Sue | October 24th, 2013 - 3:04 am
Round Post and Beam homes are included in the category of log and timber homes. Specifically, the round post and beam style is part of the handcrafted log home construction. The reason for this is all the logs are left with the natural taper from one end to the other. All the logs are hand peeled with the draw knife pattern. And also all the logs are hand fit together with traditional joinery of dovetails, mortise and tenon, etc.
From a design perspective just about any floor plan can be converted to a post and beam design. One main feature of this style of home is the openness of the floor plan and exposed beam work. The main thing to focus on when designing your floor plan is that it reflects what you personally need and desire. Once the overall flow of the home is laid out, then our designer takes the sketches and notes and begins assimilating a set of preliminary drawings. Included in the prelims is a floor plan for each level of the home and outside elevations for each side.
As the outside of the post and beam home is sketched it is important to also choose an exterior finish, or at least seriously considered the exterior finish, for the home. Some homeowners want a log appearance but they also want to mix a lot of stonework on the outside. In this case the post and beam style can be a good choice. The post and beam superstructure and be designed with all sorts of roof lines, turrets, angled rooms, and prow fronts. Then handcrafted log siding can be applied along with whatever pattern of stonework the owners desire.
When the designs are made it is wise to take time and look at how the designer has the exterior detailed. Some different styles of patterns can be drawn in. All of the exterior finish ideas don’t have to be worked into the final drawings as some changes can be made on site. But it is the very best idea to head into the building phase of your post and beam house with as much details finalized in your mind as possible. Change orders on site can get costly and with some good planning they could have been avoided in many cases.
So as you design your round post and beam home be sure to consider all of the details. Make sure you sort through how you want your home to look. Ask your contractor or log home company for samples of different types of finishes if you are not sure which you would like to go with. If handcrafted log siding is being custom made for your home then it the log home company (us) need to know how much must be included in the post and beam package. The design of a beam and post home includes not only the floor plans, but the outside elevations, exterior finish materials, and YOUR ideas.
Any projected costs, cost estimates, material costs, and estimated construction/ building costs, are only the opinion of Cowboy Log Homes and are drawn from our experience. Every home is custom tailored to meet our individual client's wants and desires. The construction of a log or timber home is based on two primary costs: material provided by the log home company and construction costs contracted with Cowboy Log Homes as the builder or another builder of the customer's choice. Final costs are obtained and contracted with each respectively. Cowboy Log Homes is simply the "glue" that helps bring these two together to provide a final culmination of a customer's project. * Please note photos and elevations may differ some from accompanying floor plans.