Little known facts about wells and water usage. Here’s everything we’ve learned about digging a well, including proposed costs to dig a well in Williamson County, Tennessee.
Designing / Building A Log Home
Unique Features & Design Elements Found In An Arts & Crafts Style Home Or Craftsman Bungalow
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.
Do You Have What It Takes To Build Your Own Log Home?
See why we chose to have a General Contractor oversee the building of our new log home, rather than doing it ourselves. There are pro’s and con’s to doing the work yourself. But in our case, we feel that we are better off overall in the hands of a General Contractor.
Golden Eagle Log Home Company Estimates The True Cost To Build A Log Home
Golden Eagle Log Homes chose to face the facts and state upfront the ‘true’ cost to build one of their log homes. This is what appeared in one of their ads in Log Home Living magazine.
Underdecking For Your Upstairs Patios, Decks, Porches & Balconies
We will probably be adding some underdecking to at least 1 or 2 of the 4 overhead decks and porches that we have on our log home. I have explored 2 underdecking manufacturers at this point: Undercover Systems and TimberTech’s DrySpace. Here’s what I’ve learned…
Pre-Cast Basement Walls & Foundation From Superior Walls
We are considering using Superior Walls for concrete walls in the basement of our log home. Superior Walls are a pre-cast — not pre-fab — concrete foundation and insulated wall system. These basement walls are the BEST if you’re wanting an energy-efficient home.
Knowledge Is Power When You’re Building A 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…
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.
My Dream Home Idea Notebook: Version 4.0
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.
Clearing The Land: Day One of Bush Hogging
First photos after we cleared the land to build our log home in Williamson County Tennessee.
Preparing To Clear The Land For The Homesite
Our first official step toward building this log home was to clear the land. We decided to hire a professional team to take out most of the trees & brush that we knew would be in the way of the home. They had all the right equipment for heavy duty bush hogging, and they were even set up to deal with all the rock they encountered on the property.
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.
Got Creeks? What Is A Blue Line Stream, Anyway?
I had no idea what a ‘blue line creek’ or ‘blue line stream’ was… until recently. The 5+ acres of land we purchased has 3 creeks running through it and one of them is a blue line creek, and it is controlled by FEMA. Here’s what you need to know.
Can’t You See It???
When you’re trying to decide on which property to buy for your new log home, sometimes it’s hard to visualize how things will look. Here are a few tips…
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.
Exterior Log Siding vs Full Log Walls
While looking at log homes along Center Hill Lake in Smithville, Tennessee last week, we saw close-up for the very first time was a home that looked like a log home, but wasn’t. It had log siding — or tongue & groove — inside and out.
Can You Build A Log Home For $150/SF?… Apparently In Middle Tennessee You Can’t!
This article is one of the few in which we have actually vented our yearlong frustrations in dealing with finding a general contractor to build our home, topped off with some of the runaround we’ve received from the banks who seem unwilling to finance log homes in this area.
Orvis Sells Log Cabins
The Orvis Company has teemed with Rocky Mountain Log Homes to sell 6 different log cabins to outdoor enthusiasts. The Orvis log homes range in size from 1,500 SF to 3,944 SF and range in price from $141,000 to over a million dollars, for a top-of-the-line custom-built log home.
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…
Log Cabins Sold At Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops has partnered with Barna Log Homes to sell log cabins in their Fall catalog! The RedHead line of Barna log cabins were designed with weekend adventurers who are seeking a cost-effective retreat for outdoor activities in mind.
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.
What’s Hot and What’s Not In Home Building Right Now
John Anthony put together a nice little summary of what’s hot and what’s not in terms of home design and remodeling these days. John’s report was based on research he conducted for the National Association of Realtors. I summarize them here to keep people thinking about ‘the big picture’ and the wide variety of options you have available to you when building or remodeling a home, based on current trends.
Which Log Is Best?… Genesis Logs vs D Logs
We thought we were going to use D Logs in our new log home, but now we are considering a switch to Genesis Logs! See why, plus a listing of some of the differences between Genesis Logs and D-Logs here…
Be Careful About Where You Put The Toilet! (Toilet Placement Issues In The Bathroom)
Who knew something so simple as the placement of the toilet could be so difficult? …Not me!
Shower? Tub? Tub & Shower Combo?
So… what is your preference when it comes to the master bathroom?… Just a shower, and no tub? Just a bathtub, and no shower? A tub & shower combo? Or, a separate shower AND a tub? Here’s what we’re going with…
Bathroom Design Ideas: Things You Might Not Think Of
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.
