| Nearly every log home is a custom design, | | | | the obvious disadvantages of a crawl space, |
| whether you are altering a stock plan or | | | | there are a few things we didn't think of. |
| starting from scratch. By their very nature, | | | | I, in my blissful ignorance, didn't give any |
| custom floor plans open up a large number of | | | | thought to the ugly electrical panel. Of |
| untested challenges - especially if you are | | | | course, I knew we'd have meters and a panel, |
| trying to design the house yourself. With | | | | but I didn't think of where they were going. |
| almost all log home manufacturers, an | | | | What I didn't know was that by code, we |
| in-house architect will take your design and | | | | couldn't put the panel in the crawl space. |
| turn it into a set of drawings that conform | | | | Since we don't have a garage, the electrical |
| to their building system. Your home will be | | | | panel was installed in one of our rooms on |
| structurally sound. However, don't necessary | | | | the log wall. Isn't that lovely? Another |
| expect them to point out every inconvenience | | | | disadvantage of the crawl space: you'll need |
| or snafu in your design. This is a hands-on | | | | a short water heater if that's where it is |
| business, and in the end, your house design | | | | going, and you may need to purchase a |
| is on you... and you'll have to live with it. | | | | horizontal-mount furnace. Because our water |
| Here are a few pointers I can suggest to | | | | quality was poor, we had to install a |
| make your design more efficient.MECHANICALS: | | | | purification system. This 54" unit must be |
| Open floor plans are the essence of the | | | | mounted upright, and our crawl space is 48" |
| modern log home. They make a home feel | | | | tall. We had to punch a hole through the |
| larger, and keep the cook from feeling | | | | concrete floor to make room for the |
| isolated. However, if you have a second | | | | unit.GUTTERS: Yes, you want to get the water |
| floor you need to consider how you are going | | | | away from your log home at all costs. There |
| to get the plumbing, the electric and the | | | | can be challenges; we have an alpine-style |
| ductwork (both supply and return) to the | | | | home with a vaulted ceiling. However, the |
| upstairs rooms. You won't be using the | | | | roof comes to a deep V on the corners that |
| exterior walls for that, so you need to | | | | create a magnificent rain chute. This is not |
| create enough interior walls downstairs to | | | | necessarily wonderful when it dumps onto your |
| fit all the mechanicals. Each object in all | | | | deck! Because of the generous overhang that |
| likelihood will take its own space between | | | | comes with a log home, the end of that V |
| the 2x4s. Even if you use radiant-floor | | | | projects far from the walls and doesn't make |
| heating, you'll need ductwork for the air | | | | a logical angle from which to hang a |
| conditioning. There are some systems that | | | | downspout. On one corner I satisfied myself |
| use high-pressure ductwork much smaller in | | | | with an old-fashioned rain barrel, and on the |
| diameter than conventional ducts, so there | | | | deck side we had to divert the water to the |
| are other possibilities if you are pressed | | | | pergola we built against the house, and ran a |
| for space. But the best solution is to think | | | | gutter along the edge of the |
| ahead. If you're tempted to use an interior | | | | pergola.OVERHANGS: You should have at least a |
| full-log wall (or none at all), you may be | | | | 1' foot and preferably a 2' overhang to |
| sacrificing an opportunity to get more | | | | protect your logs. This overhang needs to be |
| ductwork upstairs.PLUMBING: The wisest floor | | | | taken into consideration when designing your |
| plans are the ones that try to keep the | | | | roof line. If you have overlapping angles, |
| bathrooms together (either back-to-back or | | | | make sure you are not creating a water trap |
| one directly above the other) and the | | | | or a snow trap. There are times your |
| shortest runs on the plumbing. This can't | | | | overhang might bump into another angle of the |
| always be done, but when placing the upstairs | | | | roof. You may actually have to raise part of |
| bathroom, try to line it up with an interior | | | | the roof a little to make clearance.DOOR |
| downstairs wall. This way the plumbing | | | | SWINGS: This can be one of the most annoying |
| doesn't have to snake all over the | | | | errors you can make and not catch until too |
| place.CLOSETS: I would venture to guess that | | | | late. Think of what your door is covering |
| log homes are usually notoriously short on | | | | when opened all the way. Is it covering |
| closet space. I know my home is. First of | | | | another doorway? Will two doors bang |
| all, it would be a terrible waste to put a | | | | together? If you are in a tight space, will |
| closet against an exterior log wall. Why hide | | | | it open all the way at all? When we |
| your beautiful logs? And because we try to | | | | installed our bathroom vanity, we didn't |
| keep the square footage down to a minimum, it | | | | think about the door swing until the plumbing |
