What Do You Think About Geothermal Energy & Prefab Basement Walls?

We're trying to 'build green' with our new log home, but there are some challenges. Here are our thoughts on geothermal energy and prefab basements.

The Idea Notebook: Phase II

Phase II of the Idea Notebook has definitely made the process of designing and decorating our log home even easier: One notebook just for DESIGN ideas that have to be determined early in the process... structural details that a contractor would need to know. And one notebook just for DECORATING ideas that can still be fine-tuned along the way... up until the final moment that we purchase each item.

How We Found A Log Home Designer... Eventually

Here are the steps we went through when looking for a home designer to draw up the blueprints for our custom log home. There are also some recommendations here if you're looking for home designers in Williamson County, Tennessee.

What To Look For When Comparing Log Home Floorplans

Some tips for deciding on the right log home floorplan for you... based on your family's wants and needs, as well as how your family plans to utilize the spaces within your home.

How Do You Measure Square Footage?

Do you know how many square feet are in your home? Here's how to determine square footage in a house.

FREE Home Design Tools To Help You Design & Decorate Any Room In Your House

Floorplanner.com and other online programs like this make it easy to design and decorate all the rooms in your house! They're great because they let you to see exactly how things will look inside the rooms of your house without having to just visualize it in your mind. Most of these tools also permit you to enter your exact room dimensions. Some even allow you to draw in objects of your own choosing. Here are some free online design tools to consider.

Where We Are Now In The Log Home Building Process...

We're down but not out! After a year spent securing the land, finding a log home builder, designing the blueprints, and saving money to build the log home of our dreams, we had a minor setback when we learned that we couldn't build our log home for under $160/SF. Now we're gearing up for Round Two in the log home building process. See what we're planning now...

Where To Put The Hot Water Heater... Keep Your Master Bathroom In Mind

Since the master bathroom will be utilized several times each day by both Jim and myself, adequate amounts of hot water AND water pressure are a necessity for our new master bath shower & wet room. See why the placement of the hot water heater is so important...

Should You Pay Someone To Help You Design Your New Home?

If you are considering meeting with an Interior Designer, to help you fine-tune the details and features that you plan to build into your new home, here are a few things that we've learned along the way...

Transforming The Floor Plan You Like Best Into Actual Blueprints For Your New Log Home

You can modify anything at any point in time -- from the basic floorplans you find on your own to the final set of blueprints that you and a designer create together. However, after you get so far along in the process, there are likely to be fees or significant costs to modify a set of blueprints. Here are the steps we went through to design our custom log home.