With
all the choices available, choosing the right log home
floor plan is not as easy as it seems. Here are some
tips to help you narrow your plan search.
Use your old home to help you plan your new
home
One of the ways to help you decide on a plan for your
new log home or log cabin is to take a look at your
present home and use it as a reference point for your
new plans. Treat your new home plan as an "adjustment"
of your old home plan.
Make a list of the features you like and dislike in
your current home. Add features you don't have now,
but would want in your new home. List things you consider
to be problems in your home now (not enough storage
space, hallways too narrow, family room too small).
List the types of rooms you want, and the individual
features of those rooms.
Organize your initial plans
Start a scrapbook that includes pictures and illustrations
of the styles of log home and specific features that
appeal to you. An organized scrapbook can save you time
and provide a means of clearly communicating with log
home company representatives and builders. As you study
the photos in your scrapbook, certain features will
stand out. Identifying these features will help you
narrow your search for a log home provider. For example,
if your scrapbook photos show mostly handcrafted log
homes, you can concentrate your search on those log
home companies that offer this style.
Start with a simple "box" plan
Make a scaled floorplan drawing of your current residence,
with room and building measurements. Then draw a rough
layout of rooms for your new home, with the rooms represented
only by boxes. Use the dimensions of your old rooms
as a reference to upsize or downsize the dimensions
for your new rooms. Arrange the boxes in the general
pattern that you would want. Account for hallways, closets,
and storage spaces. This will give you a good idea of
not only your general floor plan, but also your overall
home dimensions.
Use your computer
You can also use your computer to help you design your
home. There are a variety of home design software products
available that can make your planning easy and fun.
The absolute best home design software
that we've found (and we've tried and used many) is
the revolutionary 3D home design web software tool from
Plan3D
Home Design.
See here for
more details.
Search for standard plans
It's possible that there is already a home plan out
there that closely meets your needs. Finding it may
not be easy, however. The Internet is one of best search
locations and offers a treasure trove of plans. The
web sites, CoolHousePlans.com
and HousePlans.com
are good examples. Other than the "log cabin"
or log home" categories, plans in the "country
home" or "cottage" categories also work
well for log homes.
Of course, log home companies have their own plans,
many of which are variations of standard designs that
have proven popular over the years. Log home magazines
(and their associated web sites) also have plans, usually
in advertisements by log home companies. A few books
containing nothing but log home plans are also available.
Plans can be customized
Any log home floor plan can be modified to suit your
needs. You don't have to choose one of the standard
plans offered by log home companies. You can use the
plan from one company as the basis for creating a plan
to be used by another company. In fact, your base plan
doesn't even have to be a plan for a log-style home.
Keep in mind, however, that log homes are somewhat
more constrained than conventional homes, from a flexibility
of construction perspective. The fewer corners you have,
the less complicated the design, the easier the construction
and the lower the cost. Building walls of horizontally
stacked logs offers fewer design options than building
with frames of 2x4 lumber.
Let your log home company help
Log home companies have in-house designers to help you
create or modify a plan. They use sophisticated professional
Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) software for
this purpose. You should have done as much work as possible
on your own before you go to the log home company. Don't
expect them to create your dream plan out of thin air.
Realize that some parts of your desired plan may not
be feasible because of excessive cost, structural problems,
or building code restrictions. For example, simply removing
a window or changing the type of door in a plan may
violate a code that requires a minimum number of windows
or a certain type of door. This is why it is very important
to consult with a professional architect or designer
early in your planning process to make sure your dream
plan is actually buildable.
With
all the choices available, choosing the right log home
floor plan is not as easy as it seems. Here are some
tips to help you narrow your plan search.