Interesting Questions

[KeithMN]

What would you do differently, if anything, if you rebuilt your home again?
-(Kind of an "if I realized then what I realized now" kinda question.) This applies towards anything... planning, designing, purchases, building techniques, cost, how you acquired items, rooms you would plan or construct differently, heating, cooling, electrical, plumbing, tools, patience, labor, materials, etc.,

What did you worry most about but later realize wasn't necessary? What did you maybe not worry enough about?

In seeing other people's log homes (in pictures or in person), what did you like the best?
-What made you say, "Now that was a great idea!"

What's the dumbest/least effective thing you've seen in other log homes?
-What made you say, "Huh? Are you kidding? Why?"

What is the most unique, interesting, fun or coolest thing you seen in other log homes?
-Live tree growing through the house, a secret room/passage, special pet features, etc.,

[KeithMN]

Wow, plenty of disinterest in these questions! :lol: I thought of these questions because I found a log home book in the library and it was full of some not so traditional photos of extravagant log homes and the features people have put into them.

There were living trees with retractable roofs and waterfalls, items made out of toilets, rooms dedicated to cats and birds, streams and brooks running through the living rooms, stairs leading up to lofts and slides coming down from them, etc., I won't even mention the bathrooms!

I just thought it was very unique to see what so many people had done and thought I'd ask what kind of things people here may have seen. Admin can delete this thread though since it's not of interest.

[rreidnauer]

Well, for me, some of the questions can't be answered.

1. Can't answer, haven't gotten there yet.
2. Can't answer, haven't gotten there yet.
3. Log gables. I love log gables. :lol:
4. If your talking kithomes, jack screws and slotted door/window frames
5. That would have to be the staircase turret of Ric Carlson's place. http://www.loghomebuilders.org/log-home-pictures-14.htm

[salinamatt]

We are going to build a second home and have learned quite a bit from doing the first one.
To start off, we will use bigger logs on the second house. They just have a better feel to them and you set less logs per wall if they are larger.
We will also use a crane for the whole process of building the shell on the second home. Its more expensive but less dangerous in my opinion. We had a lifting log snap while we were lifting our ridge pole. We were lucky and didn't damage the ridge pole.
I have a better idea now of how to layout the wet walls and the rooms directly below it. I think I could go on and on about all of the things we learned on this first house.
For the worries, we stressed about every single step of the building process and then we would complete that step and realize it wasn't anywhere close to the difficulty that we thought it would be. We haven't come across any part of building the log home yet that was harder then we expected. Except for logging the logs ourselves, that was something that was way more then we expected.
What I like the best in log homes I have seen is the staircases made with logs, the handmade iron angle pieces (which is something we did), and how good the logs can look when stained properly and time is taken on the inside chinking.
The dumbest thing I saw was the basic structure of most log homes. I still don't get how most of those are staying upright.
The most unique is definitely the staircase in the turret. I completely agree with rreidnauer on that one. My husband now has all of these images of building a log turret on the roof of our next place and having a little hideout/observatory up there.
Great questions KeithMN.

[KeithMN]

Thanks for responding Rod. When I saw the book and all the "odd" things people did to their log homes, I thought it would be interesting to ask if anyone here had seen anything like that themselves. The staircase turret looks fantastic on the inside. Personally, the outside isn't my style but it's an amazing feat to achieved!

salinamatt, Thanks for all of your input. It was really interesting to read your thought processes and what you would do differently. I'm a firm believer in learning from other people's mistakes, so I appreciate it!

I've got my plane, B&B, and car reservations set (with the exception for one night in Seattle. Not sure where to stay yet.) I'm excited about class, but I'm not trying to think about it too much right now. November is a busy month for me because I'm a member of NaNoWriMo, too. (National Novel Writing Month) The goal is to get 50,000 words of a novel written during the month. I have to do this AND take six days off for my trip to Seattle, so.... It will be interesting!

[greenthumb]

I don't have time to write a response to the original questions(haven't built, in fact just took the class a few weeks ago), but figured I'd give a few tips on where to stay since you're still looking.

We stayed two nights at the Sea-Tac Value Inn in Seattle, 3 nights at the Gaylord B&B in Everett, and a night at the Wallace Falls Lodge in Gold Bar. I recommend all three highly.

[greenthumb]

What would you do differently, if anything, if you rebuilt your home again?


I haven't built yet(took the class a few weeks ago), but hopefully I won't have anything I would do differently, if so I'd just do it on the next house I build. :D I am sure there are going to be some things I'd do differently if I had the money- 'nicer stuff'(as in fixtures) would be one.



What did you worry most about but later realize wasn't necessary? What did you maybe not worry enough about?


Haven't made it that far yet.



In seeing other people's log homes (in pictures or in person), what did you like the best?
-What made you say, "Now that was a great idea!"


I liked the idea about attaching the stair treads with angle iron. I like one house I saw with the rebar used for railing and log rafters(Lucky Dog Lodge??). I like the Renfroe's use of two squares attached with a common wall. It would make good use of short logs if you want a larger house.




What's the dumbest/least effective thing you've seen in other log homes?
-What made you say, "Huh? Are you kidding? Why?"

