If you have a fondness for wood, perhaps a log home is the right choice for your vacation home. They make for some of the most luxurious homes in the world…unique, renowned for their architectural integrity, and exhibiting some of the finest craftsmanship.
But how to decide what to incorporate into your dream home can be a challenge. There are so many possibilities. And they all don’t have to be wood, either. Accentuating the wood home with drywalls, iron work, stone, fireplaces all tend to enhance the beauty of the wood. Think about different materials.
For example, kitchen cabinetry can use stainless with aluminum which will provide a sleek look for your kitchen. Glass doors on the cabinets add rich dimensional space. Your personal tastes might also extend to porcelain and ceramic which add a range of beautiful colors. Earth tones work particularly well in log structures, so don’t rule those color tones out either.
But if its wood that you want to see everywhere, then there are so many species with so many different features that you can go wild with wood and more wood. Stain, paint, antiquing or varnish will add even more character and beauty to your choices.
Floor designs are unlimited. The architecture style readily lends itself to great rooms, loft areas, game rooms, family rooms, exercise rooms, studios, decks, and elaborate but cozy bedrooms and bathrooms. In each case, your individual lifestyle will call for certain design elements That special room might be a media center with big screen options, or a fully decked out gym. Your preferences will revolve around what it is you most like to do for recreation or hobby. It might be a yoga studio or a library complete with fireplace and carpeting to send your reading enjoyments to new highs.
But think through your design choices to be sure that the space you are going to use is sized right. If you think you are going to include a media room think through how many people will be using it at any one time. Adequate seating will need to be figured into the design. If you enjoy cooking and welcome participation from your family/guests you will want to make it spacious and interactive, so that people can socialize while preparing their favorite dishes. And gyms…if you put them in the basement, make sure you have plenty of head room, and possibly more if weight lifting is part of the plan.
Yet even with a multitude of design choices, your log home can be environmentally friendly and efficient. The logs themselves offer high insulation factors for warmth or cold, and a greater amount of the actual tree is used in construction, eliminating much of the wastage that comes with stick framing.
Spending more money up front, if your budget can afford it, will result in considerable savings in the long run. For instance, tankless water heaters save money, but initially they are a little more costly. And everything from roofing to the kitchen sink will offer savings, depending on the choices you make. A copper roof will probably cost you 10-15 times what an asphalt one would cost, but it will be there virtually forever, while the asphalt roof will have an average lifespan of 30 years. Flooring ranges from carpeting (generally the cheapest) to hardwood, which is as much as five times the cost of carpeting, and will last much longer if taken care of. And kitchens? They can get pretty pricey if you’re making design choices and not paying attention to both costs for product as well as installation costs. But here again, the better products, though more expensive, will last longer.
Whatever your thoughts are on a log home, perhaps the best course to take would be to attend one (or more) of the many log home shows that are offered throughout the year. An on-line check for log home shows will provide you with plenty of show schedules (see insert for some suggestions).
Log home shows are a perfect place to get the answers to all your questions regarding your log home, from financing, land, costs, log profiles, choosing a company etc. Many offer free ongoing seminars on the hour geared toward helping you through the process. Attending a log home show is a small investment to put toward your dream home. A great opportunity to compare companies, meet with industry experts and purchase just the right piece of furniture or accessory for your log home.
Eric R. Johnson, President of Premier Event Productions, LLC that specializes in events for the building industry, believes that “log homes (will) continue to increase in popularity as more and more people are looking to build them as their primary home…that (will be) where the growth in the industry will come from. (Log homes)… will maintain their (appeal)…as the leading choice for a vacation or second home.”
Johnson adds that “current conditions are favorable as people continue to move forward with their plans to build high end homes, (and) second homes are keeping pace (with this growth), and in some markets…are growing. What we are seeing at our shows are very serious buyers looking to build within six months to two years. Keep in mind,” cautions Johnson, “depending on where you are in the process, two years is very realistic when just starting with design, acquiring land, deciding on a log home manufacturer, financing etc.”
Johnson adds, that “the term “green” is the hip new buzz word regarding home building for just about anything; with log homes it’s always been there but now is really coming to the surface. A log home is naturally made of wood, a renewable resource, with most companies using selective harvesting and literally using the entire tree. Wood is a natural insulator and when coupled with great design, site orientation, proper overhangs, solar heating, favorable grading practices, alternative power, window type and placement, efficient lighting and appliances, these are all collectively what gets you green.”
The internet is a great place to get information directly from log home companies as well as. Visit The Log Homes Council, a sub council of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB). Their website is http://www.loghome.org.
