Tips and Ideas for Log Homes & Log Cabins

For those of you who don’t know about a Central Vacuum
System, you gotta check this out. I know we all hate to
vacuum but we love the results we get for doing it. Well,
a central vacuum system has got to make things a whole
lot easier. Instead of carrying a big bulky vacuum around
the house or up and down stairs, you just carry a light
hose with the cleaning attachment on the end. The hose
just plugs into the vacuum wall sockets throughout your
house, and the dirt is whisked away to a vacuum canister
mounted in the garage or basement out of the way. This
also takes away the loud noise vacuums make.

You can get all kinds of accessories with a central vacuum:

• Different style floor brushes
• Brushes for upholstery
• Tools to get in small places
• Power beater-bar brushes for carpets.

But my favorite accessory is the Kicksweep. The Kicksweep
allows you to just sweep dirt, dust, tracked in grass (you
get the point) right into the inlet in the baseboard. You
simply open and close the shutter when not in use. Take
a look at the video at:

http://www.beamvac.com/usa/beam_systems/acc_kicksweep.aspx

A central vacuum can be added to existing Log Homes or
stick built homes. However, installation is a whole lot
easier on a new construction home. Installation in a new
construction home would run around $100 to $300.
Installation in an existing home would vary depending on
needs. All different type central vacuums use the same
installation supplies.

One or two receptacles on each floor is usually enough
for most homes. It is best to put the inlets on the base
boards but you can install these on the floors if that
works better for you. You will need to use metal face
plate for on the floor inlets and keep them out of high
traffic areas.

One of the most important things to look for in a central
vacuum is a dealer with a good warranty. Not that these
vacuums have many problems, but if you do have a problem,
you want to be covered.

So don’t be like so many other homeowner’s wishing you had
thought of a central vacuum when you were building your
home. Research it now and choose the best one for you needs.

One of the most difficult tasks about planning a dream log
home is buying the appropriate and yet cost-effective piece
of land. You need to consider the various areas that
interest you in order to carry out the plan of your dream
log home perfectly. Buying an existing log home reduces some
of the expenses versus building from scratch and therefore you
might want to really consider this route.

When you have a existing house on some property instead
of just a piece of land with no house, you would not have
to worry about getting electricity, sewage system and water
supplies to the house since they will already exsist. This
would be a huge saving in expenses.

When you decide that you are going to be living in a rural
area, not only will you have to consider the well, septic
and electricity, but you will also have to consider getting
a road to your log home. Also, consider that you will need
telephone service as well.

Another important thing that you need to remember
when buying land for your log home is that you need to
select and choose the spot because of its natural beauty.
There is nothing like sitting on the front porch of you
log home just taking in the view.

If you are looking for a piece of land in a more urban area
then you should already know that it will be much more
expensive and there will also be zoning restrictions. You
should check with the town zoning board or building
department to see if there are going to be any major
building developments planned for the future, as well as any
zoning restrictions for building your log home.

How much land you want is an important point that you
need to decide on. Whether the land will be wooded or
open and whether it would be flat or sloping is to be
considered. What about water body that might be nearby?
Have you always thought of having a dream log home near
a stream or river or the ocean?

Then think about the supplies that are going to be
available in the area. Find out where the nearest gas
station, lumber store, hardware store and food market
are located.

Consider the kind of taxes that you are going to pay.
Thinking about your budget for the land is of course your
priority.

In order to make life easier you also need to
know if the people who will be living around you are
friendly or not. If they are the ones who are willing to
help you out in situations then you can be sure that you
will get along just fine with them.

The most popular way to build a dream home is log home
kits. You might want to know why log home building kits
are so popular. Since producers use machinery to size and
shape the wood, log home building kits are less expensive
than handcrafted log homes. More homes can be manufactured
this way than can be done by using hand tools. And
manufactured log homes can be surprisingly beautiful and
creative.

Log Home Dealer simply means you’ll be doing business with
a person that represents a specific manufacturer. The
dealer will have a local area that he or she works in, and
they can be a great source of information on designing and
building your new place. They will not do any actual
construction, but they will know builders in the area that
will.

Log Home Builders can do part or oversee the entire project
that you have in mind. They will not represent any
particular manufacturer and they may also build other types
of projects. Any time you are going to work with someone,
make sure that they’ve done other jobs similar to yours.
Ask for references, past projects, previous customers. And
check them out. Building your house may be one of the
largest financial events in your life, so you need to be
selective in whom you will be working with.

Whether it is a builder or a dealer, they both represent a
manufacturer and will build your Log Home using that
manufacturers building kit and systems. They can construct
the package or they may be able to oversee the entire
project from start to finish.

Log home kits may come in various combinations. Wall
Shell Package is the most basic log home building kit that
includes only the logs, the fasteners and the sealers
needed for the exterior walls. You’ll need to know if the
logs will arrive already cut to the proper lengths or
whether they will need cutting on site.

Dry-in Package is one that has some specific additions to
the walls and the roof systems. Dry-in log home kits
include the windows, exterior doors and the exterior trim.
Some dry-in packages can include porches and floor systems.

Then of course there is the complete package. This log home
building kit package will include the walls, roof, windows,
doors, trim, porches, floor system, ceilings, insulation,
stairs and interior finish materials. The stuff that is not
included will be your appliances, fixtures, cabinets and
finished flooring materials etc. There are several books
and resources, be it online or offline, that can assist you
in planning, including a complete workbook for managing
a log home project. The project planner book includes a
cost estimating system to help you plan and direct your log
home construction.

You should make sure you get a list of all the items that
are included in any log home building kits that you are
seriously considering selecting. It is crucial that you
compare apples to apples when comparing various kits and
what they contain, don’t contain and the costs for the
various combinations.

Dream Big!

Christi Sealey

http://www.YourLogHomeGuide.com