Design Ideas for Log Homes

As a home designer I am frequently unhappy with the designs the customer wants. Many times the customer has little experience with home construction. I know that the design could be improved, if only the customer would allow this. So, in this article I will give some advice based on the most common problems I have seen.

Structural Design
Your home must be designed to support the floors and roofs while withstanding external forces such as wind. Many handcrafted log homes have very complicated framing systems for the roofs and floors. A home that is much stronger and less expensive to build will have a simple structural design. This can be done by aligning the load bearing walls of each floor with columns needed to support floor and roof beams. One of the most difficult problems to solve is a major load bearing column or beam that has nothing to support it underneath. For example, a floor beam that rests on a wall above a wide garage door. Even if an expensive door header is used it could eventually sag with all the weight. Think of it this way: Every joist, rafter, and beam must be supported on both ends by something that will carry this load all the way to the foundation in as straight a line as possible. Log cabins with good structural design are much stronger and easier to build.

Plumbing Design
It is better known that it saves money to group plumbing together, especially aligning the plumbing on all levels. But, did you consider the difficulty of installing plumbing fixtures on a solid log wall? Where will the plumbing lines go? Another consideration is: Where will the plumbing lines go under the floor? Are there walls to hide them in downstairs? Do these walls align with the plumbing lines? A poorly designed plumbing system will require much more maintenance.

HVAC Design
Poor heating, ventilating, and cooling design is increasingly causing problems. Poor workmanship has added to this. Some common sense guidelines can avoid much of this and save you money.

First, where will the ducts go? It is often much harder to hide ductwork in a log home. This must be considered when designing your home. Most people settle for hiding the ducts outside the air-conditioned space in attics or crawl spaces. This requires the use of air tight, insulated ducts that deteriorate, causing inefficient operation and serious mold growths inside. This can be avoided by placing the ducts inside the air-conditioned space. This allows the use of metal ducts that are safer, more durable, and easier to clean. By doing this your HVAC system becomes more efficient to operate because it no longer has to overcome the temperatures of outside air surrounding the ducts. With age, all ducts develop leaks. If they are inside the air-conditioned space this will not be a problem.

Second, where will the unit go? For the above reasons it is much more efficient to place the unit inside the air-conditioned space. The walls around the unit can be insulated to absorb the noise. It is generally wise to have a separate system for each floor that has over 600 square feet. A split system is much cheaper to operate, saving you more money on your utility bill than the increase in your mortgage payment.