Log & Timber Home Living magazine is the ultimate guide to log, timber and hybrid homes. Expect expert advice on everything from floor plan design to materials and maintenance, as well as inspiring home tours, decorating ideas and more!
BUILDING AN ACCESSIBLE HOME is so much more than adopting guidelines set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. It’s about designing a place where friends and family of all ages and physical abilities feel welcome. It also means planning for the future so you can remain in your home for as long as you want. But there’s another side to accessibility that many don’t consider: cost. It can be easy to fall head over heels for design features and the promise of all-natural living in a gorgeous custom wood home. The tough part can be understanding the costs involved and preventing yourself from getting in over your head. In “The Reality of Costs” on page 18, builder Dan Mitchell shares his unique perspective on this subject, but he also explains…
PLANNING YOUR LOG HOME often means you’re thinking of the future, not just the present. Live your best life now and later with accessible design tactics like the ones we outline at loghome.com/good-for-the-future. MULTIGENERATIONAL HOMES are on the rise — and a great reason to integrate high-function design into your home well before you’re ready to retire. Check out timberhomeliving.com/multigenerational-homes for tips, tricks and floor plans that strike the right balance for everyone. ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES don’t require building from scratch — or a major renovation. The easy swaps laid out at cabinlife.com/upgrades-for-better-accessibility will give you the healthy home you desire, without breaking the bank. WITHOUT STAIRS, you’re able to navigate your home at all ages. See how this feature and the many other benefits of ranch-style design make it such…
Joe Muller built a hybrid log home in upstate New York in which he and his wife could raise their three young boys. But to do so, he had to start from scratch. Here’s how he did it. JOE: I joined the Air Force right after I graduated high school, and my wife, Lori, and I got married at age 19. The only thing we owned at the time was a Plymouth Reliant, which we drove to our first base in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Around this time, we started buying a lot of Log Home Living magazines and anything else we could find about log or timber homes. I kept all those magazines for the seven-and-a-half years I was in the Air Force—they became completely worn out from…
Compared to vibrant, dramatic garden spaces that are lush with flowers and shrubs, or vegetable plots that burst with aromas and the promise of flavor, grass might seem a bit lackluster … even boring. Often, a lawn is just an expanse of green that you might only notice when something has gone awry, like bald patches or yellowing blades. However, a healthy lawn can be a boon to any landscape. Not only do these stretches provide a visual break—and a literal one if you throw a blanket down for an occasional picnic—they also help prevent erosion, improve flood control and provide a habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects. These advantages make it worth the effort to care for your lawn, and you don’t need to invest long, hot summer…
What I’m about to share might come as a surprise to you and may be tough to read: In today’s market, building a log or timber home—or any home for that matter—isn’t an inexpensive proposition, and that’s not likely to change any time soon. But as a builder in the field, I want you to understand why. Let’s start by being clear about one thing: Home renovation TV shows have created unrealistic cost expectations among real buyers. When these programs show you the price for materials like cabinetry or flooring, more than likely it’s a wholesale cost, a price break that the builder gets for repeat business or they leave off key fees. For instance, they may provide a price for a slab of granite for a kitchen counter, but…
To build a custom timber frame or log home, you’ll likely need a construction loan. These differ from mortgage loans in several key ways, the length of the loan being one of them. For decades the standard has been a 12-month loan, assuming that a typical house can be completed easily within that period. But no longer. Using a 3,000-square-foot house as an example, from start to finish, it used to take seven to nine months to complete. Due to labor shortages and material procurement delays, that same house now takes 11 to 14 months to build — and for larger, more complex houses, up to 24 months. This extra time can come as a shock to both the homebuyer and the lender. Preparing for the real timeline for your…
