What is Mountain Style Architecture?

Sometimes it is hard to separate a building structure from the architectural style of a home. For example, a log home is often characterized as a Mountain Style home. However, a Mountain Style home is not always a log home. When you decide that you want to build your custom home, you may know that you want it to feature Mountain Style. But how does that “want” translate into your home?

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Describing Your Dream Home

When asked to describe your ideal mountain style home, you may say a “log cabin in the woods” or a “timber frame home.” However, log homes range from small one-room cabins to multi-story log home lodges. When describing your dream home as timber frame, the look you envision may vary depending on where you live. These descriptions are very broad and open to interpretation.

Going beyond the broad structural description of your design and being able to identify specific aspects of Mountain Style architecture that you like will help your architect create a home design that more closely resembles how you envision your custom home.

Structure vs. Design

When you choose to design and build a Mountain Style home, the design would certainly not provide the same look or feel if it were made using 2×6 framing and sheetrock. The incorporation of exposed logs and/or timbers can be both the structural foundation of your home and provide the architectural style. Knowing that you prefer square log to round, or timber framing to handcrafted post-and-beam is only one aesthetic choice you will make in the design of your Mountain Style home. Other choices include:

  • complex roof structure or a simplistic design,
  • gabled roofs or dormers,
  • type of windows,
  • exterior finishes like stone or siding.

You do not have to know all of the jargon. You just have to be able to give a rudimentary description or show an example. A good architect will be able to pull all of your design preferences into a single cohesive design.

Discovering Architectural Elements

Throughout the PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes website, we provide many examples of how M-T-N Design can create your Mountain Style home. Our floor plan gallery showcases all kinds of log and timber home designs from timber frame homes conceived in a Mountain Modern-style to rustic log cabins. We recommend that you expand your search beyond homes in a specific size range or product type. By doing this, you will see all the design elements available rather than limiting yourself.

Limitless Mountain Style Design

When you start the process of creating your custom home, remember that your home is first and foremost a Mountain Style design, and that the logs and timbers are the structural elements that add to the character of your home.

How Have Mountain Style Homes Evolved Over Time?

For generations, log and timber homes were family retreats, hunting cabins, and primary homes. Over time, the idea of mountain-style home has evolved, moving from relatively simple four-wall structures to more dynamic and complex home structures. As a result, size, layout, and use of materials in log and timber homes has broadened.

 The Size of Mountain Style Homes Have Gotten Larger

Traditionally, mountain-style homes were small, averaging around 1,000 square feet. Over time, people have developed different uses for their log and timber homes. As a result, the home sizes have increased. Where smaller structures held intimate gatherings of a few individuals, people now build larger homes where groups of friends and family can gather.

Differences in Layout and Look

The small size and simplistic layouts of traditional log homes did not lend themselves to intricate floor plans. In fact, most only had spaces for necessary items like the kitchen or bathroom. Today, mountain-style homes can be multi-level structures. They have spaces specifically designed for use as mud rooms, libraries, game rooms, and even indoor pools or theaters. Consequently, the structure of log and timber homes has become quite complex and architecturally unique.

Different Materials Used for Construction

Historically, log homes were built only with logs and some rock for the chimney. Today, the selection of materials to build a mountain-style home ranges from log to timber, and anything in between. The different types of mountain home styles and available options for siding, roofing, rock, and glass is so varied that your custom log and timber home will be as unique as you.

Today, the term ‘mountain-style home’ invokes a wide range of imagery. It does not matter what size your home is when you are watching the sun go down over the distant mountains. Each mountain-style home still evokes the same feelings of contentment. Check out all entire collection of mountain style homes here!

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