Log Home Site Planning Basics: How to stakeout the location of your new log home

You've been walking your property for years pondering where put your log home.  After careful consideration during the site planning process, you've found the perfect spot.  If you’re smart, you will want to pinpoint (to within inches) exactly where your new home will permanently sit.  This is an exciting first step in the construction of your new log home, so lets get started.  Depending on the size and shape of your new home, you will want to purchase enough 4 foot stakes and string to lay out the perimeter of your house in full scale. Here are the materials and tools you'll need:

• Stakes for all the outside corners of your home
• Colored string
• Hammer 
• 100’ measuring tape
• Scaled floor plan of your home

Let’s begin, first you’ll want to start with the exterior wall that has the primary view typically the great room wall and stake each side according to your floor plan.  The remaining walls will be measured and staked off this wall.  Next from one of the stakes your just installed, measure the next wall  dimension to the nearest inch according to your floor plans and plant a stake.  Try to keep them square as possible, you'll return to each stake to make sure they are aligned properly later.  Keep repeating this step until you've staked the entire perimeter of your home. 

Next you'll want to square up your stakes by measuring the primary four corners diagonally to assure your stakes are squared.  Check and recheck and adjust all the walls as necessary.  
Once the stakes are squared to within just a couple of inches per your floor plans, go around to each stake and drive them into the ground with the hammer at least 12 ".  Next take your color string and wrap it around each stake to outline the perimeter of your new log home.

Now you can actually walk through your future home in full scale and see what the views will look like from each room.  This is the critical point to evaluate your placement and re-stake if desired.  

By The Leelanau Log Home Company LLC
www.leelanauloghomes.com