DESIGNING YOUR LOG HOME: The Third Dimension

Every Log Home magazine has a section dedicated to floor plans, where the aspiring owners start their search for the perfect dream home. I did it too, and dutifully ordered piles of plan books, while starting my comparison shopping based on the beauty of the photos. Little did I realize - until later - that what was really drawing my attention was the third dimension: the roof lines, the porches, and the soaring great rooms. At the beginning, we think we need to choose a manufacturer based on their floor plans, but once we realize that we can design our own custom home with any company, things start getting interesting. After all, interior wall partitions can be moved at will, and the log home company really doesn't care where you put the bathroom. How many different ways can you configure an open floor plan? What really requires thought is the interaction between the second floor and the roof lines. The first floor is comparatively simple; you've either got a cathedral ceiling, or a regular ceiling. However, once you go upstairs, there's a whole new set of considerations. First of all, what kind of roof do you envision? The simplest (and most economical) roof line is one long ridge from one side to the other. The angle and height of the roof slope determines how much floor space you are going to lose because of the pitch. There's a good chance you don't have as much useful space as the second floor plan indicates, unless you're two feet tall. Once the log home architect turns your plans into real drawings, he will "gray out" the dead space, but it'll save costly revisions to be able to conceptualize the third dimension ahead of time. For instance, I wanted a 45-degree angle in my roof; this is a 12/12 pitch (in other words, the roof rises 12 inches for every 12 inch horizontal run). I have a 28 foot-wide house and I wanted the slope to go all the way to from peak to floor in my loft. The peak measures about 14 feet from the second floor deck, and I lose 6 feet of floor space to stand upright, if I were 6 feet tall. (I'm speaking in broad generalizations here - not precise measurements.) My loft extends halfway into the great room, so this leaves me about 8 good feet of width in the loft - not the 14 feet my homemade floor plan shows.