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