When looking at handcrafted log cabins from the outside everything may look gorgeous. But touring the inside shows the true heart of a home. When too much is ‘stuffed’ into a floor plan the home becomes crowded and the floor plan does not flow. So here are some guidelines for choosing cabin plans.
Even if a home is referred to as a log cabin it can still be a large spacious plan. The word cabin today denotes a place to get away from it all, instead of a primitive shack. The most common arrangement for a floor plan is an open great room which includes the kitchen, two or more bedrooms, a master suite, and an open loft. Other things such as a first floor laundry, attached garage, finished basement, and pantry can be included or excluded based on the homeowner’s preference and budget.
Log homes need to flow, one room to the next. Square or rectangular areas are best. When tall half walls are used to block in parts of the kitchen or dining area, some of the ‘flow’ is lost. The walls which were intended to provide more space to hang cabinets or to create a nice dining area actually take away from the floor plan. The home should never feel like a maze. Instead a better arrangement is to keep the great room as open as possible. Many times a lounging area is located at one end, the dining table in the center or off to one side, and the kitchen at the other end or stepped back and recessed under part of the open loft. This is a better use of space. A smaller area can feel much bigger when it is all together instead of chopped up into separate rooms.
Another factor that many do not plan for is the thickness of the walls. When a home is built with a 6×8 or 8×8 inch log the wall is about the same thickness as a framed wall. But when a 13 inch mean diameter handcrafted log is used the wall thickness is about double that of a milled log. A handcrafted log can range between 12 and 15 inches which translates into more of the square footage of a home being used by the logs themselves. Log homes are measured from either the center of the log or the outside edge. So for a handcrafted log cabin it is wise to increase the square footage by 12 to 24 inches to compensate for the wider wall widths.
Handcrafted log cabins are gorgeous. Each one is every different because each log is hand cut. An open flowing floor plan makes a smaller home seem bigger. Also a open plan serves larger homes well. Staying away from the tradition of chopping a floor plan into several rooms is best. So when planning your handcrafted log home be sure to look through several existing plans before sitting down to draw out your own version.