Log Home Shows Are Mostly For Beginners
We recently attended the Log & Timber Home Show in Nashville. What follows is a summary of what we had HOPED to see at the show, and what we actually saw at this log home show. See why log home shows are great for the the person who is just starting to explore the concept of buying or building a log home — and maybe not so great for those who are farther along in the process.
Log Home Trends
Here are some little-known facts about log homes, including a number of log home trends that are affecting the housing market today. Wondering what’s going on in the log home industry these days… check here first!
Pictures of Log Home Bathrooms
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, including toilets, bathtubs, jacuzzi tubs, showers, sinks, cabinets and shelves, windows… and other things.
Where Should You Put Your Light Switches?
Wondering where to place all of your light switches in your new home? Light switch placement is determined by a lot of things. Here’s what you should know about placing light switching inside your home.
Kitchen Design & Remodeling: What’s Most Important
Considering these kitchen design issues on the front-end — before you build — could prevent you from having to make big changes later on down the line.
How Log Home Windows & Porches Increase Energy Efficiency
Log home energy efficiency… how Low-E windows and porches work together to utilize passive solar energy in log homes.
How We Designed Our Custom Log Home
First we found a floorplan that came close to what we wanted. Then we modified that plan to incorporate our own wants & needs. Then we got estimates from log home builders. Next, we met with designers and contractors to finalize our dream home. Here’s how it went for us…
Home Design Tip: How To Determine What You Want & Need In Your New House
Here’s how to determine exactly what you want (and need!) in your soon-to-be-built log home. There are 7 simple steps that we used to determine our list of wants and needs. Here’s exactly how we fine-tuned the process and ultimately designed our dream log home.
Our ‘Wants’ And ‘Needs’ Which Ultimately Dictated The Design Of Our Log Home
Here’s how we ultimately designed our log home: We started with a list of things we knew we WANTED… and a list of features we knew we NEEDED in our next home. We whittled the list down to our top things, and we incorporated those things in our log home design.
Open House Event at Todd & Kim’s Log Home
I truly enjoy participating the log home events for prospective log home owners that log home builders have throughout the year. Recently, we attended an Honest Abe Open House at the home of Todd and Kim. Here’s a look inside their log home.
What Is A Log Raising Event Like?
a log raising is an educational & informative event that is attended by people like you & me who are interested in (or in the process of) building a log home. At a log raising event, they build a log home from the ground up right before your eyes.
List of All Log & Timber Home Builders
Even if you’ve already selected your log home builder, or purchased a log home package from a log home manufacturer, the following list of log & timber home builders will still be immensely helpful to you in the process of building your new log home.
Matt and Melissa’s Honest Abe Log Home
Three things make this log home unique… 1. The big, open floorplan… and the big open windows. 2. The bi-level flooring in the bathrooms, that ‘hides’ the plumbing. 3. The wide open kitchen and curved island with the stove in the center. Have a look…
Lonnie and Sherry’s Log Home
Lonnie and Sherry built this log home from scratch themselves. It took them 2 years, and they have a lot to be proud of. Check out all of these one-of-a-kind features…
Custom Log Home Under Construction
The next house we visited on the Honest Abe Tour of Log Homes was actually not on the tour… it was simply one that Tonya had mentioned to us, in case we wanted to swing by and have a look. We are SO glad we did!…
Matt and April’s Timber Frame Home
Matt and April were a lot of fun to chat with during the Honest Abe Tour of Homes. Their timber frame home is currently under construction, and is set among the beautiful fields and rolling hills of Middle Tennessee. See highlights here…
Log Home Builder Events
Here are some ways to keep the ideas flowing during the planning phase of your log home. In addition to trying to attend every Log Home Show we could possibly get to, we found these interesting things to do in between Log Home Shows…
Thinking Of Using A Standard Floorplan That Already Exists?
Anything you can dream can become a reality in a log home. In fact, complete customization is more often the rule, than the exception when building log homes.
Thinking Of Creating A Whole New Floorplan From Scratch?
Question: Should you modify an existing floorplan, or create a floorplan from scratch? Answer: It is cheaper to modify an existing floorplan than it is to create one from scratch. Here’s why…
Estimating How Much Things Will Cost
Get-a-Quote is the largest free construction estimating database on the Internet. See why it’s great… and not so great.
How To Track Your Expenses & Plan A Budget
After Jim dismissed the old-fashioned ‘manual’ way of creating a budget — by writing figures on forms — I went on the hunt for something along the lines of an Excel spreadsheet that could be used to track quotes, estimates, expenses and bids from contractors. I found it!
