You can take advantage of that when choosing ornaments for the tree by selecting rustic-looking Christmas decorations like these Christmas ornaments that would look great in a log home. You might notice some similar patterns, like:

• Green garland
• Red, white, or yellow Christmas lights
• Holly
• Wreaths
• Deep red ribbons and bows
• Candles

• A set of dark-stained pine cabinets may fit the rustic log cabin theme much better than a set of white Victorian-era design cabinets.
   
• Wood cabinets may look better in a log home than metal or melamine veneer cabinets.

And the cabinet decisions don't stop there. When remodeling or building a log home kitchen, you also have to decide on if you want stock cabinets, semi-custom, or custom cabinets.

• Stock cabinets usually costs less than anything that includes the word "custom."
   
• Custom cabinets will be worth the expense if you simply don't like anything already on the dealers' or warehouses' shelves
   
• When you go custom, the options are boundless. Don't scrimp on the cabinet designs that will give you more space, but don't forget to stay within budget! 

• Efficiency 
• Reduction of your environmental impact 
• Ease of maintenance
• Inexpensive construction costs
• Minimalist lifestyle
• Residence in the woods or other scenic surroundings
• Housing can be built on a very small plot of land

You see? Building a one-room log home has many potentially wonderful, cost-cutting, personally rewarding, and fun benefits! 

But how do you build a one-room log cabin? It really is quite simple and inexpensive. In fact, you can build your own log cabin with a simple set of plans involving a 10'x12' footprint and a dirt floor. A log cabin like that allows you get to close to nature (and it's perfect for camping, too).

• Why would anyone build a log home right now?
• Best land buying tips for future log home owners
• Real life log home stories

It's a great resource for learning what is hot and new in log home designs and building trends. It's like an inside track on the things that  make log home living so great!

The Log Home Industry Expert is maintained by Jim Young, who is the president of PrecisionCraft Log and Timber Homes, a leading company in the log home industry.

Is there a good reason to not finish the wood of a log home before all the pieces go together?

In general, it is faster, easier, and even less expensive to stain your log home before all the pieces are assembled.

Why? Because staining is far easier when you're working with easy-to-handle pieces on the ground.

Once your log home is finished, that 4x12 accent beam flying from just below your 12-foot ceiling is quite a bit harder to get to (even with a ladder!) than if it was simply a piece of lumber sitting safely on the ground.

Advantages to waiting until after your log home is constructed include:

• You're giving the wood time to dry out and settle.
• You're reducing the chance of  "streaking" that some stains take on when the wood is finished before construction (and before the wood had a chance to eliminate its moisture content).

At any rate, staining or finishing the wood in your new log home will make logs look better, repel stains better, and withhold their color better.

However, by nature of the fact they are constructed almost entirely out of wood, you may be wondering, are log homes fire hazards, too? Are they even more of a fire hazard than a traditional stick frame home?

Believe it or not, log homes are said to be even safer than a more-conventional stick frame home when it comes to withstanding natural disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes... and yes, even fires!

• A 1-3/4" x 7" plank of wood stood on its side and spaced far apart to form the exterior framework of a typical house
• A decades-old piece of solid timber that's joined directly to another solid piece of timber on either side to form a log home

The solid timber is much thicker, much stronger, and much more durable.

The "thermal" fire endurance of a construction consisting of a number of parallel layers is greater than the sum of the "thermal" fire endurance characteristics of the individual layers when exposed separately to fire. -- Log Homes Council

See? So even if the exterior of a log home were to catch fire, it would generally take much longer for a fire to burn through and destroy a log home than it would take to burn and devastate a stick frame home.

Yes, log homes will still burn. Just not at the same rate as a stick frame home, that's all.

Over the years, there have been many reports of fires that have burned inside and outside of log buildings without destroying the building's structural integrity, illustrating the fire resistive nature of solid wood walls. It is a combination of the insulating response of the charred wood at the surface with the slow rate at which flame will spread along the wood surface, and the fact that there are no concealed cavities in a log wall through which the fire may travel (ultimate fireblocking!). Combined with the selection of beam and deck second floor and roof options often incorporated into log buildings, log structures are a top choice for endurance and integrity in a fire. -- Log Homes Council

A must read: Fire Performance of Log Walls

• what you can afford
• where you want to build

Once you decide on those 2 points, you can break out your logs, hammer, nails, doors, and windows, and start pounding away!
 

• Have enough money for a down payment (20% or more)
• Establishing a relationship with a log home-friendly bank
• Have a list of banks willing to lend for log home construction

The draw schedule is that unique timeline that spells out exactly when the logs themselves will be paid for, when the next installment of payments will be doled out by the bank, etc.

For us, it sometimes became difficult getting the bank and the log home company to agree on when the actual money would exchange hands.

At one point, it became apparent that we were going to have to do some fancy footwork at the last minute in order to satisfy all parties involved (the log home company, the bank, and us).

From very early on, Honest Abe (the log home company that supplying the logs and drying in the house) was willing to be flexible in order to accommodate the specific requests that various banks had regarding the draw schedule.

But only one bank showed any interest in working with the log home company. That bank was BB&T.

Without too much difficulty, we were able to come up with a payment schedule that would work for everyone. In the end, we were to cough up a little extra money upfront in order to make it work, but it was doable.

Specifically:

In addition to our standard down payment for the loan itself, we had to agree to pay for 10% of the log package up front. The bank simply would not pay for a stack of logs. (They were not willing to pay a penny until the home was actually dried in.) And the log home company would not even cut the logs until they had their 10%.

