Tag Archives: log home fireplace

A Montana Log Home: Real Log Homes Goes Custom

All log homes are not created equal. This week, instead of focusing on the same element in multiple homes, we’re featuring just one truly incredible log home in southern Montana. It’s a custom designed and constructed log home made even more beautiful by the soaring Montana mountains in the backdrop.

Whenever I see the picture below, my initial reaction is always, WOW. The landscape of Montana is the perfect companion for any log home and the home itself captures the true essence of log home living. We’ll begin our tour from the exterior and work our way inside.

Custom Log Home Montana

This custom log home nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountain Range is a bit unusual in that it utilizes the gambrel roof line. A gambrel roof is more commonly found in Dutch Colonial homes and barns, but on a log home it offers a refreshing approach that is anything but ordinary. From an architectural standpoint, this log home is a feast for the eyes.

Log Home Montana

Dormers are an excellent way of adding square footage and natural light to your log home. The three gable dormers (also known as dog-house dormers) shown above add significant head room to smaller square footed spaces while allowing plentiful sunlight into your home.

Log Home Farmers Porch

A farmers porch provides the perfect space for shade on this rustic log home. Accompanied by half-log rafters, the wrap around farmers porch (shown above) denotes true country charm and relaxation.

Log Home Great Room

While a great room is only as ‘great’ as the people who come together there, what makes this log home great room is its soaring ceiling height. The full log floor joists (directly above the love seat), while aesthetically pleasing, carry the load of the loft space above. I love that the fireplace hearth is used for the wood stove in the great room, while it’s a true working fireplace on the other side.

Log Home Fireplace

The working side of the stone fireplace

Log Home Dining Room

A bright and beautiful dining nook is the perfect accessory to any log home kitchen.

Log Home Master BedroomWe end the Montana log home tour with the master bedroom with custom furniture. You can see here how the gambrel style roof could make a room feel cavernous, but with double-hung windows on two walls, the master is bright and spacious.

Love any of the photos featured here? Leave a question or comment and we’ll get right back to you! You can also write to us on Facebook.

Interested in building your very own Real Log Home? Contact us at info@realloghomes.com or call us directly at 800-REAL LOG (732-5564).

Special Gifts to Enjoy in Your Log Home This Father’s Day

Our dads. The guys who carried us on their shoulders, taught us how to chop wood and fish. Sometimes dads can be the hardest people to shop for. Sure, they have their hobbies; hunting, fishing, gardening and taking apart complicated machinery and putting it back together. There’s always the go-to Father’s Day gift – socks, but a man can only have so many pairs of socks.

Let’s uncover some classic Father’s Day gift ideas:

Display His Memorabilia

Log Home Stone Fireplace

The mantle above a Real Log Home custom stone fireplace is the perfect place to display your father’s antique gun collection.

Your dad has a collection of antique rifles that are sitting in the back of a closet in your parent’s house. With your mom’s permission, polish those beauties back to life and head to your local hardware store for mounting tools. Install the mount when your dad is at work (or running errands) and after he goes to bed on Father’s Day Eve, gently place the newly polished guns on the their new mount. Make sure to put a hand written card on the mantle below as well. Dad will be blown away and love that he can admire his prized collectibles he’s always wanted to show off but never had the time to display!

Clean & Organize His Man-Cave

Log Home Custom Garage Addition

You’ve heard the phrase before but didn’t realize your home had one too. The garage, barn, shed – whatever the space your dad puts his tools, cars and heavy machinery is sure to be one of his favorite places hang out. This weekend, clean and organize your dad’s man-cave or buy him a new toy to store in it. In the photo above, a Real Log Home custom garage addition looks to be a place that could use another toy.

Log Home Garage

This is the same custom log home garage addition, but pictured above is the workshop bay area. Another idea would be to setup racks or shelving for your dad’s tools or organize his gardening machinery in a way that makes it easier for him to move stuff in and out. Score extra points on Father’s Day by mowing the lawn!

Build a Fire Pit

Log Home Custom Fire Pit

The back yard of this Real Log Home has a stone walkway leading down to a rustic fire pit.

