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!
Over the past few months, I’d made a solemn vow — both to myself and to you, our readers — to keep the Covid-19 pandemic out of the pages of Log & Timber Home Living. After all, you don’t come here for world news or trite platitudes (if another corporate entity reminds me that these are “challenging times” in an effort to market their product to me, I may lose it). You come here to be inspired and learn about log and timber home design, construction and ownership. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that our situation has had a profound impact on the way we think about our homes. The side effect of spending as much time inside as we have is that we both praise our…
For more design ideas, log on to loghome.com or timberhomeliving.com…
Defined as non-native species that are likely to cause harm to wildlife or an environment, invasive plants sometimes have an appealing look, thanks to flowers or colorful leaves. But according to the U.S. Forest Service, they can get ugly when it comes to their impact on a landscape. Invasive species can degrade wildlife habitat, negatively affect water quality, increase soil erosion, block out other plants and compete with native species for soil nutrients and sunlight. That’s a big price to pay for a few flowers. Sometimes you can spot invasive plants easily because, well, they tend to invade — taking over a garden quickly and becoming challenging to control. Others are more subtle in their attack. Don’t want to wage war on your landscape? You may want to steer clear…
There’s plenty of joy in the prospect of making your dream home a reality. But it’s normal to have some anxiety as well. After all, you don’t want to live in a house that falls short of your expectations. For many, the thought of getting it wrong is paralyzing. Keep these common design pitfalls and solutions in mind and you’ll be ready to put your best foot forward. 1 Rushing the Design Phase It takes time and a great deal of thought to craft a log or timber home that will fulfill you now and in the years to come. To ensure you get it right, devote 12 months or more to designing the floor plan. “I have very few things I’d change on this home, but I spent 15…
▪ Specify lazy-Suzan shelving in corner kitchen cabinets so items never get lost in its dark recesses.▪ To increase cabinet space, install only one window above the sink and make it a casement — the crank is easier to operate from across the counter.▪ Install a small TV inside a cabinet and bring your favorite cooking show right into the kitchen (or conceal the screen when not in use).▪ Keep seasonings at the ready by installing a thin pullout spice pantry near the stove.▪ Equip your pantry with circular, rotating shelving, which will increase storage and make it easier to access all your items.▪ An under-cabinet microwave boosts counter space. Placing it in an island, instead of an upper cabinet, allows kids or those with mobility issues to access it…
▪ When you’re hit with all the building expenses at once, one way to shave a little off the top is to put off paving the driveway for a few years. The Bowmans delayed their driveway, which saved them $25,000 off the initial construction cost and gave them extra time to save for the paving.▪ Enlist your friends and family to help you complete small jobs, such as installing flooring, framing the basement or landscaping. This approach saved the Cipperlys at least $20 per square foot in labor costs. Depending on where you live, you also could enlist construction students at a nearby vocational school – you get free labor and they get valuable field experience. Everyone wins.▪ Invest in high-quality windows. Clark Thompson says his Andersen 400 Series windows…