I don't think I've seen anything done yet that I would say is dumb or 'are you kidding?' I have seen a few things that make sense on a functional level or as something that is a cool concept, but doesn't look great when its implemented. However, those tend to be things I'm coming to accept more and more as I get the 'log home magazine' ideas out of my head. Log homes are definitely a style of building where function comes before form. Some of the dormers I've seen are huge or are attached to the outer wall. They struck me as odd when I first saw them, but once I realized how beneficial they are, I've come to see them differently. :) I've never seen kits as real log homes so I won't even go into some of the dumb things I've seen on those. (I'll try to stop rambling now. :) )




What is the most unique, interesting, fun or coolest thing you seen in other log homes?
-Live tree growing through the house, a secret room/passage, special pet features, etc.,

The door that had been hand adzed/grooved to give it a rustic feel was one of the coolest. 8) The Jessups have a slightly rounded door to their kitchen that is nice. I saw one recently, don't recall whose house, that has a kitchen bar cut from a single slab of wood. Waking up in one of the rooms at Wallace Falls Lodge and seeing a huge mountain through the window was great! :) I'm not sure if I can get enough fill dirt on my property for that one... :D I'm rather envious of Skip's ridgepole. :shock: His 'windows' are a cool idea(ask about that one in the class). The guy's open windows in the bathroom was another idea I liked, but I don't think my wife will let me do that. :lol: I guess I could go on a while. There are definitely quite a few creative guys building...

Whew! Quite a bit of typing. I think I'll add a question. What is your most favorite log house? I have a hard time choosing... this is one of my favorites though.

http://www.loghomebuilders.org/log-homes-22.htm

[Jordan Laube]

Keith -
Several ideas that you may find interesting:
1. Enertia-type building concept (enertia.com) that builds on the concept of using the mass of the house to heat / cool...
2. Hidden stairs behind a bookcase (not sure who's house but I have seen somebody that has used this idea)...
3. Totem-Pole / carving at the top of a vertical (support?) log. I believe that this was used in one of the houses on the website...
4. Port-hole window (like on a boat)...
5. Concrete floor - I have seen lots of interesting ideas that use different etching / scoring / acid wash that look nothing like "concrete."
6. As mentioned above but has to be noted again - the cool door that was given some personality with the adze (spelling?).
7. "Green Roof" that has soil / plants...

Hope all is well - we plan to be in the cities between Dec 26 & Jan 8 and let you know when time is available...
J-

[KeithMN]

greenthumb, thanks for responding. I'm a door fan, too. I love big, interesting doors and would like to make my own. I want a huge front door so I have no problems bringing big items into the house. I like big sofas and am tired of narrow doorways. When I lived overseas, I got my fill of spectacular old doors to look at!

Jordan, I'll definitely take a look at the enertia website you linked. I like the idea. I'm at a bit of a stalemate though because I don't understand the design and building method yet so I don't want to get my heart set on having something in my log home and then finding out it's not feasible. Grrr...

I remember seeing the picture that you're talking about with the stairs behind the bookcase. Wasn't it a ladder that went up? Being a writer of young adult fiction, I love the idea of secret passageways and hidden rooms. Would like to incorporate a little something like that! Here's a very interesting link from a company that specializes in them: http://www.hiddenpassageway.com/ Click on VIDEO and then watch the animations. Way cool! I like the one under the staircase. The slide under the chair is hysterical!

I like the port hole windows, too. See, this is where I'm torn with what I want to do with my log home. I like the fun, unique things, but I also want to keep it really simple. I love the idea of a "green roof", which was in my original plans. I was even going to ask people here if it's possible. But I thought the answer would be something like: "It's not recommended because you really need a slanted roof to take care of the snow, rain, etc.,"

Looking forward to seeing you when you come to town. I'll be around!

[ChainsawGrandpa]

"What would you do differently, if anything, if you rebuilt
your home again?"

Right now I'm just about to finish the guest house, but....

1. I would buy TWO good 24' ladders
2. Two ladder jacks
3. 16' plank
4. Harness & two good 100' 1500# test ropes
5. Two ladder top jacks
6. Two matress belts
7. Have my mill operational and the wood milled.
8. Only pay cash (done that, smart move)
9. Make the storage building and garage bigger, with bigger doors,
and design the house to be smaller.
10. Sell everything and live on the property.
11. Design it simple, build it simple, and keep it cheap.
12. Build on a flat area on the property.
13. Wear shin protection.
14. Build as spartan as possible. Don't worry, the house
will still have plenty of character. Keep it very simple!
15. Find the best tarps, then keep looking for better tarps. Get a
size larger than you think you will need, and buy two more than
you anticipate needing.
16. Have fun!!! You're not building in a subdivision, you hopefully
are building for cash and don't have a lender breathing down
your neck.

What did you worry most about but later realize wasn't
necessary? What did you maybe not worry enough about?

1. I spent too much time worrying about the local weather.
2. I spent too little time considering the local weather.

In other words. prepare the materials, and plan your work.
Build in phases. If you can't finish the phase before the weather
hits, then don't start that phase and spend the time preparing
and gathering more cheap or free materials.

Now those AREN'T the answers you were expecting, but man, oh, man,
these are things I wish I had considered.

-Rick

[txn]

Thanks for the response and if you don't mind clarifying a few things.



"What would you do differently, if anything, if you rebuilt your home again?"

6. Two matress belts

What do you use these for?




15. Find the best tarps, then keep looking for better tarps. Get a size larger than you think you will need, and buy two more than you anticipate needing.

Same question as above.

[Basil]

Tarps protect thigs from the weather. Logs, tools, work areas, that portion of the roof that blew off before you got it screwed down, etc. If you are in a position where you have to build on a site without storage, tarps become storage. Cheap tarps are delicate, leaky, and prone to shredding in a strong wind, when you might need them the most. The more on-site storage you have, the less you need tarps. Especially if you don't have to season your logs.