You could also buy one, but the concept is the same. Create an outdoorsy space suitable to roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories and sit next to the camp fire with your “old man.” Simply dig a pit to put your logs in and put some chairs or benches in a circle around the pit. You could also buy a fire pit from your local Home Depot that sits on top of the ground. After dinner on Sunday, lead your dad to your fire pit spot and ask him to do the honors lighting the match. Have your Hershey’s chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers ready for roasting!

A Weekend Getaway

Log Home Country Cabin

You know that awesome Real Log Home cabin that’s been in your family for years? Take your dad there for a special Father’s Day fishing trip this weekend. Pack the rods, bait and tackle and head down to one of your dad’s favorite spots. Even if you don’t fish, spending quality time with dad is the only objective for this Sunday.

If you have questions about any of the Real Log Homes featured here or would like more information about building your own log home, email us at info@realloghomes.com, call 800- REAL LOG (732-5564) or ask us on our Facebook page! Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful Dad’s out there!

Getting your Real Log Home Ready For Barbecue Season

With Memorial Day weekend upon us, it’s time to clean your outdoor grills, uncover your pools and make sure your outdoor furniture is ready for your family. The task of getting your Real Log Home ready for the summer season seems daunting, but if you focus on one thing at a time on your ‘To Do’ list, you’ll feel less stressed and get everything accomplished with plenty of time to relax before the party starts.

Easy Flow of Traffic

There’s a reason we call it spring cleaning! We can’t have our family and friends bumping into patio furniture or the badminton set as they navigate around the property. Set aside some time to place outdoor furniture in convenient locations – where people will have easy access to sit down, but avoid tripping as they walk from your gorgeous kitchen onto your outdoor patio. When you walk around your home and yard, think of the most used paths where people will be walking. If your kitchen  leads onto your deck, make sure chairs are pushed away from doors and that doors are able to fully open without bumping into people sitting down.

Cooling Off

After barbequing and playing games on the lawn, a pool is the obvious choice for a quick cool-down during your summer festivities. The patio below offers quite a view of the log home resting atop a hill surrounded by lush vegetation. Be sure to sweep extraneous leaves or dirt off the patio and vacuum your pool so it looks extra inviting.

Log Home Exterior Pool

Comfortable Seating

It’s always fun to have games set up on the lawn when friends and family come over for a summer barbeque, but it’s just as important to make sure you have plenty of comfortable seats to take a load off. From cushioned patio chairs to chaise lounges – there are a number of options that will keep family and friends happy and relaxed.

Log Home Exterior Pool

The home above uses over sized wooden patio dining to create comfort for their guests. Adjacent to the outside dining, cushioned chaise lounge chairs are sprinkled around the amazing in-ground pool. One of my favorite features happens to be the pergola over the patio dining. This creates a great shaded space to escape the afternoon sun while hosting your party. This photo leads us right into our next topic…

Shaded Spaces

Log Home Deck

Hosting a Memorial Day weekend party is usually the kick-off to your summer festivities. During your barbeque, it’s important to remember that while guests love spending quality time with you outside, it’s equally as important to shade them from the sometimes scorching afternoon sun.  Utilizing spaces that offer a respite from the heat, while still enjoying your home, offers friends and family the best of both worlds.

The Real Log Home above demonstrates how you can host guests comfortably at your home, while providing shade from the heat.

The log home below incorporates my favorite summer dining furniture – a picnic table with benches! The wrap-around farmers porch casts constant shade throughout the summer and gives you a relaxing place to watch the birds and enjoy BBQ brisket with family.

Log Home Covered Porch

If you’d like more information on any of the log homes pictured here, contact us!

What are you most looking forward to this summer? Using your pool or simply hanging out on your porch? We’d love to know -leave us a comment here or write to us on Facebook.

Chester, California Real Log Home Looks Great in Snow

With an elevation over 4,500 ft., Chester, CA really gets the snow – even into June.  So what better place to build a log home – the coziest, warmest, most charming type of home?

California log home in snowThis particular home was built by JR Thompson, of Mt. Lassen Log and Timber Frame Homes to serve as their model home.  And it truly is a model for how comfortable and warm a log home can be.  The 3 bedroom log home is based on the Real Log Homes standard floor plan “The Richmond” – click here to see the Richmond plan.

