Log Cabin House Plans - 5 Tips for Creating Your Log Cabin Floor Plans PDF Print E-mail
Written by Webmaster   
Friday, 31 August 2007
By David Lee Buster

  Log cabin house plans will be used to build a rustic cabin made of wood logs or log-like materials. Log cabin house plans can be simple four-corner structures that remind us of the old shelters of long ago or the log cabin floor plans can be used to build a modern sophisticated structure.

When one thinks of living in a cabin, images of the crackling fireplace combined with your favorite beverage and great conversation with family or friends come to mind. Today, log cabin floor plans can be well-built, economical plans that allow you to build your own small home from the plan that you have purchased. Log cabins come in a variety of designs, sizes and intended uses. Often used as small vacation homes, they can be comfortable rustic cottages that blend harmoniously with the woods, mountains, near a stream or anywhere that peace and tranquility are the rule.

Here are five tips for having those log cabin house plans that will provide you that dream:

1 - Create Your List of Needs and Wants - your needs are items that you must have to function every day while wants are the items that are not required every day but would be considered luxury items. When you add in the extra costs of the various wants to your log cabin floor plans, you may discover that having less provides you more enjoyment for your home.

2 - Consider a 4-Corner Cabin House - if your budget is tight, a structure with four corners and simple roof system will be the least expensive one to build from your log cabin house plans. Each additional corner adds to the finished cost as do hips and valleys in the roof. The trade-off for simplicity in the design of your log cabin floor plans may provide you a larger home for the same price.

3 - Use a Pier System Foundation - check your local building code or with a local builder to see if your site allows the use of a pier foundation. This foundation will cost significantly less than a more expensive crawl space, slab or stone foundation. The finish of the foundation is not a major visual element once the landscaping has been completed.

4 - Be Careful Choosing Your Design Based on the Cheapest Price - the cheapest bid may not be your best option. When you are evaluating overall bids, if you decide based only on the amount of the bid, you may be in for a surprise later. You will want to be sure that if you are going to have a contractor build your log cabin house plans for you, that he or she has sufficient experience in the kind of work they will be doing for you. A professional contract can be somewhat lengthy if it covers the important obligations of you and the builder. You will want your attorney to review the contract to be sure it is fair to both parties. Do not sign a contract that has too much left out or if it is too one-sided, favoring the builder.

5 - Use In-Stock Plans - custom log cabin house plans created from the beginning cost considerably more than stock plans. Find stock plans that you like. If you need to make changes to stock plans, it is much more cost-effective to modify existing log cabin floor plans to fit your needs and design. Also, be aware of the materials to be used in your construction. Choosing standard in-stock building materials like window and door sizes, trims, fireplace and cabinets in the kitchen and baths will save considerably over the costs of custom sizes.

If possible, visit local log home builder shows. You can talk with log builders, see their floor plan designs, talk with other persons interested in building and learn more about the building process. Go online and purchase log cabin house plans books and magazines. Search for plans on the online plan services websites using the criteria needed for your project. As you search online for great plans, keep a notebook of your ideas when you see features in plans that you would like to have in your home.

And finally, relax and have fun! Make the planning stage an enjoyable educational experience as you organize your ideas. No matter whether you are just starting to organize your thoughts or are well along in your log cabin house plans design, learn as much as you can about creating your own log cabin floor plans design that will give you, your family and friends much enjoyment and pleasure for many years to come.

Copyright 2007 InfoSearch Publishing

Learn more about finding great log cabin floor plans - David Lee Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.yourdreamloghome.com - a popular website for those who love log cabin homes.

Why buy pre-drawnhome plans vs. custom home plans? - Part II
By Mark Mathis

  Pre-drawn home plans:

Pre-drawn home plans are, by contrast, home plans which have been developed to fit the needs of a particular group of the general populace. They are not "custom-designed" for a particular person, but rather, standardized for the needs of a larger group.

Pre-drawn home plans normally include the "most requested" floor plan features including square footage, room dimensions, floor plan layout, amenities, and other like features. These home plans provide an excellent value when compared to the corresponding price of a set of fully custom-designed home plans which may well exceed several thousand dollars.

When you buy a Pre-drawn floor plan, you're not paying for the countless hours spent drawing up a design, re-working the design, and finalizing drafts. You're paying a reduced fee for a single license of that plan.

Advantages of Pre-drawn home plans:

- In most cases, are significantly less expensive
- Minor plan modifications can usually be made by the original designer or a local architectural design professional for a reasonable charge.
- Very simple and quick purchase process
- Can order the plans and be able to submit the home plans for a building permit the next day

Disadvantages of Pre-drawn home plans:

- May not be as extensively customizable

In conclusion, I would recommend trying to find a pre-drawn floor plan, first, at a reputable online house plan website such as HousePlanGallery.com. There are thousands of pre-drawn home plans available online, and http://www.HousePlanGallery.com offers a huge selection of unique home plans in many different architectural styles.

More likely than not, you'll be able to find what you're looking for by doing a simple search. With so many home plans available to choose from, it's a safe bet that you won't see your floor plan replicated in your area. And if you find a plan you like, but want to make a few modifications - no problem! All of the plans available at http://www.HousePlanGallery.com can be modified to your specifications.

Determining whether your particular needs merit custom or pre-drawn home plans is, ultimately, a personal choice based on your particular situation. Both types will provide you with the information that you need to successfully build your dream house!

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Interested in learning more? Read the entire article on at: http://www.houseplangallery.com/index_files/home-plan-articles/articles.php?id=28

See the most popular home plans at: http://www.houseplangallery.com/index_files/house-plans-and-popular-homeplans.php
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Mark Mathis is the president of House Plan Gallery, Inc, a residential design firm that develops and markets stock home plans with flexible floor plan layouts and all the most-popular residential design features.

Be sure to visit House Plan Gallery.com and join the "House Plan and Home Design eNews" mailing list. You'll be the first to know about new home plans and special SUBSCRIBER-ONLY offers! Don't miss out... Join today!

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Last Updated ( Friday, 31 August 2007 )
 
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