What is your ideal log home design?

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have asked for faster horses — Henry Ford

That is an insightful quote from Mr. Ford and it pertains to every business or service I can think of. As it relates to the log home industry, I believe that it is profoundly important for both buyers and manufacturers. People don’t always know what they want.

Few of us grew up in a log home, most of us were introduced to the idea as kids when we first saw a log cabin in a movie or on television. In my case it was the Cartwrights’ Ponderosa ranch on the TV show Bonanza. Can’t you just hear that theme song playing?

My point is that we have these ideas about what we (think we) want in a log home, but once we take the time to research all the options we can find ourselves straying from our original ideas. A classic timber frame home is a perfect example. Once we are introduced to the look, joinery and open design, we might find ourselves drifting away from the idea of log walls.

Personally, I like a combination of everything; a log exterior and lots of stone with a timber frame interior. In my mind, that’s the ideal heavy timber home. It wasn’t until my knowledge of these building methods expanded that I changed my mind as to what I would choose to build.

Manufacturers need to keep this in mind when they talk with prospective buyers and make sure they are aware of all the possibilities. The customer is not, as the saying goes, ‘always right’. The customer can only make a decision based upon what they know.

Buyers need to spend as much time as possible learning about this marvelous industry and all the options available to them. Just choosing the corner styles of log construction changes many aspects of how the home will look and have an impact on other design choices.

Even Ben Cartwright needed to start with a basic floor plan for his log home, so the best advice I would give a prospective buyer is to start there. Find the floor plan that works for you and then work on the construction aspects. One of the best places to find a good selection of plans is our very own “Log Home Floor Plan Showcase“. Have fun!

Properly Storing Your Log Furniture

If you live in north America you know that winter is around the corner…in some cases, it has already arrived. One of our annual preparations is to bring in the outdoor furniture and when that furniture is made of wood, storing it properly is a must. One of our readers sent me this article that I thought I’d share with you.

Living in Colorado, many of us buy or have built gorgeous pieces of wooden furniture to decorate our log homes. Unfortunately, there may come a time when we have to put this beautiful furniture into storage. As sad as it is to admit, it’s true. Maybe you’re moving, or just need the extra space around your home, whatever the case, knowing how to properly store these items is very important.

One of the biggest concerns most people have about putting their log furniture into storage is ensuring that it stays pristine. But proper furniture storage isn’t a crapshoot—there are specific measures you can take which will guarantee the integrity of your furniture so that when you pull it out, it’s in the same condition it was as when you stored it.

• Get a climate controlled unit. Proper living room storage requires that you protect your furniture from the sometimes drastic temperature changes that can occur in an otherwise unchecked unit. Climate controlled storage spaces use a combination of insulation, heat, and air conditioning to keep a consistent temperature.
• Stack your furniture on top of a pallet, but be careful. Do not hurt yourself trying to put huge pieces on top of others.
• There are special bags you can buy that are made specifically for furniture storage that you can use to wrap around your pieces to keep them safe. If you don’t have access to these, use tarps and drop cloths.
• Finally, if your furniture is especially valuable, consider insuring it with the self-storage facility so that in the event of an unforeseen event, you’re covered for damages or complete loss.

Conveniently, there are many Colorado Springs self-storage facilities that will provide you with the proper moving vehicles needed to haul this heavy furniture to their units, as well as supply you with some of the materials mentioned above. Take these tips to heart and when you do decide to put these wooden items away, you will be at peace of mind knowing that every piece is safe and secure.

Football, Firewood and Log Home Fire Prevention

Fall is in the air, which means that football and firewood are on my mind. I’ve already seen my team, the Pittsburgh ‘Stillers’, play two regular season games and their performance is telling me this could be a long painful season. We got embarrassed by the Ravens and didn’t look like we were serious about the Seahawks (even though they scored a W).

I’m not one of those guys who sits all day in front of the TV watching football. Basically, I follow one team, the Steelers, and thanks to DirecTV and my DVR, I never miss one of their games. Living in the western U.S., most of the games start at 11:00am, so we usually record it and catch the action after dinner. All my relatives know that if they call on game day they are not to mention the game since I probably had not yet watched it.

It won’t be long before we’re watching football with snow on the ground. In fact, we’ve already had some sub-freezing nights here in northwest Montana. That means we’re now thinking about firewood.

Do you heat your log home with wood?

We have a woodstove and rely on it to heat our log home. We’ve been doing this for almost ten years now and to us, it’s just part of the experience and makes a long winter easier to bear. Unfortunately, there is additional work involved to enjoy this bone-warming heat. Getting enough wood put-up and maintaining the stove & chimney is an annual ritual.

Last weekend I cleaned the chimney. Do you do that yourself or do you hire a chimney sweep? Years ago I bought one of those DIY rigs that work quite well. The fiberglass poles come in 6’ lengths and you screw one on to the other to snake your way up the chimney and scrape out the soot. It’s a dirty chore, but I hate paying people to do work that I’m capable of doing.

Stack outside our door. The BIG stack is off to the side.