California log home great room with stone fireplaceThe great room for this log home has a wall of windows that lets light in, brightening up those gloomy days of winter.  A gorgeous stone fireplace has a rustic half-log mantel which blends well with the elegant, rustic  style of this log home.

log home dining room table set for christmasThe dining room is open to the kitchen and the great room, making it a great place for entertaining as guests can flow from one space to another.  A beautiful Navajo style rug helps to define the dining space, as does the dropped ceiling height over the dining area.  The centerpiece is a tasteful arrangement of holly leaves and berries, perfect for a Christmas supper table setting.

log home kitchen with stainless steel six burner stoveThe deluxe, gourmet kitchen makes entertaining easy too.  With a double oven, deluxe stainless appliances, and a six burner stove top – you’ll want to host Christmas supper every month of the year.  Hanging lights over the bar top counter seating area illuminate and define the border of the open kitchen.  The granite counter tops are a beautiful warm shade that works very well with the color of the log walls and wood cabinets.

california log home at night in the snowAs if the warmth of this log home wasn’t obvious enough in the day time, at night the home truly glows.  You can clearly see here how nice the wall of windows in the great room would be at providing great views and lighting.  Covered porches flank the great room allowing outdoor access from the master bedroom and guest bedroom alike.

With so much charm, excellent design, and style in this home, we could go on at great length about its features, but you can probably see what we’re talking about in the beautiful log home pictures we chose.  So, the only thing left for us to say is – let it snow!

Fire Good

It may only be the end of August, but here in New England it’s the time of year for making sure firewood is stacked for battling cold November rain and subsequent winter’s chill.  Having the warming glow of a fire in a log home is one of those ubiquitous concepts that everyone seems to agree helps to make cold weather seem less menacing.  What is not universally agreed upon though is what kind of fixture is best for making a log home feel more cozy.  Does a roaring, open, wood-burning fireplace feel the best?  Or does a wood stove put off the best heat and the best vibes?  Here are some examples of different uses and different styles of fire fixtures for log homes.

Decorative fireplace screen in log home great room

This beautiful stone fireplace in this custom log home great room shows off a decorative fireplace screen.  The stone is a real stone veneer with thinly sliced pieces.  The color is a lovely sand toned stone that blends well with the wood color of the logs.  While the look is warm and inviting, it should be noted that an open wood burning fireplace, like this one above, does not heat the room as efficiently as other methods.  It is estimated that even the most efficient design of this type of fireplace (a Rumford fireplace) can only reach slightly more than 15% efficiency. (See the Consumer Energy Center’s article on fireplaces and wood stoves)

Wood Stove in Log Home KitchenThis wood stove shows that log home great rooms aren’t the only place to have a fire.  The kitchen is also a great place to keep warm and cozy.  A benefit of placing a wood stove, like this one above, in a log home kitchen is that it provides an extra surface for heating tea kettles or stew pots.  A modern wood stove also provides a more efficient source of heat.  The best wood stoves on the market today can reach efficiency levels of 75%.  Some modern wood stoves even have catalytic converters to improve performance.  For tips on installing and using a catalytic wood stove visit this helpful site at hearth.com.

Wood Burning Insert in Log HomeThis wood burning insert provides a sort of middle ground between an open wood burning fireplace, and a wood stove.  The large glass doors allow the log home owners to enjoy the look of the warm flames, and the insert provides for better efficiency than an open fireplace.  According to Alternative-Heating-Info.com, new EPA certified wood fireplace inserts are rated 75% efficient and provide the  added benefit of reducing emissions to almost zero. (Read the posting here.)  The home above also takes advantage of the insert, and stone fireplace to provide a room division between the dining room and great room.  It’s a great idea to throw heat into two rooms, and essentially you get more bang for your buck when you can enjoy the warmth and looks from two different living spaces.

Gas Fireplace in Log Home BedroomThis final example shows a gas burning insert which is also used as a room divider.  This one happens to divide the master bedroom from the master bathroom.  We particularly like this idea, as we can’t think of many things more cozy than enjoying a fire while also enjoying a soak in the bathtub.  So no matter how you light your fire, we hope you’ll stay warm and cozy this upcoming Fall and Winter.  Be sure to vote for your favorite fire fixture in our poll on the right hand side of this blog.  May the best flame win.