We will have to dig a well at our property, so we turned to Watson Company for answers to our questions about wells.

Here's what we've learned... (lots of fun facts about digging a well and water usage for all to enjoy here).

Marci wrote:

My gosh, you have described the VERY bathroom I've been looking for as we prepare to build in the spring. Do you have a photo yet? Would love a space just as you described. Sounds lovely!!"

Here's what we have so far...

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.

Recently the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shed some light on the life expectancy of common components inside a home -- everything from appliances, cabinetry, and flooring... to roofing, plumbing, and HVAC.

Have a look...

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.

Who knew something so simple as the placement of the toilet could be so difficult?

...Not me!

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.

I think it's hard to find a "classy" way to store extra rolls of toilet paper in your bathroom -- especially the guest bathroom or downstairs powder room, where you want to make a good impression to those who visit your home.

Currently, this is my favorite toilet paper holder for the bathroom, and I think it would look great in a log home. Baskets and logs kinda go hand-in-hand, right?

The bonus: You get a built-in tissue holder as well!

Here are lots of pictures of log home bathrooms that can be used to get design & decorating ideas for your own new (or soon-to-be remodeled) bathroom.

Regardless of how you ultimately decide to decorate the master bath or guest bathroom inside your log home, one thing's for sure...

Your bathroom will probably include:

• a toilet (or two!)
• a bathtub or jacuzzi tub
• a shower (separate, or combined with the tub)
• a sink (...or two)
• cabinets and shelves
• some windows

... among other things.

Log home or not, there were a number of things that I knew I wanted to include in my next home.

I started jotting them down on pieces of paper, and I stored them in the back of my idea notebook for the longest time.

Eventually, I transferred them all from chicken-scratched memos into my computer for permanent record-keeping and organization.

When it was all said and done, I organized each item by room within the house -- and placed that list in the appropriate section of my Idea Notebook. That way, when it came time to design the bathroom, for example, I had everything I needed all in one place -- our "wish list" right next to pictures and ideas I'd saved from magazines and websites, etc.

To give you an idea, these are some of the things that I wanted to try to incorporate into my next home...

The first time we saw Lonesome Cottage furniture in person was the weekend of the Pigeon Forge Log Home and Timber Frame Show.

They are aggressive salesmen... I'll give 'em that! The guys who were at the Log Home Show were adept at thinking of everything we hadn't thought of, and they showed us every way possible to incorporate their furniture into our life. Overall, we appreciated that they were also very knowledgeable and helpful at the same time.

FYI, the wood used for Lonesome Cottage furniture is Northern White Cedar. The company is based out of Minnesota.