Architecture Design | Log Home Architectural Design and Design Considerations

A log home architectural design professional can be a tremendous help when you are designing and building your log home. There are several kinds of professionals who may be qualified to do your log home architectural design. These persons could be draftspersons or residential designers. However, the most qualified person will likely be an experienced architect.

A licensed architect will have graduated from architectural school and will have the most education in architectural design. In addition, verify that they have successfully completed log home design projects in the past. What you don't want to do is make someone a favor such as a friend or aquaintance who promises to design your log home for you. Log home design and building present special challenges that require a log home architectural design specialist with education AND experience with log homes.

Here are example considerations for log home architectural design:

1. What About Design Fees? If you'll be working with an architect, they'll likely base their fees on either your total project cost or on the log home square footage. There are major advantages in working with a local architect, especially if they're good. He or she can meet with you face to face, and they can obtain the information from you that they need to create the log home architectural design that you want. They may also be able to oversee the construction process to help ensure that your log home is built as intended. This option will likely cost the most. Ideally, you'll find and investigate several architects, then choose the best one for doing your log home architectural design.

2. What Is Your Budget? Somewhere early in the design process, the total value of the proposed log home must be considered. If you are not up front about your financial limits for the log home project, you are likely to receive a log home architectural design that will exceed what you can really afford. If this happens, everyone loses, since at some point, reality must be confronted and design changes made. Have a budgeted amount and hold your designer to it!

3. Where Will Your Log Home Be Built? Whether your land is urban or rural, flat or sloping, with trees or without and so on, finding the land to build your dream log home may be one of the major hurdles to overcome. Once you have your land, your log home architectural design begins with the site plan. What about site utilities? Are they available, or must you provide your own well, septic tank and bring in electricity from some distant place? What about access to your site? Do you need to build an entrance roadway?

You'll need to check with city and county officials about what building permits are needed, for example. Local building and zoning regulations may restrict where your log home can be placed, how far from the road it must be and so on. Utility companies may have 'easements' or the legal right to access or cross your site to do their utility work or maintenance. Floodplain restrictions, soil permeability and topographical features can limit the log home construction that can be done. You'll want to be sure that your site will accept the log home architectural design that you're planning on building.

4. Can You Find Log Home Designs That You Like? If you prefer not to work with a professional designer, consider looking for existing log home plans that will fit your site and is the home design that you want. Every plan you see can give you ideas and you never know, there may a log home design that's just right for you that exists already. You can save considerable time and money if you can find great plans that have already been built somewhere, which means the plans will work.

Most reputable plans services can make whatever changes to the plans you need so they become exactly what you want. You can purchase log home architectural design plan books online, and you can search the websites of online plan services using the criteria for your project. Search by square footage, by number of rooms or stories and just see the plans that fit the specifications that's right for you.

Maybe you are just beginning to organize your ideas, or maybe you are well along in your log home design. Making it happen can be a lot of work, but it can also be a fun and rewarding experience. Learn as much as you can about the process of creating your own log home architectural design that will provide you, your family and friends the enjoyment and pleasure of ownership for many years to come.

Copyright 2006 InfoSearch Publishing

Learn more about creating your log home floor plans, log home interiors and rustic decorating. David Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.yourdreamloghome.com - a popular log home website with articles and resources for log home living.

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