Building or remodeling a home can be a mixture of excitement and hassle. After months of dreaming and planning, the construction and finishing phases can seem to go on forever.

But there are few things more frustrating than to make it to moving day, only to find that your furniture doesn't fit the rooms, you have nowhere to plug in a lamp by the sofa, and your favorite armoire is too wide for the wall by 1 inch.

Some of these disappointments can be circumvented, however, by arranging your furniture and considering your lifestyle needs before plans are finalized.

Not too Big, Not too Small
Think bigger is better? You'll want to avoid rooms that feel either too cramped or as huge as a cavern. By pre-arranging your ideal furniture groupings prior to building, you can see exactly how much space you'll need. Do you want a master bedroom with a sitting area? Pencil out the placement of your bedroom furniture and the seating area before committing to a room that's too small or too large. Do you want a big living room? Consider your true furniture needs before you find that you have a lot of awkward space between your conversation area and the dining area.

Large Furniture Pieces
Do you have a tall grandfather clock, an extra long dining table, a ten foot sofa, a big canopy bed, large area rug, or a huge breakfront? Plan ahead for these pieces by designing room sizes, wall spaces, and ceiling heights that can easily accommodate these items.

Small Furniture Pieces
Smaller items can look lost in a giant room. Think about scale and get advice from a design professional before building spaces that may be too big for the way you live.

Lighting Design
Many homeowners treat lighting design as a luxury or an afterthought. However, lighting can add both drama and function to a home. Illuminate dark hallways with a line of recessed lights, highlight the living room walls with spots aimed at artwork, put in handy under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen and in display shelving, add circuits and dimmers to increase your lighting options. Visit a lighting showroom or find a qualified lighting designer to help formulate a plan to fit your needs.

Bathroom Sizes
As bathroom sizes increase, many homeowners are choosing to add furniture to this space. If this idea appeals to you, then be sure to allow sufficient wall area for a chest, armoire, or chair.

Furniture arrangements are often left until moving day. However, arranging the furniture before building can result in a more successful project.

This pre-planning should result in spaces that are neither too big nor too small, and may save you money as well, since you'll better fit the size of the home to your exact floorplan needs.

Here are more items to consider before building or remodeling...

Built-ins
These add both architectural interest to a home and extra functionality. Where can you use a window seat, built in bookcase, desk area, banquette seating, corner china cabinets, or display shelves? Can you carve 15" from a wide hallway for a wall of storage cupboards? Is there room next to the fireplace for a wood storage shelf? Do you want a TV niche in a kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom? Plan ahead for built-ins and incorporate them into the drawings.

The image of a log cabin in the wilderness appeals to the American spirit more so than any other type of construction. Building a log cabin may seem like a challenging undertaking, but it actually requires no specialized skills. With the right set of simple plans, nearly anyone should be able to build a log cabin from scratch or from a log cabin kit. All you have to do is add the labor!

Instructions
Step 1
Design your log cabin. When drawing up your log cabin plans, first determine the outer dimensions. Do not design the walls to be longer than available logs. Use the plans included with your log cabin kit if you choose to use one.

Step 2
Find a site for your cabin and prepare the ground. Ideally, choose land that is level and drains well. Remove trees, rocks and underbrush, and save suitable trees for the cabin construction.

Step 3
Prepare your logs by removing the bark, branches and knots. Also cut and shape the ends of the logs. Your plans should tell you accurately how many logs you will need.

Step 4
Dig the postholes. These should be fairly deep, but be aware of the frost line.

Step 5
Install the log posts in your holes. Set them in place with reinforced concrete.

Step 6
Set up the main floor beams and joists. Use plywood or nice wooden panels for the floor.

Step 7
Do final preparation on the logs as you stack them to create walls. Cut notches that will hold the logs together, and shape the sides of the logs so that they fit as snugly as possible against each other. Leave spaces in your log cabin for the door and windows.

Step 8
Set the loft supports by fitting them into the walls or by running logs into additional holes cut in the wall logs. These logs cross the interior at ceiling height and can support a second story.

Step 9
Build up the gables (extensions of the walls that are the vertical portions of the roof) one side at a time until you reach purlin height. Purlins are structural supports that cross the loft space.

Step 10
Continue building up the gables until you get to the height of the ridge pole-the main center roof support. This is the highest portion of the cabin, and you can set the ridge pole onto the gables at this time. Be certain this log is supported by ropes, shims and poles while you secure it.

Step 11
Frame out the roof using prepared lumber. Be certain everything is level and fits snugly.