Cummins Mountain Architecture

     A front porch may be one of the first things people notice about a home. A cabin is no different. There are many inexpensive and beautiful ways to spruce up a front porch.

      While it may not be a common thing to do, a way to add appeal to your front porch area is to paint the front door. This is an easy and quick way to add some character to the space. Make sure to paint the door a color that compliments the rest of the cabin. If you have windows in the front, add shutters to them and paint them the same color as the door. You can also add flower boxes to the windows.

Images found on www.huffingtonpost.com & www.sunflowersandsearchinghearts.tumblr.com

      Screened porches are a great way to be able to enjoy your porch all year long.  They offer shelter from bugs in the summer, rain during the rainy seasons, and even snow during Winter.

Images found on Google & www.soulstratum.tumblr.com

      New lighting is a quick and easy way to spruce up a front porch and can be fairly inexpensive. Look for light fixtures that resemble the style of your cabin. Rustic lanterns, overhead lights, or pendant lighting are great light fixtures to brighten up your front porch.

Images found on Pinterest & www.loghome.com

       Comfy chairs and benches are a must for front porches. You want to be able to relax and be comfy sitting out on your front porch. Look for unique pieces that fit with your cabin style to add character to your home. Porch swings are also a great addition to the front porch. And don’t forget about small tables to hold drinks and snacks!

Images found on www.chrisharnish.com & Pinterest

       Front porch décor and plants should resemble cabin style, the mountains and forest surrounding the cabin. Faux or shed deer antlers attached to a wall, on a table, hanging as a wind chime, etc. is a great cabin décor idea! There are so many different ways to use them. Signs or welcome mats that have cabin style are a fun and cute way to spruce up the front porch. Plants on the front porch should be similar to the type of plants found in forests. Wild grasses and flowers, plants that look similar to pine trees, and natural looking plants will look beautiful and add interest to your porch.

Images found on Pinterest, www.cabinfeverdecor.com, & www.houzz.com

      We’re feeling a bit nostalgic today and thought we’d take it back to the good old days of log cabins. Log cabins have become an iconic image of humble origins and hard work. They originated in Northern Europe during the Bronze Age (3,500 BCE) and then settled in America in the 17th century. They were the first style of home for settlers.

     It was inexpensive to build a log cabin back in the day. Lumber was everywhere in the untouched land. All the supplies needed to build a log cabin were trees, an axe or saw, and a froe. Most log cabins were one room or “pen”. If it was possible, some log cabins would have a few rooms or a loft to sleep in.

Images found on Pinterest

     Building a log cabin would take one-two weeks with one man building it. With three or more men it could take a couple of days to complete it. Due to the logs being heavy the height of a cabin being built by one man would be between 6-7 ft. high. With more men helping the cabin could be taller. The length of a log cabin was usually between 12-20 ft. long. Men would look for long, straight logs and cut notches into the ends of the logs to fit the logs together. The open spaces between the logs was filled with a clay to give some insulation to the cabin.

Images found on www.history.howstuffworks.com, www.ency123.com, &   www.pioneerlogsiding.com

     Log cabins had one door and one or two windows. The door was usually facing south so that the sun could shine through the door the whole day. Because glass wasn’t used very often, greased paper or animal skin would be used to cover the windows. A fireplace would be located at one end of the cabin to provide warmth and a place to cook meals.

Images found on Google & www.tripadvisor.com

An open-sided porch with a column-supported roof.

We Are Growing!

Hello everyone! Well it has been a great year for us here at Cummins Architecture. In fact, it has been so great, we are growing into new markets! Cummins Architecture is now serving the California Coast, Inland California, and the San Bernardino National Forest region. We would like to take this opportunity to introduce our new identities and locations to you.   

Cummins Mountain Architecture

Previously known as "Cummins Architecture and Design,” we have renamed ourselves to "Cummins Mountain Architecture" because of our newly expanding service areas in the pursuit of honesty and specificity. Our team is very pleased to be serving the San Bernardino National Forest including Lake Arrowhead, Big Bear, and the surrounding areas.  Learn more at CumminsCabins.com

Cummins Coastal

Cummins Coastal is a new brand specializing in custom coastal homes. We are excited to be serving Orange county, the Los Angeles Coast, and the San Diego county coastal regions.  Learn more at CumminsCoastal.com

Cummins Architecture & Design, LP

Our Flagship Brand, Cummins Architecture & Design, has a fresh new look! We wanted to pay tribute to our profession with a revised graphic style. We focused on precision, professionalism, and the main thing that Architects are best known for: drawings. We are pleased to present the new face of Cummins Architecture & Design. We now serve the Inland California areas of LA County, the IE, San Bernardino county, Redlands, and north inland San Diego. 

A small vertical ornament with a spire-like pyramidal or conical shape, usually used to crown buttresses or the corners of parapets and towers.

A shallow pier or post, often decorative, projecting slightly from the surface of a wall; resembles a square post attached to a wall.

   Tiny houses have become a popular home trend. A lot of people are ditching the typical bigger house and going for these itty-bitty ones. Cabins have now come into the mix as well. Going tiny may sound too difficult to some people. While it is a very big change it allows you more flexibility and a simpler life.

      Tiny cabins are much cheaper to build or buy than a traditional home. This could be one of the main reasons people have started to shift to these little homes. Below is an info-graphic from www.grindtv.com showing some of the financial benefits of tiny homes/cabins.

      Like other tiny houses, tiny cabins can be stationary or mobile. With a mobile tiny cabin you have the flexibility to travel around with your home. The size of a typical tiny cabin ranges from under 100sqft. To 1,500sqft.

