ith all the choices available, finding the right plan is not always as easy as it seems.  Here are some tips to help you narrow your plan search.

Make a scaled floorplan drawing of your current residence with room and building dimensions.  You know your own home very well including the features you like and dislike.  Having a scaled floorplan of your current home can help you quickly recognize similar features in plans you are viewing.  It also helps in evaluating room sizes. People who don’t work with dimensions regularly often have difficulty visualizing the three-dimensional relationships and room sizes represented on flooplans .  You can use your scaled floorplan as a reference to help you visualize features and room sizes on unfamiliar plans.

Start a scrapbook that includes pictures of the styles of log home and specific features that appeal to you. An organized scrapbook can save you time and provide a means of clearly communicating with log home company representatives, handcrafters or builders.  As you study the photos in your scrapbook, certain features will stand out.  Identifying these features will help you narrow your search for a log home provider.  For example: If your scrapbook photos show mostly square-hewn logs, you can concentrate your search on those log home companies that offer this log style.

Make a list of your “gotta haves” and “wanna haves”.  Include the features that are important to you.  Use these lists to help you complete the floorplan search form.  Note that the floorplan search form contains only plan features that are affected by your choice of plan and provider.  Features such as fireplaces and whirlpool tubs are not included because they are rarely provided by log home providers (even though they may be shown on the plan) and they can be worked into virtually any design.