Log Home Living – June 2019

10 |^ Best Log & Timber Floor Plans 2019

FROM STOCK PLAN TO DREAM HOME

COMING UP WITH A TRULY

UNIQUE HOME DESIGN these

days is tough. Homes all have to

have the same basic components,

and in terms of fl ow, some layouts

just make more sense than others.

For log and timber home buy-

ers, that’s good news, because

chances are the producer you select

has designed and manufactured a

home that refl ects your needs — or

comes pretty darn close. On top of

that, nearly every company expects

that you will want to make some

tweaks to a stock fl oor plan, and

they are ready and willing to ac-

commodate you. Armed with this

knowledge, you can save thousands

of dollars in design fees and still get

the log or timber home you long for.

Here are some easy fl oor plan

modifi cation dos and don’ts to tuck

in your bag of tricks as you peruse

stock plans.

DO

Q Combine two conjoined bedrooms

into one oversized master suite.

Q Incorporate shed-dormers on the

second fl oor to increase head-

room/usable square footage at a

minimal cost.

Q Connect a detached garage with

a breezeway for convenience or

enclose a rear porch to create a

mudroom.

Q Utilize space above the garage as

an entertainment area or in-law

suite. (This is sometimes referred

to as a FROG – family room over

garage.)

Q Reduce hallways by eliminating

non-load bearing interior walls to

create the coveted open-concept

design.

Q Add or move cross windows for

improved ventilation and a clear

line of sight from one side of the

house to the other.

DON’T

Q Increase the width of the plan. If

you want to increase the square

footage, make it longer instead. As

a rule, increasing the length won’t

affect the house structurally. How-

ever, going wider likely will mean

re-engineering trusses and rafters

to properly support the load.

Q Overdo it. There comes a time

when you may be making too

many changes. There is typically

a fee for re-jiggering stock plans.

The more changes you make, the

more costly it will become, negat-

ing the savings of starting with a

stock plan in the fi rst place.

Q Settle for less. If you are spending

$400,000 on a house, don’t be

afraid to spend $4,000 on a set

of plans. Typically, revisions to a

stock plan cost an additional 20 to

30 percent on top of the plan itself.

Getting exactly what you want is

worth the fee.

TEAL

BITTERROOT

The Teal and the

Bitterroot showcase

two exterior varia-

tions of one of Moss-

Creek’s most popular

plans. Teal has a lake

home vibe, display-

ing cinnamon hues

and round accent

windows. Bitterroot

has a more rustic feel,

with an earthy exte-

rior defi ned by wood

siding, timbers, glass

and stone.

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