Image found on www.thrillist.com & www.onminimal.com

     Tiny cabins usually have an open, flowing floor plan. Due to the size, it’s more difficult to keep spaces separated. A loft or small upstairs space is commonly used for a bedroom. However, depending on the size of your tiny cabin, you may be able to have more than one sleeping area.

Image found on www.tinyhousetown.net &  www.grindtv.com

     Living in a tiny cabin helps you to have a simpler lifestyle. With little space to store things, it forces you to decide what you need versus what you want. It also helps take the emphasis off of material things and place that emphasis on people, experiences, and life. With that in mind, you have to get creative with storage space to accommodate the things you need.       

Image found on www.tinyhousetalk.com & www.homedit.com

      We may not think of putting a lot of thought into updating bathrooms because it may not seem like it’s that important of a room. Maybe we throw some nice soaps in there, pretty towels, and keep the room clean for sanitary purposes but that’s it. Updating your bathroom can be a fun home improvement project and can also add value to your home.

     As always, new paint is a great and easy update. Soft, neutral colors give a peaceful, relaxed feel to a room making your bathroom feel like a spa. Bright, bold colors give a fun, energetic feel to the room and creates an invigorating feel in the room.

Image found on www.sloanarchitects.com & Pinterest

      Natural elements add delicate, earthy touches. Use rich woods for the floor or on the cabinets and counter tops. Small house plants or flowers can help create this feel.

Photo by Beth Kooby Designs, www.freshdesignpedia.com, Pinterest

      Putting a patterned or new shower curtain is a quick and easy update. Also, updating the hardware for the curtain can change the appearance as well. Curved shower rods are great for making a shower feel bigger.

Image found on Pinterest & www.today.com

      Bathroom storage has to be one of my favorite bathroom decor ideas. There are so many options and it’s completely customizable. Baskets, bins, wooden crates, vintage dressers, and old wooden ladders are perfect storage for towels, washcloths, bath mats and toilet paper.

Images found on Pinterest, www.justimagine-ddoc.com, www.littlevintagenest.com

       Continuing with storage, sometimes it’s difficult to find a place for all the smaller things in the bathroom such as, soaps, q-tips, cotton balls, etc. Putting the bags on top of the counter doesn’t look very attractive. Vintage jars, vases, mason jars, and any other unique glass containers are perfect for holding the small things. They look very pretty and cute! A fun DIY to do is putting chalkboard paint on any jar and labeling what’s in the jar.

Images found on Pinterest, www.littlehouseoffour.com,

In classical architecture, the triangular end of a low-pitched gable; a triangular element used over doors and windows.

Lathe-turned wood elements, often used as balusters and porch decoration.

A structure projecting from a building and located in front of an entrance; usually roofed, often open-sided and occasionally supporting a balcony above.

A decorative element that defines edges, joints or surfaces through the use of a continuous profile.

   For most of us, when we hear the word “cabin” we think of a rustic, wood built structure in a rural part of the mountains. As of recently these “wood built structures” have undergone a dramatic architectural designed change.

      Modern cabins have started to become a popular alternative to traditional cabins. They’re big, bold, and architecturally abstract. Even with the contemporary look and feel of these cabins, they still keep the rustic, cabin lifestyle of enjoying the great outdoors.

     The materials used for modern cabins aren’t just wood. Some cabins are made of metal, steel, concrete, and more. For those who want to use materials that are considerate of the earth you can use materials like stone and reclaimed wood.

Photo by Will Austin Photography, www.busyboo.com, & Pinterest

      Large windows around the entire structure are commonly found on modern cabins. The goal of these windows is to let a lot of natural light stream in and to blend the indoors with the outdoors. By blending the lines of what’s inside and what’s outside you can create a unique space.

Image found on www.pbwarchitects.com & Pinterest

     The interiors of modern cabins are all about simplicity and clean lines. The style of the furniture matches the simple and modern style of the house. Neutral color palettes are used throughout the home giving a sleek, put together look.

Image found on www.planete-deco.fr & www.theultralinx.com

      We all know good lighting can have a big impact on a home’s appearance. Often times though, exterior lighting is overlooked. This is a big home improvement mistake. The exterior of your home needs lighting just as much as the inside does, especially the front porch.

     Front porch lighting is important for a few reasons. It provides yourself and guests visibility to see, it ensures safety by lighting up dark areas, and enhances your homes appearance and aesthetic. All these things can be accomplished pretty easily with the right light fixtures. Fortunately, when it comes to exterior lighting there are many styles of light fixtures to choose from.

    Personally, one of my favorite ways to illuminate a front porch is with stringed lights and lanterns. There is just something great about the soft glow of stringed lights and the farmhouse touch of a lantern that gives a front porch personalized character.

Image found on www.blog.zabitat.com & www.classiccasualhome.com

      Framing your front door and porch area with lights creates a nice ambiance around the space. Wall mounted sconces, barn lights, lanterns, and other fixtures are great for creating this effect. If putting holes into your homes exterior is not something you would like to do, long rope lights are bright enough to illuminate the porch and won’t ruin your homes exterior.

Image found on www.unskinnyboppy.com & www.laurieannas.blogspot.com & Google

     Overhead hanging pendant lights or globe lights are great as statement fixtures. Since they are placed higher than most lights they offer a nice glow of light above the front door and over the entire porch. Recessed lighting gives a front porch a clean, sophisticated look.

Image found on www.countryliving.com & Google

    Something to consider for your porch is putting lights in the stairs/steps that lead up to the porch. This will help illuminate the space even more and keep your guests from falling.

Image found on www.homedit.com & Photo by Jaime Navarro Soto

The central uppermost member of an arch.

A masonry unit or series of masonry units that progressively step out from a supporting wall or

column.

A slender, horizontal band that projects from an exterior wall often at window sill or interior

floor levels.