With energy costs skyrocketing lately it is important that you build your new log cabin with saving energy in mind.

What’s the number one thing you can do to insure you will have an energy efficient log cabin for years to come. Buying the right quality windows for your climate will help you more than anything else to save on energy costs.

Windows have a U-value rating that is related to r-value in insulation. Windows that have a lower u-value are better insulated. A U-vaule of .35 or less is good form most locations in the mid latitudes of North America.

Windows or, more specifically, the glass in windows also has solar gain characteristics. High solar gain windows are good for colder climates where you want passive solar energy coming through your windows. Solar gain is the energy or heat produce from sunlight.

Obviously, low solar gain windows are best form warmer climates. You can still enjoy the beautiful views you might have without gaining heat in your cabin.

Even though windows aren’t directly related to your log cabin decor they are an important part of enjoying your log cabin getaway so plan accordingly.

AlanLeS

The kitchen in your log cabin can be one of, if not the, most important room in the cabin. When you are looking at cabins, what is the first room you gravitate to? Isn’t it usually the kitchen?

Even though you don’t live in the kitchen in your log cabin, you will spend lots of time in this most functional room in your dwelling.

One of the biggest decisions to be made in the kitchen is the kind of counter tops you will have. More times than not the cost of the countertops are not included with the cabinetry in your kitchen. We recently built a home and the counter top was a $4,000 upgrade over the price of any upgrade for anything else in the kitchen.

It’s a good idea to set a budget for your countertops as it can be the most expensive item in your log cabin kitchen. There are several options to choose from when picking out counters such as the least expensive plastic laminate, wood, tile, synthetic solid surface and of course stone. Prices range from $10 to $20 per square foot for laminate to over $100 per square foot for stone.

Having a budget will help you save and not go overboard one of the most expensive to decorate rooms in your cabin. Of course, you can go overboard if you budget that in!

AlanLeS

Building and decorating your log cabin can be an exciting experience but, you must be prepared to take on the magnitude of the project.

Once you choose a log home manufacturer, there are over 500, and a builder, and pick out and design the exact cabin you want, there will still be more than 150 decisions on other products and materials to make.

Obviously planning and deciding on negotiables with your spouse is important. You will be able to save money on certain products and you will want the very best for other materials. It is important you make those decisions or have guidelines before you meet with a builder.

A book that has a ton of great information on plans, decor and advice is the Log Home Plan Book. It features 30 of the most favorite homes of builders and designers from across the nation.

AlanLeS

Technorati Tags: log home

If you are building your own log cabin, decorating it and your log cabin furniture is one of the last things you will be considering.

One of the first things to consider when building you dream log cabin, and one that might not be given enough weight, is how you will orient your cabin on the lot. Many times the orientation to the path of the sun is given less consideration than how the cabin is oriented towards the road.

Most cabins are built where there will be drastic temperature changes from season to season and if your cabin is oriented accordingly you can save significantly on energy costs during the year.

You also want to take into consideration the view your log cabin might have. We stayed in a log cabin this past October with some friends that was absolutely stunning. However, the largest picture window in the cabin was overlooking the woods, not the beautiful mountain scenery off of the side porch.

Remember, before you build your dream cabin, get with your builder and spend some time just surveying and having a good thoughtful look and the sun and surrounding scenery so you can enjoy your home away from home for years to come.

AlanLeS

Technorati Tags: log cabin

If you are building or buying a log cabin and are starting to think about the log cabin furniture you will put in your cabin here is a handy, little know fact about log cabin lighting.

Because of the surface area, textures and colors in a tongue and groove interior, you will need twice as much lighting for your cabin as for a traditional home. And if you have a true log cabin where your exterior facing walls are actually rounded logs, you will need even more lighting because of the added surface area of the logs.

You can see this phenomenon if you paint a room in your house a darker color than usual. My wife Jean and I just finished remodeling out master bath and we changed the color from a cream to a salmon and after the sun goes down the bath is much darker than before.

So, just to let you know, if you are planning on decorating that new cabin of yours take this lighting fact into account. If you are building a cabin, ask your builder to add extra lighting. Most cabin builders however, should already know this.

AlanLeS

One of the nicest things about having your own cabin is getting to decorate the bedrooms. Having a cozy setting in the bedroom makes a world of difference on how comfortable you are in your cabin. And of course, having the right bed is essential for sleeping and enjoying this room.

Black Forest Decor offers some of the nicest Timeless Country Cabin Beds you will find anywhere. These beautiful beds are mad with an appalachian finish and made from solid pine with maple veneer and rustic tin. They are sold as in three sizes, twin, queen, and king. A matching night stand, dresser, chest of drawers and armoire also available.

All beds include rails, headboard and footboard. Headboard measures 92″ wide, 9″ deep and 72″ high. Footboard measures 91″ wide, 9″ deep and 34″ high. Rails measures 80″ long, 2″ deep and 9″ high.

Jean and I have stayed in some nice cabins with beautiful beds but these Timeless Country Cabin Beds are some of the nicest we have ever seen.

Visit Black Forest Decor today and look in the New Items section for these beautiful beds.

AlanLeS

Technorati Tags: cabin furniture

I found a nice little accessory for your log cabin in Black Forest Decor’s what’s new section.

Bear decor is gaining in popularity and this little Carved Wood Black Bear Wine Holder will add the perfect touch to your fireplace mantle or placed on the countertop in your log cabin kitchen.

The carved bear measures 16″ long and will hold a standard 750 ml wine bottle in his all fours. Make sure you have the top tightly on your wine so this little guy doesn’t leave you dry.

AlanLeS

One of the most popular items to decorate your log cabin that people are getting today is an antler chandelier. Antler chandeliers are really more than just lighting for your log cabin, they are works of art.

There are two kinds of these chandeliers available today, authentic and reproductions. You might think that if you want an antler chandelier you must have a real one. What you need to know thought is that authentic antlers made into lighting can cost thousands and thousands of dollars are extremely heavy and are much more fragile than reproductions.

An antler chandelier creates a warm and cozy atmosphere in any room of your cabin, but many people choose to put their chandeliers in the living room. I mean really, where else would you put a chandelier?

Whether you are decorating your cabin, home or lodge, an antler chandelier can add an incredible touch to your interior decor.

AlanLeS

Bear decor is one of the most popular decorating themes that you can spruce up your log cabin with today.

For me, bear decor just makes me want to relax. How about you? You know that bears hibernate so, having bears all around the cabin makes you, well…want to take a nap. And that’s what vacation is all about anyway, right?

Many log cabins are decorated this way and if you own a vacation cabin or have one on a rental program, bear decor might be the perfect decor for you.

For some reason bears seem to bring the outdoors indoors. Maybe that’s because bears belong outside?

Whether you want to decorate your cabin, home lodge or just a single room in bear decor because the bear motif is so popular you shouldn’t have any trouble finding exactly what you’re looking for.

AlanLeS

There are many different things you can do to your log cabin kitchen to give it your special look and feel to reflect your style.

One of the most attractive things you can do is to add a pot rack to your kitchen. This will not only get your pots and pans right where you need them, when you need them, it will free up a lot of space in your cupboards.

The pot rack featured above is just one example of the many racks and other kitchen ideas available at Black Forest Decor. They have great looking wrought iron pot racks like the one above that come in several styles from very elegant to very simple and rustic.

Not only will a wrought iron pot rack from Black Forest Decor add beauty to your kitchen it will make it more functional.

AlanLeS