| almost seems a crime to waste precious space | | | | was already hooked up. The door cleared the |
| on closets. However, there's more than one | | | | vanity by one whole inch; it could have been |
| reason to include them. Not only do we seem | | | | worse. You can compensate by swinging the |
| to collect more stuff as we get older, but by | | | | other way (before it's already hung, or your |
| law in several states the closet determines | | | | hinges will be on the wrong side). Or, in |
| whether a room is a bedroom or an office. | | | | the design phase you can use a narrower door. |
| This could affect the resale (or refinancing) | | | | Or get a smaller vanity.ELECTRICAL: The |
| of your house. Here is a suggestion: put two | | | | electrical and plumbing layout will not come |
| closets side-by-side on the wall separating | | | | from your log home architectural drawings. |
| two rooms; the closets may not be huge, but | | | | The manufacturer is not concerned about where |
| it doesn't change the shape of the rooms. | | | | you put your outlets. Once the plans are |
| Try to include a coat closet near your front | | | | firmed up, the time will come for you to sit |
| door.WINDOWS: As I'm sure you've already | | | | down with the electrician and mark exactly |
| read many times, you can't have too many | | | | where you want your outlets, switches and |
| windows in a log home. The wood sucks up the | | | | light fixtures. Local code will determine |
| light like a sponge. If you have a large | | | | the minimum distance between outlets, but |
| empty wall, the insertion of a window near | | | | anyone will tell you to put in more than you |
| the peak not only lets in more light, it adds | | | | need; eventually you will probably use them |
| character. Some people add windows along | | | | anyway. Even if you don't need it, put your |
| either side of a shed dormer. In my case, I | | | | cable and telephone into every room; it's so |
| had to move the roof line to increase the | | | | much easier and cheaper to do it up front. |
| size of my bedroom window, because by code it | | | | Also remember, you can't ever have too many |
| needed to be 6' square for egress. In any | | | | lights in a log home. Plan ahead for those |
| upstairs bedroom you'll need your windows to | | | | fixtures - especially the ones in the |
| be large enough to climb out in case of fire. | | | | ceiling. They will not be pretty to add |
| Also remember that too many direct-set | | | | later on.DEAD SPACE: If you are building a |
| windows will decrease the amount of air flow | | | | huge log home, you've got so much space it |
| to your upstairs. In my house I added an | | | | doesn't really matter. But for most of the |
| awning (a small hinged window) to the bottom | | | | rest of us, every inch counts. There are |
| of stationery windows in my dormers. This | | | | some approaches that might maximize your |
| helped let air in, but even so the rooms can | | | | floor space. First of all, do you really |
| be stuffy. A ceiling fan helps, but | | | | need hallways? Some space-saving designs |
| ultimately I may need to add a skylight to | | | | arrange the rooms so they all open into a |
| create a draft.KITCHEN VENT: One of the more | | | | small hallway. I prefer none at all. Also, |
| difficult decisions we made concerned how to | | | | consider that every closet door creates dead |
| vent the range hood. If you don't want your | | | | space. If you can arrange your floor plan so |
| stove to be on an exterior wall, you are | | | | that closet door swings into a place which is |
| going to have an interesting puzzle. Will | | | | already dead (for instance, another closet |
| you run the exhaust duct between the floor | | | | door or a foyer), you might open up the room |
| joists to the exterior? Will the run be so | | | | a bit. Does your loft serve a purpose or is |
| long you'll have to add another fan? I gave | | | | it merely an open hallway from room to room? |
| in and moved my stove to the exterior wall, | | | | Can you put a piece of furniture on it? If |
| but then we had to cut a hole in the logs for | | | | not, perhaps it would serve to give it an |
| the vent. Horrors! How do you hide that? | | | | angle and make your "open to below" space a |
| My builder built a little cedar box around | | | | little smaller.Hopefully I've helped a little |
| the hole and we were lucky enough to have a | | | | bit. I learned many of these tips the hard |
| porch roof underneath, so you can't see it | | | | way, and I'm sure there are plenty more I |
| from every direction. Still, this ugly vent | | | | haven't bumped into yet. After all, a custom |
| is on the front of the house, and had I | | | | home is one giant learning curve.Mercedes |
| thought of it, I may have moved the kitchen | | | | Hayes is a Hiawatha Log Home dealer and also |
| to the back of the house.CRAWL SPACE vs. | | | | a Realtor in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. |
| BASEMENT: There are many reasons to opt for | | | | She designed her own log home which was |
| a crawl space rather than a basement - none | | | | featured in the 2004 Floor Plan Guide of Log |
| of them particularly comfortable. Aside from | | | | Home Living magazine. |