New Home Design & Must-Have “Necessities”… If Money Were No Object

luxury-home

If money were no object, which posh amenities would be on your wish list? These are some of the things that Jim and I have always talked about including in our dream home. They would definitely be on our list: Radiant heat flooring - Jim scoffs at the idea and says, "Who needs it? It's too expensive." (In the winter, he'll thank me for it!) Dog-friendly bath space - I've always longed for a dog tub & shower system for large dogs. Ideally, it would have low steps or a ramp for … [Read more...]

See How We Incorporated The Craftsman / Arts & Crafts Style Into Our Log Home Bungalow

A Craftsman style log home?... Yep, our "bungalow" will be of the Arts & Crafts variety. Much like the very first Craftsman-style log home built back in 1918. Arts & Crafts was an artistic and philosophical movement that began in 19th century Britain. Craftsman refers to a specific style of early 20th century American architecture that was part of the Arts & Crafts Movement. So Craftsman is actually a subset of Arts & Crafts." Source … [Read more...]

What To Look For When Comparing Log Home Floorplans

Choosing the right floorplan for your dream home is based on two things: 1. Your basic "wants" and "needs"; and 2. How your family will ultimately utilize the spaces within your home. Now is the time to explore floor plans and begin to scrutinize the layouts and the little things within each of them. … [Read more...]

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

If you are considering meeting with a space planner or 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... … [Read more...]

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

Once you've found a floorplan that most closely meets your wants & needs, it's time to determine whether it is close enough to your "dream home" to stick with, as is... Or, whether you still want to make a fair amount of changes to that set of plans in order to make it your own. Here's what we did. … [Read more...]

How Long Do Things Last? What’s The Life Expectancy Of Home Components?

log-home-wood-scraps

When building a new home, you are investing a lot of hard work, time, and money. But have you given any thought to just how long those things that you're installing are going to last? I have.  … [Read more...]

Bathroom Design Tools & Standard Sizes To Consider

honest abe model home in algood, tennessee (near cookeville)

When we sat down with a couple of interior designers to get some ideas for our master bathroom layout and the design of our kitchen, we learned a few things about "standard dimensions" that are good to know when designing a new home. Below are those which apply specifically to the bathroom. Plus, I've found a number of great online tools for designing your own bathroom, and lots of other great tips & resources that could save some time and money in the long run.   Typical … [Read more...]

Be Careful About Where You Put The Toilet!

Who knew something so simple as the placement of the toilet could be so difficult? ...Not me! … [Read more...]

Bathroom Design Ideas: Things You Might Not Think Of

A log home bathroom in Lascassas, TN

What follows are some of the unique features that we plan to incorporate into our log home's master bathroom. One way to use this is as an "idea list"... to help you weigh out the pro's and con's of various bathroom features in order to ultimately determine your own "wants" and "needs" list for your own master bathroom. Another way you could use this list is to think of these things as some of the most often overlooked items in master bathrooms. It's certainly not a list that will … [Read more...]

Carpets Of Dalton & The Designer Dream Home

carpets-of-dalton-showroom

Dalton, Georgia (specifically, the Dalton Carpet Outlet facility) makes a great road trip for anyone who is in the process of -- or even considering -- building or renovating a home. There's definitely something for everybody here... no matter what your style or your budget. "Today Dalton is unrivaled in its production of carpet. Almost 90% of the functional carpet produced world-wide is made within a 25-mile radius of this north Georgia city. Source Jim and I drove past all of these … [Read more...]