Designing a home where everyone feels at home will allow you to comfortably age in place. We all know that as we age, our needs change. That minivan that allowed you to shuttle kids to soccer practice isn’t all that practical when you have just one or two passengers,...
Y’All Come Eat
Accessibility in cooking and dining areas is a must. There are lots of universal design ideas for kitchens, some of which you may implement and others you may not want. Here are some ways log and timber homeowners made their kitchens user-friendly. Tomahawk Log &...
Planning a Beautiful & Functional Home
Your home will be much easier to navigate (and more attractive) if you build it for people of all ages and abilities now rather than retrofitting your home later. A few years ago, I had a major operation that resulted in several months of recovery in my home. Although...
WELCOME, Y’All
Getting up to and through a front entry door can be difficult for anyone carrying a baby, bringing in groceries, delivering large items like furniture, walking with a cane, crutches, or walker, using a wheelchair, or pushing a baby or dog stroller. Here are some ways...
A New Lending Landscape
How to find a lender to buy and build your dream home. If you haven’t applied for a mortgage loan recently, say in the last 13 years, then you will likely be in for some surprises when building your new log and timber frame home. That’s because the lending space...
The Grand Entry
Giving the entrance to your home the “wow” factor requires creativity and design expertise. Aside from the basic functions of ingress and egress, the look and feel of the entryway and the functionality of the mudroom add ambience and accessibility to the overall flow...
Creating Your Perfect Home
Choosing whether you want a custom log or timber home, a semi-custom home, or a standard package can be difficult. Here are the pros and cons of them all. Log and timber homes exemplify the enduring harmony between nature and architectural craftsmanship. A log or...
Harbor View
A masterly crafted lakefront hybrid home with stunning views and easy lake access is a dream come true for this Wisconsin couple. Along the serene shores of Green Lake in Wisconsin stands the “Harbor View,” an aptly named hybrid home that...
Designing for a Great First Impression
An attractive home exterior will make people want to see the inside of your log or timber home. Whether you’re building a cozy cabin, a modest retreat, or a big family getaway, the exterior of your home makes a memorable impression that gives people a sense of what to...
Home Away from Home
A couple chooses a stock log home plan for their ski vacation home and modifies it to fit their family perfectly. In the winter of 2012-2013 Grant and Lori Colby were skiing at Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana when, on a whim, they decided to investigate land...
Location, Location, Location
Selecting your building site wisely is key for your budget. The adventure of building a log or timber home begins with an idea. Then comes the challenge of making the dream a reality, and the list of items to be completed is long. Among the first and most critical...
Home Suite Home
Today, more and more homeowners are including hotel-style rooms and suites in their home design and it’s a trend that’s expected to last a long time. If a family member or friend is visiting for a night or forever, there are ways to make space in your home that’s...