -- same story... we've never had a bathroom big enough to accommodate two adults getting ready at the same time

Master closet NOT in (or through) the master bathroom -- who wants to go through a sauna when your better half is in the shower if you're just trying to get dressed to go out?

A place to hang a large flat-screen plasma TV on the wall -- most likely above the fireplace, where it's viewable from all corners of the main level

Separate makeup area -- this is more of a luxury item, but if possible, I'd like a way to be able to do hair & makeup while Jim's showering & getting ready. This would necessitate a small, separate area that's out of the way so we won't get in each other's way... and to prevent me from having to get ready in a room that's more like a sauna. Maybe it's attached to one end of the sink/counter in the master bathroom, or a separate stand-alone feature in the master bathroom, or a separate spot altogether, say between the master bedroom and master bathroom

Internet, cable & cell phone coverage is a must -- some of the areas we've explored have been in more remote areas where high-tech is not an option, but our jobs (and our current lifestyle) require these things; this influenced our choice of lots

A wall of windows -- another luxury item -- preferably on the back of the house -- an entire wall with windows up high placed atop lower ones, and/or higher windows atop full-glass doors to the patio/deck area

Majority of windows must open & have screens -- to allow for cross-ventilation in all rooms of the house

Master bathroom with windows that open -- for ventilation and to prevent mildew; we've never had opening windows in our bathrooms and it gets far too stuffy in there

Kitchen designed for practicality rather than "the norm" -- this would include a larger kitchen than most log homes have, as well as an island that is larger than most, with seating for 3 to 4, which means no bumping of the knees and lots of foot-space

An open kitchen layout -- so you can easily access the kitchen from the garage entry, the dining room, and the great room; ideally, we'd be able to see the TV from the kitchen as well

No more "cutesy" shower curtains -- they're a pain to keep clean. We'd prefer tiled showers with glass doors, or ideally no door at all. I call this "my YMCA shower" ...more like a tiled shower ROOM with a seat bench & built-in shower compartments (no more hanging shampoo holders)

Larger walk-in closet in the master bedroom -- to prevent us from hijacking every other closet in the house with our summer/winter clothes and other odds & ends; preferably with built-in shelving and lots of hanging space

Dimmer lights in most rooms -- we have dimmers on a couple of lights in our home now and we use them a lot; one place I wish we had dimmers is in the bedroom (preferably an overhead ceiling fan with light and remote control) -- to prevent having to get out of bed to turn off the light

Ceiling fans in most rooms -- and on the porches too; ceiling fans are often an after-thought

Recessed lighting (on dimmers) wherever possible -- recessed lighting is great because it's up & out of the way; in a home with two active dogs, lamps on tabletops are not ideal

Classier mirrors & lights in bathrooms -- those wall-sized square-edge mirrors add nothing to your bathroom's design; ditto for the above-the-sink row of vanity light bulbs

More natural light in the master bathroom -- florescent lighting doesn't work in a bathroom, pearl incandescent lights are better, but natural light is best. Preferably a way to bring in the morning light to the fullest -- maybe high up windows that can always remain open & uncovered

A simple way to drop dirty clothes in a hamper -- if it's not simple and easily accessible, we won't use it and I'll be picking up clothes all over the house; ideally we'd have a pass-thru area from the master bedroom or bathroom or closet directly into the laundry room (or a laundry chute)

Garage wide enough for 2 cars -- with the ability to get items (like a child, groceries, or other wide loads) in & out of the car while it's parked in the garage

Tall & narrow storage in the kitchen -- a way to store things like aluminum foil, saran wrap, cookie sheets, baking pans, and other long, narrow items where they will be easily accessible

Comfortable chairs and/or workstations for computing from various places in the house -- we live, play, work, and dream on the computer so we'd like to be able to access a computer (like a wireless laptop) from different places at different times -- including bedrooms, porches, and balconies

Small, simple bar area -- preferably near the main areas of the home where we spend the most time, rather than in the basement (or in addition to a bar area in the basement)

Large pantry room -- rather than a closet; preferably with some counter space for things like the blender, toaster, coffee maker -- all things that are rarely used in our home (...and with a light, darn it!)

Large farm sink -- instead of a double-sink where half of it rarely gets used in our kitchen

Medium sized offices -- one for each of us, and spaced enough apart that he can't hear my TV and I can't hear his stereo

Fireplace insert (to save money) -- with a ledge/base wide enough to provide additional seating in the living room (for the constant party hosts that we are... cough, cough)

Window seats wherever possible -- I love the "dimension" that your walls and the room take on when you include a window seat. Straight walls have less character, while cut-outs, bump-outs and angles add "depth" to your room

Flat cooktop in the kitchen -- we have one now, and it's a cinch to clean; it also serves as extra counter space when not being used

Linen closet in each bathroom -- believe it or not, we've never had linen closets in any of the bathrooms where we've lived; we've always stored things like towels, linens, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies in a hallway closet instead

Fewer cabinets wall-to-wall or floor-to-floor -- we prefer a simpler, more open and spacious look in our rooms; stand-alone pedestal sinks over countertop sinks and floor-level cabinetry placed on pedestals (think: claw tub) instead of toe-kicks

Powder room/guest bathroom with personality -- since this is a frequently accessed room on the main level, we'd like it to be decorated so it's fun, yet practical; like a "reading room" filled with our favorite off-the-wall funny books & magazines, or a room that highlights our many travels (think: Route 66 theme, along with framed photos from our travels)

Enough room in the guest bathroom(s) and/or powder room to give guests room to get ready -- our bathrooms have always been so cramped there's not even enough room for guests to lay out their stuff or for us to to display a basket of toiletries for guests to enjoy

A more convenient way to prepare the dog's Kong treats on a daily basis -- think: slide-out drawer in kitchen, placed at a convenient height, with plenty of room for 16+ Kongs, all the different treats, XL peanut butter jar, etc.

Wide enough built-in compartments in the shower -- to accommodate large, wide & tall shampoo and bubble bath bottles

...Fortunately, it looks like we are going to be able to incorporate most (but not all) of these into the "custom" log home that we are currently building.