Log Homes
DEAR TIM: My husband and I have made up our minds. We are going to have a log home built for us. We don't want this dream home to turn into a nightmare. What should we look for in a log home builder? How do you know if the logs are OK? Do log homes need to be treated with preservatives of any type? Help us make a good choice! Lisa M., Moss Bluff, FL
DEAR LISA: Congratulations on your exciting new project! There is nothing quite like a log structure. They telegraph all sorts of feelings to me. Among them are warmth, stability, strength, simplicity and practicality. A log home built in the right setting will be the envy of everyone in your community. Tens of thousands of people move into new log homes each year. You are going to be in fine company.
Log homes were not the first homes built by Europeans who settled in the USA. The first arrivals off the boats made crude huts and slept in roofed over pits. The industrious Germans and Scandinavians who settled the Delaware Bay region in 1638 built the first American log structures. Many people just like you have recognized that log homes make wonderful primary residences. You get the feel of being on vacation year round when you relax at night in a cozy log home.
When you select a builder for your log home, you want experience. Find a builder who has built log homes for at least three to five years. Make sure that he purchases his log structures from a manufacturer who is a member in good standing of one of the national or international log home associations. Get the names of three or four past customers - especially ones who have been living in their homes for at least 3 years. Visit these people and ask if they have had any problems and how they were addressed. You do not want to be a lab rat for a first or second time log home builder.
The most important aspect of log home construction is the actual design. Logs that are protected from sunlight and rain by large overhangs and porches will resist rot and decay. Logs need protection from splashing water caused by roof runoff or snow melt. Pay attention to prevailing winds. Try to orient the structure so that the most frequent wind driven rains have a hard time hitting the logs. Hold the foundation out of the ground and slope the earth rapidly away from the home. This will keep the lower logs away from moist soil.
The logs that are used for your home must be certified and graded. The different associations created standards in 1984 that allow independent third party companies to sort and classify logs into three basic categories from lowest to highest: utility grade, wall grade, and header grade.
The structural design of the home is critical as well. You must make sure that the builder and the log home manufacturer know about log shrinkage. Log homes built with green logs can shrink dramatically. They can actually drop up to four inches for every eight feet in height. Kiln dried logs are not immune to shrinkage. They can shrink about one and one half inches in eight feet. 60 percent of this shrinkage is due to moisture loss while the remainder is due to the weight of the entire house bearing down on the logs. Windows and doors can bind and floors can heave if the builder does not compensate for this movement. In extreme cases window glass can break or pop unexpectedly.
The exterior of your log home needs to be treated with a penetrating synthetic resin water repellent. Avoid using water sealants that contain natural oils like linseed, vegetable, or tung oil. These products are food sources for fungi, mildew and algae. Be sure that the sealant you choose is not a film forming product. These will peel over time and the restoration cost will quickly make you feel like you have entered the Twilight Zone!
If you are looking for a book with invaluable information on tools and materials, detailed drawings and insightful text then Building the Alaska Log Home is it! This 175 plus page book is packed full of glossy color photographs and illustrations telling you everything you need to know about building with logs. Designed for the neophyte cabin builder, this book details, step by step, construction of log buildings, complete from turning trees into logs to the first fire in the wood stove. This book will really help you decide if a log cabin is right for you.
If you are like me you have dreamed of owning a home away from home. Imagine when the weekend comes, hanging out in a hammock at your own lakefront cottage, boating, antiquing in a charming little town, or whiling away an afternoon on your ocean-view porch. If you have imagined these things you need Better Homes and Gardens Second Home. This inspiring volume will help you turn your second-home fantasy into the real thing. This book will take you through tours of gorgeous homes to see how other people have created their own great escapes. Even though this book addresses cottages, there are expert tips on everything from real estate shopping to building, remodeling, and decorating that can help you. There are hundreds of spectacular color photographs of beautiful homes and great locations.
If you are looking for a great book on energy efficient homes then Energy - Efficient Houses is the book for you. This book is a collection of past articles that appeared in Fine Homebuilding magazine. Wait until you check out the glossy color photographs! They are spectacular. They are crisp, colorful and show you details that are tough to describe with words. The articles show how designers and builders have incorporated energy - efficient considerations into their creations. You'll see energy - efficient houses built for hot climates and cold climates, wet climates and dry climates. You'll find houses built in both traditional and modern styles. You'll learn about materials and techniques that can make a major difference in how much energy it takes to make your home comfortable. In, short, you'll discover that the house of your dreams can be built as an energy - efficient home. You must buy a copy of Energy - Efficient Houses, a neat hardback book published by Taunton Press.
Companion Articles: Log Homes & Sealers, Log Home Associations
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