Hello from MA

[seanbrenna]

Hello,

I saw this board was very active and wanted to introduce myself.  I am from MA but plan to buy land in NH or VT to build on by the end of the year.   I hope to construct a simple dwelling with approx. 17x25 footprint, combined livingroom/kitchen and bath on first floor, large sleeping loft/bedroom on second floor.  I have not decided if it will be log cabin or timber frame.

I am taking a milling class at yestermorrow in vermont this weekend and will take there 12 day home build/design class in August.  I am an absolute noob and would love to hear any advice... especially the pros and cons of log cabin v. timber frame for a beginner.

Regards,
Sean Brennan

[thecfarm]

seanbrenna,welcome to the forum.

[dukndog]

Welcome to the FF Sean!

[Holmes]

Welcome to the FF seanbrenna.  What part of Ma. are you in?

[seanbrenna]

thanks y'all

i am in leominster at the moment... renting a small apt. for the wife.  I am interning on a farm over the summer in Canada near Montreal.  When I get back I will start looking for land!  Royalston is not too far... are you a builder?

[Magicman]

Hello seanbrenna, and Welcome to the Forestry Forum.   8)

[Holmes]

Hi Sean    I am a plumbing and heating contractor.   I actually live in Lunenburg but i try to spend most of my time in Royalston.

[D L Bahler]

Welcome,

I guess I will be the first to dive into your questions,

Weighing the pros and cons has a great deal of variables. Anyone who thinks one way is universally better is mistaken, it all depends on the situation, the individuals, etc.
So with that in mind, tell us a bit more about what you want, what resources you have at your disposal -like money, equipment, building materials- what kind of 'image' you want, etc.
Then just spend a long time looking around at other buildings, other homes, browse the internet, etc. until you find something that really strikes you. Don't make a hasty decision, and don't let anyone else tell you what you should do.

Also go outside of your comfort zone, look at things well outside of the things you want -not because you need to change your ideas, but because when you do that you might stumble upon some great idea you would never have thought about otherwise.

I am personally an advocate of mixed log and timber building -essentially unbraced timber frames with heavy plank or log infill- it's a great middle ground that has the appeal of a log cabin without most of its inherent limitations.

[Brad_bb]

Welcome!  I'm biased toward timberframe and I don't know anything about log building.  A timberframe you could build at home and transport the pieces for a quick erection (no jokes please) and close in.   ;D

[clww]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.