porches decks and patios - The Fun Times Guide to Log Homes

Should You Remove Snow From Your Roof Or Not?

So, do you really have to remove snow from the roof of your log home? Do some roofs fare better with the snow than others? For example: metal roofs vs shingle roofs. You may think those icicles hanging from your roof are pretty but they are actually a symptom of a potentially damaging problem for your home. As snow melts from you roof either by the sun or heat escaping from the home it tends to refreeze at the edges and other juncture points of your roof. The refreezing of water has a damming … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fun Stuff, Home & Garden Tagged With: maintenance and upkeep, natural disasters, porches decks and patios, roofs

Outdoor Dog Furniture For Your Log Dog

Log home owners with dogs may be interested in incorporating some "log" features into your dog's lifestyle too. For example, outdoor dog houses, porches, barns, and beds for dogs.Check 'em out... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decor & Accessories, Home & Garden Tagged With: dogs, log home furniture, outdoor living spaces, porches decks and patios

Why We Decided Against Composite Decking For Our Log Home

People have been asking if we made a decision yet about using composite decking on our new log home. Here are some of the questions we've received from Jim, from Jeffrey, and from Ron. Well, we've actually decided against composite decking at this time. Here's why... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decor & Accessories, Home & Garden Tagged With: ChoiceDek, composite decking, MoistureShield Decks, porches decks and patios, stains and chinking, stairs and railings, TimberTech Deck

I’ve Finally Found It… Adorable Doggie Yard Art!

I think I've finally found my "porch pig"!... You may recall that I've had my eye out for that perfect one-of-a-kind figurine or statue to grace the front porch of our new log home. Since I don't want anything too "tacky", I honestly didn't think I'd ever be able to find something cute, fun, and classy. But alas, I may have finally found it... This Dog Changes With The Seasons! Just like the fashionable porch pig mentioned above, these dog statues can be dressed up with dog … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decor & Accessories, Home & Garden Tagged With: dogs, outdoor living spaces, porches decks and patios

Underdecking Update: Another Meeting With Undercover Systems Of Tennessee

Yesterday I met with a rep from Undercover Systems... again. Usually, I've just run into them here & there at conventions and trade shows. But this time one of the reps happened to be in Nashville. He traveled from Chattanooga to follow-up with a handful of potential customers here. I have to say, I really like this company. They're no-pressure, honest & upfront. Here are the details of what it would take (and what it would cost) to install underdecking on our new log home... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Designing / Building A Log Home, Home & Garden Tagged With: porches decks and patios

Some Interesting Things About Composite Decks

What follows are some of the most interesting things I've learned about composite decks, along with some of the questions I still have about composite decking materials. Most of my initial questions have been answered by TimberTech reps here and MoistureShield reps here. Onto the trivial facts about composite decks... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decor & Accessories, Home & Garden Tagged With: ChoiceDek, composite decking, MoistureShield Decks, porches decks and patios, stairs and railings, TimberTech Deck

Underdecking For Your Upstairs Patios, Decks, Porches & Balconies

Underdecking is a drainage system that turns the area under a deck or balcony into dry usable space. Regardless of whether we end up going with a composite deck vs a pressure-treated wood deck, we will probably use underdecking on at least 1 or 2 of the 4 overhead decks/porches that we have on our log home. I have only explored 2 underdecking manufacturers at this point: Undercover Systems TimberTech's "DrySpace" In theory, they both offer the same thing. The differences are in the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Designing / Building A Log Home, Home & Garden Tagged With: porches decks and patios, TimberTech Deck

How To Cover Scratches On Composite Decks & Patios

One interesting thing I learned from the guy at TimberTech is a trick for covering deep scratches in composite decking. It's going to happen. Over time, scratches are practically inevitable. For the most part, "routine" scratches won't even be noticeable, but the deeper scratches you will probably want to cover up. Some examples of circumstances that might lend themselves to deep scratches: ...if you happen to drag a heavy piece of furniture over the deck (particularly if it has metal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decor & Accessories, Home & Garden Tagged With: composite decking, maintenance and upkeep, porches decks and patios, TimberTech Deck

More About TimberTech’s Composite Decks And Patios

I have met with reps from TimberTech several times now. And they've been wonderful at answering my many questions. I still have a few more... as you can see below. At this point, I'm leaning heavily toward TimberTech as my composite deck company of choice. (Though I have to say... MoistureShield is a very close second.) Specifically, I am most intrigued by the Earthwood line, due to its realistic "wood" colors and the degree to which it looks natural even after weathering. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decor & Accessories, Home & Garden Tagged With: ChoiceDek, composite decking, MoistureShield Decks, porches decks and patios, stairs and railings, TimberTech Deck

MoistureShield vs ChoiceDek vs TimberTech Composite Decks

I have thoroughly studied 2 different composite decking manufacturers at this point: Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (AERT) -- maker of ChoiceDek and MoistureShield composite decking Crane Plastics -- maker of TimberTech composite decking This, as part of my quest to determine whether composite decks make sense or not for our new log home. What follows are the biggest differences between ChoiceDek (also sold as MoistureShield) and Timber Tech. Those are the brands I … [Read more...]