Pets, especially canines, easily become our family members and beloved friends. We take them everywhere we go and log cabins should be no exception. There are many great ways to lay out glulam house design in a way it would incorporate the lives and necessities of our pets. In this post, we at Eurodita would like to share our experiences about designing contemporary log home plans with pets in mind. We will go over some architectural and design solutions that you can benefit you and your pets and how you can build up your private label home to suit this purpose.
Designated outdoor areas
The most basic and arguably the most important aspect of owning a dog in a log home is to provide a space for said dog to do its business. Call of nature is normal and living inside a flat can get problematic. But when you move to even a standard log cabin, you can designate an outside spot for your dog. You will have to accept the fact that this space will from now on be the “mud space” and here your dog will do its business. And that is ok. So long as you can train your dog to always use that space.
The next important thing to set up outdoors is a wash area. Every time your dog returns from playing outside, it is likely it will come back with mud, dirt, flees and so on. The best way to make sure the inside of your log house stays clean is to wash the dog in a designated spot. You can set up a hose or a bucket corner to wash and dry your canine pal before it goes inside.
Interior design choices
Set up a mud room. It is a great way to make sure there are no paw prints all over your log house. As it often happens, it may be raining outside or your dog may find a water source and decide to take a dip. Or it might just run through your carefully tended cucumber patches. Whatever they do, we still love them, but we do look for ways to limit the damages indoors. A mud room with a designated towel on the floor is a great solution for quick clean-ups when a full wash is not yet required. It can be at an entrance to your glulam log cabin or just on the front porch.
Make sure you have a walk-in shower. For major washes, with the dog shampoo or getting rid of flea infestations, walk-in showers are the best solution. They are also very comfortable for humans too and can look very stylish in your contemporary log cabin decor. Set one shower up in the first floor if your log cabin is larger and design it with doors opening and closing but the whole construction still having enough space for your four-legged companion.
Set up enough storage space. If your dog is on the larger side, there is one specific issue that always comes to mind – the dog food. It is much more cost-efficient to buy it in large, 50lb bags, but where to store it? Most importantly, where to store it in such a way that your furry friend would not be tempted to steal it? When designing your contemporary log home plans, include a specialised compartment for this specific purpose. Make sure your pet will not be tempted to steal the food when it is not feeding time and also keep your bespoke residential log cabin kitchen neat and clean.
Designate a feeding area. Just like with washing and other specified areas, feeding corner should always stay the same with bowls for food and water. Just to avoid a mess and disorganisation in your serene bespoke log home. And if you are hesitant from investing in a custom kitchen in your standard log cabin, simply designate a small “dog room” where all food can be kept securely.
Small things matter
For your pet to feel truly a resident of your bespoke summer house, it really is all in the details. Why not set up a nice collar hanging decoration on the wall that fits the general rustic theme. It will bring a sense of organisation into your log house and will show you off as pet lover. Consider setting up a comfy sleeping corner, with a large pillow, maybe next to the fireplace. Also consider if your pet is having trouble getting up the stairs – there are great stair adhesives that provide resistance when stepping on the otherwise slippery surface. They do not damage wood and can help your pet get up to the second floor.
We all love our pets and try our best to take good care of them. When building up a new place, like a glulam timber frame house, it can get challenging on how to incorporate our four-legged friends into everyday living. But with just a few details and thoughtful process, you can really make a difference. Always discuss with your log cabin manufacturer how to better make your log house adjusted to your pet, as well as you. Good luck!