Best Log & Timber Floor Plans 2019 | (^3)
Not sure if you’re short-
changing your square footage?
In danger of over-designing?
Keep these floor plan considerations
in mind and you’ll get a home that’s
as welcoming as a bear hug.
THE SECRETS TO A
floor plan
fool- proof
S
ometimes, a child’s fairy tale
can hold an important lesson
for grown-ups, too. Take the
story of Goldilocks. In the course of in-
vading the Bear-family homestead, she
searched for a comfortable place to sit,
a hearty meal and the perfect spot on
which to lay her weary head.
But in this quest, she encounters
a number of obstacles — a bed that’s
too big, porridge that’s too cold and
a chair that fell to pieces beneath her
tiny frame. After some trial and error,
she finally found solutions that suited
her needs to a T ... until the bears
came home.
Drafting your home’s floor plan —
or even reviewing existing stock plans
— can make you feel a little like our
fair-haired heroine. How can you tell
if a design will fit your family, especially
when it comes to size, when you can’t
try it out? Because unlike Goldilocks, a
do-over isn’t quite so simple if your strat-
egy doesn’t work out right the first time.
So how do you find a plan with the
size and shape that will feel “just right”?
First, consider how many people will
occupy the house. If you’re an empty-
nester, that number is probably two.
If you have a young family, you may
have four to six full-time residents. Or,
if you’re hoping your log or timber
home will be the vacation destination
for your friends and family (or you
have an exceptionally large brood),
you may need a place that can accom-
modate eight or more.
The purpose of this special issue
is to showcase a variety of log and tim-
ber home plans in a range of sizes and
styles, as well as to provide you with the
tips and tricks you need to design and
succeed. Heed our advice about size
and amenities so that you, too, can find
your happily ever after.
DESIGN
RIGHTS
WHEN YOU’RE READY TO PURCHASE
A FLOOR PLAN from a log or timber
home company or designer, be aware
that you won’t own the actual plan — just
a one-time right to build the home. This
is an important piece of the process to
understand, because it protects both the
company and you from copyright infringe-
ment. Deciding on a plan from one com-
pany and “shopping” it around to others
is a big faux pas. A reputable log or timber
home producer will never knowingly use
a copyrighted plan from another company.
If you do plan to build or alter an existing
floor plan from a designer other than your
own, be sure to get permission from the
plan’s originator.
To protect yourself from copyright
violations, keep the following tips in mind:
Q Under U.S. copyright law, a floor plan is
protected the moment it’s created, re-
gardless of whether or not the creator
has registered the plan with the U.S.
Copyright Office.]
Q Copyright applies to the interior layout
of a home as well as the elevations
and exterior design.
Q When you buy floor plans and con-
struction documents, you are actually
buying a one-time license to build that
house.
Q Copyright law also protects deriva-
tions of the original plan. You cannot
change a wall or roofline and consider
it your own plan.know your