With the recent uptick in confidence in the housing market, many log home enthusiasts are considering making 2013 the year for their new log home or cabin.  Housing starts are up, and many top contractors are already reaching capacity and needing to hire more crew members to keep up.  It’s the right time to get a design drafted and begin construction.  One of the best ways to begin the design process is by defining the top priorities for your new home.  Of course, disagreements are bound to arise in setting the log home design priorities.  Well don’t feel bad, you’re not alone.

A recent poll of couples who were planning to build found that husband and wife often disagree about the order of design priorities.  The poll broke respondents into three age groups, under 30, 31-50 and over 50.  The 31-50 group did have some real agreement between men and women.  The number one priority for both men and women was a “great kitchen.”

This log home kitchen sure looks like a ‘great kitchen’ to us, complete with cathedral ceilings, top end appliances and a bar top counter for guests, or children to sit at.

The second top priority was function.  This underscores just what an advantage it is to build a new log home vs. buying and existing home.  Our skilled design staff knows just what questions to ask to discover what functional needs are the most important for you and your family.  From wide hallways and single level design for those with mobility issues, to storage and play space for children, a new home is designed with function in mind.

The third priority that men and women agree on is ‘family interaction space.’  This can often be found in a great room or dining room.  Having a dining room open to the great room and kitchen can often serve as a hub for children and family to spend time.  Bar stools in the kitchen also let children work on crafts or school work while adults cook or prepare meals.

This log home dining room is the perfect example of a family space. It is centrally located next to the great room, the kitchen and is also open to the outdoor living space. It’s the perfect place for family meals, game night or crafting with the kids.

The fourth priority is where the disagreement starts.  Women pick ‘entertainment space’, while men choose a ‘wonderful master suite.’  Maybe it’s because women can tend to be more social, while men often don’t mind just enjoying some peaceful rest and relaxation.  Women do pick the master suite as their fifth priority though, so they’re not too far off on this design priority.

While women put entertaining space slightly higher than a nice master suite, both men and women put the master suite in their top five priorities. We think many would find this log home dining room, and this master suite quite agreeable indeed.

The fifth priority is also a disagreement, and this may be the most divisive priority.  Women pick the master suite, while men choose ‘garage/workshop’.  The ‘garage/workshop’ does not appear as any of the 10 priorities that women chose.  But, we think that agreeing on the top priorities is a great start to designing your dream log home.  And, our design staff is great at working with couples to help come to an agreement on the overall design.  Contact the Real Log Homes design department today to get started on your log home plans.   You can also read the article regarding the poll’s findings here.

2013 is shaping up to be a great year to build a log home. It’s also going to be a big year for Real Log Homes as we celebrate our 50th anniversary. For these past 50 years we’ve always had one top priority – providing the absolute highest quality log homes for our customers.

To learn more or begin the process of designing and building your Real Log Home take the next step and give us a call at 800-732-5564 or email us today.