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!
EMAIL ME rsweet@loghomeliving.com A quarter-century ago, log-home care seemed stable. Coal tar was history, and what coatings and preservatives companies offered seemed to work. Then came borates. The borate buzz drew me to “The First International Conference on Wood Protection with Diffusible Preservatives,” held in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1990. I didn’t know what “diffusible preservatives” were, but I perceived as the conference unfolded that it was about borates. Borates are a natural, mined mineral, familiar as ingredients in detergents (20 Mule Team Borax), contact lens cleaner and a host of commercial and industrial products. As a preservative, borates penetrate wood and prevent decay fungi and insect infestation, without changing wood’s color. Borates have been used extensively for wood preservation for decades in Australia, Asia and Europe, but the United States…
FLOOR PLANS Customize your search by size, rooms and more to view layouts that match your needs. loghome.com/loorplans HOW-TO GUIDES You’ll find helpful articles galore, like this primer on avoiding common mistakes with open floor plans. loghome.com/tips NEWS & OFFERS Our free weekly newsletter points you to helpful planning, design and maintenance articles that will save you time and money. Plus, you’ll get first dibs on special deals from our partners. Subscribe now at loghome.com/newsletters PODCASTS Listen and learn as our editors share lessons from 30 years of covering log-home construction. Great place to start: Download “Living the Dream: A Look Inside Cabins, Log and Timber Homes” via iTunes, or play it directly at loghome.com/podcasts VIRTUAL HOME TOURS Our new interactive 3-D tours let you view and customize concept homes…
Rough-and-Ready Grub. Rustic styling that, to many folks, typifies log homes conveys a ranch-house mood. Think the Ponderosa, with the Cartwright clan chowing down after a hard day of riding the range. But update that image; rustic has an elegant side, too, which savvy decorators can make stand out. Here, upholstered twig chairs harmonize with a rough but roomy table, set atop sawhorses. Come and get it! Embrace the Space. High ceilings open rooms vertically, so you’re welcome to emphasize the height by installing tall windows and big log columns to define your dining space. Designed right, it feels cozier than its square footage implies. Lighten the Mood. The informality of log homes negates the need for fancy furniture but does dictate it be topped off with a prominent lighting…
To say this log home fulfills a lifelong dream is no exaggeration. Californians Karen and Tom spent their early years together backpacking and camping in the Rockies and realized there was where they wanted to build a vacation home. They imagined different looks and layouts over the years, and held on to their dream. About 25 years ago, they began searching in earnest for the right location, somewhere, as Tom says, “out of the crowd.” They eventually learned about a Montana resort called the Stock Farm Club. When they saw it, they said, “Wow, this is the place.” They joined as nonowners to benefit from abundant recreational amenities but after tiring of hauling their bags back and forth from California to a rented home, they bought an 11-acre lot to…
Few people build their own log home these days, but some relish fixing up old ones. Mike and Chelsea Palubiak are two of those people. The Ohio couple bought their log home in 2011, intending it for weekends and vacations. It had been built a dozen years earlier but was obviously neglected and sat vacant for two years. “It looked scary,” Mike recalls, adding the logs were sturdy and undamaged, just dirty. Its overall dilapidated look made it available at a bargain price. Much work needed doing. “It was a challenge, to say the least,” Mike recalls. “From the very second we purchased it, we realized just how much work was ahead of us, but we viewed it as a labor of love. We have always dreamed of owning a…
Growing up, Shawn Polowniak loved spending time at his grandparents’ log cabin. “No matter how busy and crazy life was,” Shawn remembers, “it was about reconnecting.” He and Rebecca purchased a lakeside site just an hour from their full-time home in Kansas City that would be a place for their family to gather. Why a log home: The log cabin of Shawn’s childhood inspired the couple’s log-home dream. Most important features: The Polowniaks’ steep site boasts soaring views out over the water — something their home design needed to take advantage of. They wanted outdoor spaces that would extend an invitation to passersby — both on the road and the water — to stop in for a drink or a cook-out. “In my opinion, you almost can’t have a log…
