| Once you have your dream log home built, your likely | | | | Log Home Considerations |
| next step is landscaping. If your log home was | | | | At every stage, you'll want to be careful to consider |
| integrated into the environment enough, you may | | | | not just how your landscaping will look against and |
| not need to do much, if anything at all, since the | | | | around your house but also how it will affect your |
| natural surroundings, including trees, bushes and other | | | | house. For instance, you probably won't want to plant |
| native flora should grow naturally. But if your log | | | | something like Ivy or a crawling plant against your |
| home is in a residential area, is in an area which has | | | | home, since the plant growing too near your logs |
| little native plants, trees or shrubbery or if you are | | | | may cause aesthetic problems like water stains or |
| starting from scratch with totally cleared space | | | | even cause damage to your logs over time, even if |
| around your home, you'll need some ideas on where | | | | they are extensively water treated. |
| to begin. Here are some tips for landscaping around | | | | Style & Aesthetics |
| your log home: | | | | Since your log home has a very different exterior |
| Planning | | | | than traditional homes, the style of your landscaping |
| Careful planning is crucial, especially if you're starting | | | | should be a good match for this. For instance, a |
| with a blank slate. You can get advice from | | | | formal garden, an Oriental style garden or an English |
| employees at a local nursery, they can often | | | | Cottage style garden and plantings probably wouldn't |
| recommend appropriate native plants that will not | | | | go well with your log home. A log home tends to |
| only grow well in your area, but will also look natural | | | | look best with a more casual style of garden with |
| with your log home. You may also consider using | | | | plantings and trees selected to enhance not only the |
| software to design your landscape. There are many | | | | logs and the exterior of your home but also the |
| programs available for your computer that will help | | | | natural surroundings. |
| you design your own landscape. Just plug in the | | | | Maintenance |
| measurements for your house and surrounding area | | | | Think carefully about maintenance before selecting |
| and then you'll be able to select from tens of | | | | your plantings. Will you have enough time to maintain |
| thousands of different trees, plants, shrubs, flowers | | | | flowers or trees that will need to be pruned every |
| and many more options. It's similar to a drag and | | | | so often? Will you have the time to rake up leaves |
| drop interface. You'll also be able to select the color | | | | of the trees you have planted? This is another |
| and type of the exterior of your home, and view a | | | | reason why native plants and trees are a good |
| 3D preview of how the plants will look when young | | | | choice for log homes, as the maintenance of native |
| and mature against the backdrop of your home. | | | | species will usually be much less. |
| There are many good programs available but one | | | | Whatever landscaping you choose, above all, it should |
| excellent program is 3D Garden Composer, which | | | | enhance the look and feel of your log home but also |
| includes extensive tutorials to make it easy for you | | | | add to it's value. |
| to use. | | | | |