Architectural log home plans
Different people have different desires, but one dream that is common to almost everyone is to acquire one's dream home. Those who are ardent admirers of nature always dream of living in the vicinity of nature. For such people a log home would be an ideal option as a nature birdie would obviously like his home to be constructed with something that gives him the feel of lying in the laps of nature. Here is the key to know about the kinds of log homes and architectural log home plans.
A log home includes homes whose exterior is mainly log construction. Usually these homes have regular 2x4 interior wall construction, but an architectural log home plan can make them acquire interior walls or accent walls using logs. Architectural log home plans could be of many types, the major ones being traditional, transitional and contemporary.
An architectural log home plan enables a traditional style of home to encompass many styles. The Tudor, Colonial, Cape Cod and European styles are the more recognizable of the more traditional exteriors. The floor plans are created with walls at right angles to each other, which result in a squarer exterior. The rooflines can be a mix of gables and hips.
As the term transitional itself suggests, a transitional log home is a new label for a style of home that combines a contemporary style with a traditional style. Here the architectural log home plan can have angled walls with lots of open spaces, which is more contemporary. The exterior will include bayed windows, hip roofs, sometimes combined with gables with lap siding and brick accents. The fireplace chimney, if a focal point, will be designed much like the old Tudor style chimney.
In a contemporary architectural log home there are certain key features such as flat roofs but most commonly gabled roofs. The gables are high with strong influences from the earlier styles, the major ones being the craftsman and prairie styles. The overhanging eaves will sometimes show exposed roof beams. The windows are tall and triangular shaped. Exterior treatments are various combinations of wood, brick and stone with the absence of traditional details. The lines are clean and strong. There is also the Contemporary traditional style that comprises of traditional homes with modern design elements.
Most of the modern architectural log home plans have Clerestory windows, roofs that pitch in one direction, large overhangs on just two sides of the home, vertical wood siding and patches of stonework. The architectural log home plan provides a key feature to this style in the form of solar adaptation. As compared to this, the contemporary 80's style has more of trendy details such as glass block and pipe railings. Strong geometric forms were used often showing an "Art Nuevo" influence.