Want to add a really rustic look and feel to your log cabin or home? Have a look at the Antler Lamp to the left. Having an antler lamp is like having part of nature right inside your cabin.

An antler lamp is a nice way to add a warm, cozy atmosphere to any room in your log cabin or home. Antler lamps and chandeliers are becoming extremely popular decorations and are really more like works of art.

The nice thing about an antler lamp as opposed to an antler chandelier is that they are much less expensive. You can still have the exotic look of having antler lighting in your dwelling without the high cost.

Have a look at Black Forest Decor to see all they offer in antler lamps.

AlanLeS

Tags: lamps, decor, log cabins, lighting, floor lamps, lamp, log cabin furniture

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Someday even the most modern looking log cabin furniture you’ve picked out for today will look old or out of style, or both. But your flooring, which will certainly be wood, could last well past the ownership of your cabin, that is if you choose the right wood flooring. For example the wood floors in Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, have been there for nearly 200 years.

There are several different kind of wood and several different kind of finishes you can have on your floor. With all there is to choose from, making a decision can be a difficult one.

I found an article in the San Jose Mercury News that will help take the mystery out of choosing a wood for your cabin flooring.

You can also find out more information about hardwoods at the American Hardwood Information Center.

AlanLeS

Tags: wood floors, flooring, log cabins, hardwood, floors

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My wife Jean and I are planning to attend the Log And Timber Home Show in Orlando on March 17-19 at the Orange County Convention Center. It’s about an hour’s drive from where we live.

It will be the first time we’ve attended a home show such as this and it will be a good experience to see all that the log home and log cabin furniture industry has to offer. The show will feature manufacturers of anything and everything that you would possibly need to build and or decorate your log cabin and "the world’s largest bookstore dedicated to log and timber homes." It will also feature free seminars on building and decorating your log cabin.

Allthough I would rather buy an already built log cabin, Jean would rather build a cabin. Either way, the show promises to be a good one and it will be exciting to get a first hand look at the industry.

Upcoming locations for the Log And Timber Home Show include Louisville Kentucky March 3 1- April 2 and Minneapolis April 7 – 9. Other shows will be coming around in the fall. Check the schedule here.

AlanLeS

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Building your own log cabin is a dream for most anyone. But have you decided what kind of lot and setting you’d like to be living in? There are many different types of log cabin communities and locations available for a variety of tastes.

Do you want to be close to other cabins in a vacation type setting like Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge Tennessee? Some of the places we have looked at offer spectacular mountain views, but have no land and you are right next door to the next cabin.

There are several other things to think about as well when finding your perfect lot. One of the most important is who maintains the access roads to your cabin. Some communities have homeowners associations and you pay a fee for maintenance. In other places you just have to agree with your neighbors that it’s time to have the road graded and everyone pitches in to get it done.

Other considerations include, what will you do in an emergency? How close is the grocery store? Do you really like the climate of your chose geographic area year round? How fast is the area growing? Are you looking for seclusion or do you want to be close to the action?

Another important factor many people never consider is how will my cabin appeal to the next owner. Someday you might have to sell your cabin so you might not want to do something too strange like have your initials carved into the fireplace mantle or build a huge skateboard pipe in your backyard for the kids. Amenities like this might not be what a prospective buyer is looking for.

Take these important factors into consideration so you will be happy with your cabin for years to come.

AlanLeS

Powered by Qumana Tags: property, real estate

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

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