One of the questions I'm asked the most is "Why did you choose a log home?" I usually give my standard answer -- something along the lines of: I like being different. I've lived in homes that resembled the majority of other houses out there. Through the years, I've studied the things I like and don't like, as well as the features I need and don't need in a home. These days, I would prefer to live in a one-of-a-kind home in a unique setting. That's my dream home. And whenever you're … [Read more...]
Log Home vs Stick Built
Old Log Homes: Pros And Cons Of Living In Old Style Log Homes
Dream of living in a log home? (Me too.) If your dream is to live in an old log house, you might want to think twice about it. Certainly, there are lots of good reasons to live in an old log home, but there are also a few reasons not to. It may have stood for 100 years or more and survived the elements season after season, but old log cabins do have their problems. Unfortunately, in many cases, when it comes to purchasing an older log home, the house inevitably has to be taken … [Read more...]
Revealed: Log Homes Survive Fires Better Than Stick Frame Homes
Log homes are beautiful, rustic, and warm places to call home. However, by nature of the fact they are constructed almost entirely out of wood, you may be wondering, are log homes fire hazards, too? Are they even more of a fire hazard than a traditional stick frame home? Believe it or not, log homes are said to be even safer than a more-conventional stick frame home when it comes to withstanding natural disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes... and yes, even fires! … [Read more...]
Is It Really This Easy To Build A Log Cabin?
It may or may not be this simple, but there is a website that has broken down the process of building a log cabin vacation home to just 11 steps! I don't know if you will find building a log cabin quite that easy, but it is true that many people build log cabins themselves all the time. An important step in building a log cabin comes in knowing: what you can afford where you want to build Once you decide on those 2 points, you can break out your logs, hammer, nails, doors, and … [Read more...]
Log Home Insurance: Little-Known Facts About Insuring A Log Home
Before we could close on our construction loan with the bank (BB&T), we had to submit proof of "builder's risk insurance" to the loan officer. We thought there would be a simple "builder's risk" type of policy from the insurance companies that would cover things like "theft of materials", "new construction theft", and "dwelling under construction". But the insurance agents said our only option was to purchase an entire homeowners policy and add those riders to it. It's going to take us … [Read more...]
How To Make Only One Room In Your House Look Like A Log Cabin
I got an interesting question from a visitor to this site today: My husband and I are looking at making one room in our home look like a log cabin. We just need interior log to put over our sheet rock. Do you have any suggestions? Where do I go to find this?" -- Emily See my recommendations below... … [Read more...]
Log Homes And Hurricanes… Can A Log Cabin Survive Strong Winds And Tornadoes?
A few years ago, I saved this statement that I found in a magazine or online: Log homes are stronger & sturdier and more likely to survive tornadoes & hurricanes, largely due to all of the inner-locking joints. Unfortunately... I didn't write down the source. (It was long before I had this website.) So, I recently decided to do a little research in hopes of determining a log home's ability to withstand hurricanes and tornadoes. On websites discussing common log home myths, I … [Read more...]
Materials Used In Building A 2,085 Square Foot Home
I found an old, yellowed article I tore out of the newspaper several years ago. It's as interesting today as it was then (circa 2001 - when we lived in Pensacola - which is the newspaper it came from - as determined by a car dealer ad on the back). The article gives you an idea of the sheer volume of building materials that are used when building a "traditional" single-family home. … [Read more...]
How Long Do Things Last? What’s The Life Expectancy Of Home Components?
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. … [Read more...]
Facts About Log Home Owners
Who are log home owners? What are their ages? What do they like? When it comes to log home trends, there are a number of things we can say about log home owners, in general. Log homes are also becoming popular in the cash-laden celebrity world. While the producers -- log home producers, that is -- would love to name drop, confidentiality agreements keep these identities guarded more closely than our nation's nuclear secrets. [Hint: One is a female media mogul who rules daytime TV.]" And don't … [Read more...]