I had a couple marathon weekends last summer cutting & splitting firewood, but I still don’t have enough put up to get me through a typical Montana winter. I need to get busy before the snow flies or I will need to buy a couple of cords. Wish me luck.

Fire Prevention

Speaking of firewood and fires and log homes, I follow many log home related blogs and an interesting article caught my attention last week. On the PrecisionCraft blog they published a short article about “Fire Prevention Landscaping” that will be of interest to most log home owners who live in rural areas.

What is your ideal log home design?

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have asked for faster horses — Henry Ford

That is an insightful quote from Mr. Ford and it pertains to every business or service I can think of. As it relates to the log home industry, I believe that it is profoundly important for both buyers and manufacturers. People don’t always know what they want.

Few of us grew up in a log home, most of us were introduced to the idea as kids when we first saw a log cabin in a movie or on television. In my case it was the Cartwrights’ Ponderosa ranch on the TV show Bonanza. Can’t you just hear that theme song playing?

My point is that we have these ideas about what we (think we) want in a log home, but once we take the time to research all the options we can find ourselves straying from our original ideas. A classic timber frame home is a perfect example. Once we are introduced to the look, joinery and open design, we might find ourselves drifting away from the idea of log walls.

Personally, I like a combination of everything; a log exterior and lots of stone with a timber frame interior. In my mind, that’s the ideal heavy timber home. It wasn’t until my knowledge of these building methods expanded that I changed my mind as to what I would choose to build.

Manufacturers need to keep this in mind when they talk with prospective buyers and make sure they are aware of all the possibilities. The customer is not, as the saying goes, ‘always right’. The customer can only make a decision based upon what they know.

Buyers need to spend as much time as possible learning about this marvelous industry and all the options available to them. Just choosing the corner styles of log construction changes many aspects of how the home will look and have an impact on other design choices.

Even Ben Cartwright needed to start with a basic floor plan for his log home, so the best advice I would give a prospective buyer is to start there. Find the floor plan that works for you and then work on the construction aspects. One of the best places to find a good selection of plans is our very own “Log Home Floor Plan Showcase“. Have fun!

Do log homes inspire you?

I guess the better question is…can an inanimate object serve as as source of inspiration? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the word “inspire” means:

• to influence, move, or guide by divine or supernatural
• to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence on
• to infuse (as life) by breathing

So, would you include a beautiful log or timber frame home as a source of inspiration? If you ask people who are in the dreaming or planning stage of their heavy timber home, I would bet that most would say yes, they are inspired.

For those of us blessed enough to already be living in a log home, the feeling of inspiration is a constant. When I began thinking about this topic I pictured a few things in my mind’s eye. I visualized the pleasant feeling I get when I drive up the road to our home and see it standing on top of the hill. I think about those snowy winter evenings sitting at home with a roaring fire in the wood stove. I think of those warm summer nights when the smell of pine is like a subtle perfume.

Hopeless romantic? Maybe, but living in a log home truly is different, and I have to admit it creates an inspiring atmosphere that my wife and I absolutely love. My answer to the headline question is yes, log homes inspire me.

Apparently, I am not alone in this conviction, and I was not the first to make the statement. One of the premiere log and timber frame manufacturers in the country beat me to it. Precision Craft has an area on their website called (what else) “Inspired Living“. This showcases some of the homes they crafted for their customers and tells the stories from the customer’s perspective.

Log Cabin Furniture

Log cabin furniture’s are actually a stylish piece of home furnishings that provides a distinctive appeal to the room where it is displayed. It provides beauty and attractiveness.

Log cabin furniture’s are made from strong wood that last a lifetime and are best known for it’s sophisticated and modern design. We normally see log furniture items in vacation cabins, ski houses or hunting lodges. In fact, there are two main categories of log cabin furniture and these are:

Peeled Log – is the type of log wherein the internal well as the external bark of the log is removed.

Unpeeled Log (known as Skip-peeling Log) – is the type of log wherein the internal bark of a log is not removed. Log cabin furniture made from skip-peeling log provides a more traditional look compared to peeled log furniture.


Kinds of Wood Used in Making Log Cabin Furniture:


1. Hickory - this wood is strong but can be conveniently shaped in making distinctive furnishings. Furniture’s that are produced from unpeeled or skip-peeled hickory usually are rockers, coffee table and a lot more.

2. White Cedar - this wood can endure every weather changes without having decayed or damaged. The natural color of this wood is light tan. This kind of wood is usually found in Canada and North Michigan. The log cabin furniture that is produced from cedar wood often has small fractures, which are naturally formed and are not a factory defect. These natural cracks boost more the classic look of the furniture.

3. Red Cedar - this wood has a natural fragrance that is resistant to insects and termites. An intriguing truth is that the red cedar doesn't belong to the cedar family but to the juniper family. Red cedar is used to produce log furniture like dresser, which is the best storage to keep your clothes. The log cabin furniture manufactured from red cedar may last for longer and is valued as a treasure.

Check out our website at Log Home Furniture Directory for the complete list of companies and rustic furniture makers that specializes in log cabin furniture in United States and Canada .