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.
Designing / Building A Log Home
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.
Our Master Bathroom & Spa Shower Plans
In our master bathroom, there is a floating wall in the center, which serves as the base for a sink on either side. One is a ‘shaving sink’ to accommodate Jim’s daily ritual. The other is a wide-top pedestal sink. In the shower area, there is also a corner seating bench, a window for air and natural light, 2 built-in niches for shower supplies, and some ceramic/tile towel hooks at the entrance to the shower.
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.
The Idea Notebook: Phase II
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…
