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