That seemed fair to us, I mean everyone deserves to get paid in a timely fashion in this process. And since it was going to take 10% down to get the logs cut and then delivered to the property, we saw no other way than to kick in the cash ourselves upfront.

Fortunately, Honest Abe allowed us to put the deposits we'd already contributed toward blueprints, etc. toward this 10% down payment. So we wouldn't have to come up with quite so much cash.

Another change in our case:

Typically, when the log package arrives on-site, the log home company wants to be paid another chunk of change before the logs are even unloaded from the truck. (Actually, in addition to the 10% mentioned above, Honest Abe usually requires 40% before even cutting the logs, another 50% upon delivery, and the remainder of the contract (labor) upon completion of the dry-in process. This is certainly fair, and to be expected. But I can't say how thankful we are that Honest Abe agreed to work with BB&T to come up with a different draw schedule uniquely for us.

In effect, Honest Abe agreed to accommodate the bank's wishes and wait until the completion of the dry-in process to be paid.

When all was said and done, BB&T agreed to the draw schedule, which paid for the logs and labor -- in full -- upon completion of the dry-in process.

I see this as yet another one of the many hoops you have to jump through when you're seeking a loan to build a log home. For awhile there, we were just going in circles being told one thing by a bank (not BB&T), then another thing, then people would quit (turnover at the banks), then a bank would agree to work with the log home company... then not.

NOTE: To date, we have still not begun the process of building our log home. I wrote this post awhile ago, when we were steps away from signing with BB&T to finance our log home. Even though we didn't follow through with BB&T for various reasons, I figured this information might be helpful to others who are going through the same thing.

Curbside Financing Explained

There was an interesting article about this appeared in the December 2007 issue of Log Home Design.

Here's an excerpt...

"Here's the challenge: When you buy your package from a log home company, they'll deliver your logs to your home site when you're ready to start construction. But they won't want to offload those logs, or put them on "the curb" until they have a check in hand for the full amount.

This is where the wrinkle comes in. While many banks are happy to give you a home loan, some are not as eager to give you a 'pile of logs' loan. Banks as a rule don't like to take risks. So traditional lenders might be hesitant to loan you money for logs that could sit onsite -- prone to the risk of foul weather than project snafus -- before they're part of the actual house.

Ask your lender upfront if they'll cut a check for your logs before they arrive. Luckily, firms that specialize in log home mortgages usually will. If you're not planning to work with a log home lender, you can always take matters into your own hands. If you have the cash to pay for the logs, you can certainly cover the cost on your own and let the lender's construction loan pick up the rest of the building costs."

That's kind of how it was going for us. We gave a little, Honest Abe gave a little, and the bank agreed to the rest. In the end, everyone was going to spend/receive the same money... just in a little different order than usual, that's all!

Travertine is created when minerals have dissolved in the ground water and then get moved by natural springs and rivers above ground. It is taken from quarries in large blocks and then cut down into smaller blocks.

It has been used for thousands of years in Italy and Turkey, and today Travertine used all over the world for flooring, countertops, backsplashes, and other surfaces where tile is preferred.

photo credit: mikeandanna

Travertine Colors & Styles

Travertine comes in a variety of colors from ivory, to beige, to reddish brown, and even gold -- depending on how much iron is present. It also comes in different finishes such as polished, matte, brushed, or tumbled.

Polished Travertine resembles marble, and brushed or tumbled Travertine has a more antiqued look.

Travertine is easier to cut and shape than many other stones, and because of this, it has become a favorite for many people, including home builders.

Following are some of the pro's and con's of using Travertine tile in your home...

Travertine tile is definitely beautiful to look at, but it also has a few other advantages as well.

The main advantage to using Travertine tile over porcelain tile is this: if you need to replace a tile or two down the line, your chances of finding a Travertine tile that looks close enough to fit in with your existing tiles is much easier. If you had to replace a tile or two of porcelain tile, the tiles would be more difficult to match up.

Another advantage to using Travertine over porcelain is the fact that Travertine is so easy to cut and shape. This means you will be able to fill spaces that are small or oddly shaped much easier with Travertine than say, porcelain tiles. 

Travertine tile is more environmentally sound than porcelain tile since it is made from a natural material, and porcelain is not. 

Travertine Con's

Travertine tile takes a little more time to care for, and you want to be sure you use a sealant to protect it -- particularly if you have children or pets.

Unfortunately, Travertine is quite porous, and even water-based substances can cause problems with Travertine.

Travertine is highly reactive to acidic substances, so something as innocuous as spilling orange juice on the floor or counter can permanently stain your Travertine tiles.

Also, you don't want to wash Travertine tile with vinegar. Because of its acidic content, the porous Travertine tiles basically suck up the vinegar, which causes another type of permanent stain.

While a sealant can help to protect your Travertine tile, it is not a perfect solution. Your best bet is to wipe up any spills as soon as they happen to prevent the Travertine from soaking them up and causing damage.

A final disadvantage to choosing Travertine is the cost. Travertine tile is going to be a bit more expensive than porcelain tile, because you need to use a multipurpose thinset rather than just a standard thinset. (Thinset is the adhesive used to attach the tile to the substrate which for example could be water resistant gypsum.)

In the end, you may want to consider not using Travertine tile for your floors if you have pets and/or kids that are prone to accidents. That said, while Travertine may be the more expensive choice, in the long run replacing tiles will be easier, and you will most likely be happier with the look.

If I had a choice between Travertine and porcelain tiles, Travertine would win hands down with me. But then I'm a big proponent of using natural building products whenever possible.