Watch the video related to log cabins
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Help answer the question about log cabins
Regarding Log Cabins, why are the vertical surfaces made flat?It seems to me that making the wall surfaces flat was a great deal of work for not much return. One could argue that this made the interior walls nicer, but what would be the advantage of making the exterior walls flat?
About Author
This article was originally published in the Winter 2007 issue of 2ndhome® Journal, http://www.2ndhome.net, a digital magazine for owners, buyers and sellers of vacation homes and investment properties.
Tags: Cabin, faux, home, house, log, logs, logsiding, siding
After a log cabin is built, they used to mix up a type of concrete, or else a clay and mud mortar and do what it is called “chinking.” It’s simply stuffing the mud in between the logs to seal them up. usually done after the wood has dried down. they still do it with modern log cabins, only it’s more of a caulk than a mortar.
sounds ugly
Hi Forest,
I live in western NC and before I got my real estate license, I used to own & manage my own rental near Lake Fontana several years ago. I did pretty well overall – primarily because I had a low monthly mortgage payment and I handled the property management myself, which by the way, are the two largest cost considerations for you to factor into your cash flow projections.
The eastern TN, western NC and north GA vacation rental markets are similar enough to almost be considered one in the same, although there are "micro markets" scattered around that are home to the best performers. You'll find that the top performing log home rentals in our area are in proximity to a useable body of water (lake or river) +and+ a local "main attraction" which is the primary draw for the tourist guest base. For me, it was the home's proximity to whitewater rafting in the Nantahala Gorge, and its easy access to the lake. Only drawback was that it was too far away from one of our ski areas to enjoy year-round occupancy, making the rental a little too "seasonal". If I had it to do over again, I'd look more closely at winter occupancy rates when analyzing my investment's financial records…
Be prepared to perform A LOT of due diligence prior to making your final decision on location and purchasing your investment property. You may seriously want to consider having a real estate buyer's agent work on your behalf for this acquisition. It typically won't cost you anything, (as we are paid via commission split with the seller's agent at closing), and you'll have an experienced advocate on your side. In addition to identifying properties you're likely to find of interest, they can handle obtaining the rental financial records and should ensure you have all of the information you need in order to make an INFORMED decision on what to offer for any particular property.
Hope this helps, and good luck!!
There are.
But I think it depends on your definition of "authentic"
I've seen cabins advertised as authentic, with all the modern amenities!
It will be a matter of you looking thorough and finding what appeals to you both.
You will find some on this website, ranging from modern cabins to rustic:
http://www.ruidoso.net/visitors/cabins.htm
Campbells Log Cabins are neat too:
http://www.campbellslogcabin.com/
And:
http://www.cozycabinsruidoso.com/
If you don't want to do any damage, and keep it "historically correct" you will need to air it out for many days. Or you could put activated charcoal around the cabin and do light treatments.
to do the light treatments put sunlight bulbs in the cabin for about two days, then switch to ultra violet bulbs for the next two days, then air out for a day and you should be good
here's a place to get some ideas: http://www.loghome.com/home_tour_gallery
and here's an area where you can browse through companies who offer log cabin kits:http://www.loghome.com/companies/
I'm not sure of your budget or what size you'd like these cabins to be, but if your budget is very, very low, you may want to check into: http://www.townandcountryplans.com/ but they really aren't as pretty…
The music from this film short stayed with me all these years. That bird-like whistling & banjo.
Wow!
ehh i think it looks easier than it is. dont sweat it!
I believe it is Lincoln logs. Some years ago we were looking to build a log cabin and we found many beautiful homes. But I don't have that information anymore. I think you can look on line http://www.lincolnlogs.com.
Green is a neutral color that compliments the natural wood tones of the cabin exterior. Like wood tones, green blends into nature, which is the whole concept of a cabin, to look rustic and outdoorsy.
I saw this film clip, it was in the DVD Sesame Street old school on show 666 from 1974.
There are a lot of places in North Ga. Helen is a small town in an old school Alpine setting that sits right on top of the Chattahoochee river.
There are many log cabins you can rent there.
http://www.helenga.org/
Wait, what’s all the space between the logs?
i remember this from sesame street!!! i always wanted my own little cabin as a kid, and still i dream of one.. the music is wonderful and haunting, but i dont really remember it like i remember those guys making shingles for the roof. thanks for the walk down memory lane!
an angry young Dan Aykroyd at 1:14.
Keep it painted and pressure wash any mold or dirt.
This impacted me as a kid- I am building one now, with hand tools. I love it!
http://www.redwoodsinyosemite.com/
those look pretty nice