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...
See why Shelley and Greg decided to build their log home from a manufactured log cabin kit, rather than a handcrafted log home.
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!
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
