How often you need to stain your log home will depend on the color of stain you choose and how well you did the log staining prep work mentioned here. Lighter stains will need to be reapplied every 2-3 years. Darker stains can last 4-5 years. Here are more log home maintenance tips and things to watch for.
Designing / Building A Log Home
Reasons To Add A Basement To Your Log Home, Plus How To Build A Basement On A Budget
Need more space in your log home?… Consider a walk out basement! Here are some great reasons to consider building a log home with a basement, plus tips for building your basement while still staying within your log home budget.
Before You Stain Your Log Home’s Exterior: 4 Important Steps
Your log home is built, the weather is right, and now it’s time for the exterior of your log home to be stained. For the record, they say that the best time to stain a log home is when the logs have a moisture content less than 19%. Here are the 4 necessary steps prior to staining a log home.
How We Chose A Log Staircase For Our Log Cabin
We fell in love with the log staircase that Hiawatha had in their model log home. It was comprised of half logs for steps and fit perfectly into the home’s layout. It was something that we just ‘had to have’ in our log cabin. We researched the cost, and then compared the various log staircases that were available. Here’s what we’ve learned about log stairs…
Log Home Kits vs Handcrafted Log Homes: Why We Chose A Log Cabin Kit
See why Shelley and Greg decided to build their log home from a manufactured log cabin kit, rather than a handcrafted log home.
Looking For Green Log Home Products & Building Supplies?
Here’s a great list of environmentally-friendly green log home products and suppliers. So, if you’re trying to make your currently log home more green or you’ll soon be building your very own green log home, here are some companies that will make your life easier!
Concrete Log Homes: An Unusual Type Of Log Cabin
If you’re comparing the characteristics between concrete log homes and traditional log homes, it’s fair to say that with log homes made of wood, you have to worry about mold, rot, insects, and fire — over time. But with concrete log homes you do not. Nor do you have to apply stain to the home’s exterior every few years. And, since you don’t have to chop down any trees for concrete log homes, concrete log homes are also considered to be environmentally-friendly.
All These Delays & Changes May Actually Be A GOOD Thing…
It’s been about 2 years since we started the process of building our log home. We had the land picked out, the bank picked out, the GC picked out, the builder picked out, the logs picked out, the floorplan designed the way we wanted it, and we even started clearing the land. Then why isn’t our log home done yet? Why haven’t we even raised the first log yet?
See What Your Log Home Would Look Like With Different Colors Of Stains, Chinking, Decks & Trim
Weatherall has a fun — and FREE — program you can download to see what your log home would look like with different color schemes. Yep, change the stain color on the logs, the deck, the trim work. Change the color of the chinking — if any. You can even change the style and color of the roof. Download Weatherall Color Viewer here.
Instructions For Building Your Own Log Home Using Linear Logs Or A Log Home Kit
Log cabin kits that include machine-cut logs can be purchased from a number of different log providers. If you want to build your own log cabin, then check out these tips for getting DIY instructions from the experts, log raising events, and some books to guide you through the steps.
Personal Highs Matched With Regional Lows
The first official sign that construction is about to take place on our new log home site: the posting of the Building Permit! But it was a day of highs and lows, thanks to a series of tornadoes that hit in Williamson County the night before.
Williamson County TN Building Permits & Fees: What You Need To Know
We got our Building Permit today. Who knew the cost for a Building Permit in Williamson County TN could be so much?… $9,177! It’s mostly due to the county’s Privilege Tax. And boy do we feel privileged to live in Franklin, TN!
Now Is NOT A Good Time To Get A Log Home Construction Loan
This past Fall was a very difficult time for us to try & get a log home construction loan to build our new log home. There were several reasons for this — all spelled out here.
Where We Are Now On This Log Home Roller Coaster Ride…
No, we haven’t secured our log home loan yet. But the good news is… time is on our side. Because the mortgage rates have already come down since our previous closing date in October of 2007, and they are projected to drop even more in the coming months.
Getting The Lay Of The Land… Surveying The Property
Of the 5 acres we own, there is only one tiny little spot where the home can actually go. The rest will be hilly trails and a forest of thick trees lining the creeks. So, to ease our mind, and clarify for all involved — including the bank, the County, and ourselves — we asked the surveyor to come back out and re-survey it again for us.
Question About Staggered Shake Shingle Siding
A question: ‘We are in the beginning stages of building our log home and seriously thinking of using Staggered Shake Shingle Vinyl Siding on the second story. Our reasoning for doing so was the maintenance of the home. Have you heard or have you seen any log homes which have done the same?’
Tips For Exploring Log Home Companies
Joe — our guest reporter — shares with us a few more practical tips for buying or building a log home. In this installment, he offers some recommendations to help you decide between one log home company and another.
Why We Decided To Build Our Log Home With Honest Abe Log Homes As The Log Provider
We are very fortunate to have found them all: a log provider, a builder, and a general contractor that we are completely comfortable with. Here’s why we chose Honest Abe Log Homes and why we stuck with them through lots of changes, ups & downs.
How We Found The Best General Contractor In Tennessee
Here’s why we chose John Roach to be the general contractor to build our new log home in Williamson County Tennessee. Plus, some tips for what to look for in a GC, and some recommendations for general contractors in Middle Tennessee.
Underdecking Update: Another Meeting With Undercover Systems Of Tennessee
I met with reps at Undercover Systems… again. We’ve been considering their underdecking for awhile now. And 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…
The Exciting Process Of Digging A Ditch And Putting In A Culvert
If you’re building a home on a private piece of property, chances are you’ll have to put in a ditch and a culvert. Here’s how it went for us… including photos of the culvert, ditch, and driveway.
Which Is Best?… A Basement Garage, A Separate Attached Garage, Or A Detached Garage?
I learned a few things about the differences between attached garages vs detached garages vs basement garages. Here’s what I found…
See How We Incorporated The Craftsman / Arts & Crafts Style Into Our Log Home Bungalow
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.
Digging A Well: What You Need To Know
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.
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.
