It didn't make sense to me why our decision to paint vs stain the exterior doors couldn't be made after-the-fact -- after we had installed the doors -- and why it would affect the price of the doors anyway. But after a conversation with a contractor about this, I learned that we should always say we want a stain-grade door, rather than a paint-grade door. Here's why...
Without a doubt, our log home will be more like a bungalow with some interesting angles, curves & unique hardware, rather than purely straight lines and squares. But it wasn't until we started fine-tuning the details like a big wooden speakeasy door with a dentil shelf -- Arts & Crafts; prairie style windows -- Craftsman; tapered columns and wide steps on the porches -- bungalow that we even realized we were gravitating toward the Craftsman style of home architecture and decor which encompasses all of these things, and more.
Here are some easy ways to spot a Craftsman style home... What to look for and what to include if you wish to build a Craftsman style home or an Arts & Crafts style log home.
I went to the Nashville Home and Remodeling Show this weekend. While it's not a log home show, it had all of the key vendors I was most interested in seeing. Here's what I've learned about going to shows like this...
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.
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.
This article from the National Association of Home Builders gives you an idea of the sheer volume of building materials that are used when building a single-family home.
Have you given any thought to just how long those things that you're installing are going to last? I have. Recently the National Association of Home Builders -- NAHB -- shed some light on the life expectancy of common components inside a home. Have a look...
Who knew something so simple as the placement of the toilet could be so difficult? ...Not me!
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.
