Lay Out Your Log Cabin Floor Plan Online

by Kevin Smith Author

Rustic Charm

Whether you’re piecing together weathered, salvaged logs from the 1800s for an elegant silvered look or starting out with the smooth, yellow pine that marks new construction, you want your log cabin to look its best. Log cabins have one thing in common: they all cater to their owners’ penchants for rustic charm. They are very versatile, however, in many other ways. Layout is one of these unique factors, and when you’re building your rustic dream home, it’s important to have the right selection of log cabin floor plans.

Floor Plans

When you begin designing your log home, it’s important to decide on basics like square footage, number of bathrooms and bedrooms, and kitchen placement and layout. If you’re planning this project in conjunction with your spouse, you may also want to invest in some good marriage counseling, as the process of agreeing on every little thing can be quite stressful! Using a floor plan service can make the process much easier, however. Ideally, you’ll be able to choose between several sizes and layouts.

The Exterior

Despite the fact that they all share a rustic aesthetic, cabins can be quite versatile in the features and materials they incorporate. When you’re in the planning stages, you’ll need to decide which elements you’ll include on the outside of your home. Perhaps most important of these decisions is the which material to use for the shell of the structure. You can go with actual logs that will make up the outer walls, or you can opt for a stick structure with log siding. If you choose to use real logs, you’ll need to decide between several options like rustic or tongue and groove logs.

The Interior

You’ll also need to be prepared to make commitments to interior materials and design. These decisions include everything from whether to leave beams exposed, along with what type of wood to use, to whether you’ll install paneling or drywall on the inner walls. Flooring is also a major consideration. Chances are, you’ll want hardwoods throughout, so you need to determine which type of wood is best for you. If you’re going to have a lot of outdoor traffic, for instance, you’ll want to go with a harder wood like Douglas fir with a tight grain.

The Details

Other details may seem smaller, but they are no less important in the grand scheme of things. You’ll have to live with them on a day-to-day basis, too. When you’re laying out log cabin floor plans, don’t forget to factor in details like where you’ll be putting stairs and which kind of rails you’ll be using. Things like placement and materials of decks are also important and should come up in the online planning service you choose.