My Idea Notebook goes everywhere that I go! It usually stays in the car, but I always have it handy should I need a measurement, a color, or a description for someone who’s helping us make this home a reality — such as a bank lender, blueprint designer, or cabinet installer. Or, if my friends & relatives have a question or make a suggestion on the fly, then I just grab the Idea Notebook and add it to my collection of great ideas.
stairs and railings
Everything You Want To Know About ChoiceDek And MoistureShield Composite Deck Products
Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (AERT) is the manufacturer of ChoiceDek and MoistureShield composite decking materials. I’ve spoken with ChoiceDek and MoistureShield reps several times now. Here’s what I’ve learned about these composite decks. Good stuff!
New Home Building Costs: Things That Affect The Price Of Your New Log Home
There are a number of factors which can ultimately increase (or decrease) the costs associated with building your new home. Some things to keep in mind…
If We Could Build Our Log Home Over Again… Some Things We Would Do Differently
We built a log cabin that is CLOSE to our dream log home, but a few things are lacking. Here are a few things that we would do differently if we were to build a log home again.
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…
How To Make Basement Columns, Support Poles And Pillars In Your House Look Like Real Trees
The look of exposed trees brings a bit of nature indoors. And who doesn’t want to bring a little outdoors in, right? Especially in a log home! Here’s how you can create the look of real trees inside your home — particular around pillars, columns, and poles located in the basement, near stairways, and around kitchen islands & bars.
Pictures Of Rustic Columns & Poles Inside Log Homes …Some Are Real Trees!
If log homes are your thing and ‘rustic’ is your game, then you’re going to love these pictures of REAL tree accents and the use of rustic looking logs — or heavy timber — inside a log home. You’ll also see photos of fun ways to incorporate trees and heavy timber logs into the EXTERIOR characteristics of your log home.
Why We Decided Against Composite Decking For Our Log Home
After a lot of research and homework, we’ve actually decided AGAINST using composite decking at this time. It wasn’t an easy decision. Far from it. In fact, we were honestly looking forward to trying it. But the cons outweighed the pros at this point in time. Here’s why…
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.
Some Interesting Things About Composite Decks
What follows are some of the most interesting things I’ve learned about composite decks, along with some of the questions I still have about composite decking materials. Specifically, I’m interested in TimberTech vs MoistureShield composite decks.