Design your log cabin home and oversee its building to save
money
Do you have designs on a unique log cabin of your own - here's how to design and
plan it.
Creating Your Log Cabin Plans by:
Charles Smith
Log cabins used to be known as the poor man’s house because of
its simplicity both in terms of the materials used and the building
process. The early American settlers and pilgrims built log cabins by
availing of the available material in the woodland where they settled.
The construction process was so simple then, there was no need for
carpentry tools and even nails, except for the ever-useful hatchet.
Several years ago, log cabins were made of trees like oaks and or any
other materials that could be gathered for free from the forest. The
walls which are made up of logs placed on top of each other are so raw
that the barks are not even removed to ensure the longevity of the logs.
Because the logs used were not exactly uniform in sizes, there are gaps
in between which are then filled with free forest materials like dried
leaves, tree barks or even animal hairs. The floors are either made of
logs piled and leveled on the ground, or stones.
The log cabins of the olden days were usually one-bedroom homes where
the family can stay and interact, in front of the fireplace where they
cook their food. Life was so simple then and this simplicity was
reflected in the simple construction of the log cabin.
However, modern man has found ways to enhance the log cabin and make the
dwelling place a more comfortable home for its dwellers. While the early
settlers easily built their log cabins for a day without a plan, the new
innovations made by modern man has made log cabins more complicated top
build. Today, a builder has to create a feasible plan or design before
building log cabins.
The project begins with the design of the log cabin that is appropriate
for the size of the land where it will be built. This way, the builder
can offer the future dwellers an idea of how the log cabin would look
like. Creating an appropriate design for the log cabin will also make
sure that the builder can get all the materials that will be needed for
the construction. Creating a plan will also result to a cost effective
log cabin considering that the materials can b e bought in bulk, or they
can even be sourced for free depending on the sites where it will be
built.
Log cabin designs and plans are available in various websites that even
offer floor plans. Future log cabin owners can choose from a variety of
log cabin designs and they can even introduce changes in the plan
depending on their preferences and submit the changes they want
incorporated to the website. The website sponsors or owners can give
suggestions on how they can build their log cabins and how to save and
maximize their costs during the construction phase.
It is best to limit the shape of the log cabin to the basic form which
is square or rectangle so that there would only be four corners.
Introducing additional corners will require additional foundation and
will definitely increase the price or the cost of building the log
cabin.
The greatest savings will however come from building the log cabin
yourself, if you can muster the innovation and the skills needed to do
it. Apart from lesser costs, building the log cabin yourself will give
you fulfillment. However, not all people who want to build their own log
cabins have the time to build it themselves so they may require other
people to work on it. The important thing is that you create a plan, or
you commission a designer to create a log cabin plan and coordinate the
plan with him to make sure that your requirements are followed.
Aside from creating the log cabin plan, you can also generate savings by
overseeing the construction yourself. This way, you save on the cost of
hiring a foreman as well as make sure that the log cabin is being built
according to your specifications. However, this job is a guaranteed
challenge for you because you will have to deal with the carpenters and
the other workers and suppliers yourself.
If you want to get financing for your log cabin, it is best to prepare
the log cabin design and plan so that when you have your financial
application approved, the financing company can easily determine the
extent of the project you are seeking the money for.
About the author
Charles H. Smith
Build-Your-Log-Cabin
Source:
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