Log Home Construction

by Kim Kinrade

One of the oldest structural forms on the planet is the log home. Whether they be pine or bamboo, logs have stood the test of time protecting the occupants from cold, rain and heat - and bullets and arrows. They were readily available and easy to construct using the materials at hand: saw, adz, clay. In fact many notable personages such as Abe Lincoln had their beginnings in log structures, and American folklore would have sounded very different if everyone had wood-framed or brick houses.

The Heat Factor

"Warm and cozy" is always the catch-phrase regarding log homes but how can this be considering that a log has an R-Value rating of 1.41 per inch whereas a wood frame home with fiberglass insulation is 4 per inch. So it would seem that a stud-frame home would be the more efficient of the two and that a building inspector should require an insulation sheathing for the place.

However, logs have the ability of being "thermal batteries," which means they can absorb heat energy during the day – or from a stove or heat source - and gradually release it at night. This is called "thermal mass" and masonry products have this quality. What it means is that is that the log home will be as energy-efficient or better than the stick-built one.

Types of Log Homes

Today, a log home can mean several types of natural wood structure. Some styles are made from peeled logs coming directly from the forest while others are manufactured to provide a uniform base for construction. Either way the logs will still maintain their thermal mass efficiency.

The log construction contractor will either choose trees personally or has buyers that do this. When the trees are cut many companies let them season for a year to get rid of moisture. Homes made from seasoned wood are likely to be more expensive because of the time and cost of storing the logs. Many logs are discarded because they may twist or warp during the drying period.However, if built properly by a skilled log home builder, newly-cut or "green" logs can make just as good a home as one made from dried wood. The only catch is that air leaks can occur as the drying logs shrink and have to be addressed.

1. Natural Log Homes (Scribed):

A home made from natural logs uses peeled logs that have remained untouched. Naturally, trees are never completely cylindrical but slowly taper which makes the construction a challenge. This is why natural log home builders build this into the equation and use many methods to compensate for this, some centuries old. Because of this attention to detail a natural log home usually costs more than one where the logs have been formed. But purists will pay the money for the privilege.

Usually, this type of log home is built near the supplies so that the log builder has the accessibility to all the stock. This saves running back and forth from a construction site trying to fit in the right log. During the de-construction of the home each log is numbered so that the home can go back together exactly as the crew built it on the preparartion lot. This pre-construction method also makes the home available to be shipped almost anywhere in the world.

2. Lathed Log Homes (Turned)

One way to maintain uniformity in a log home is to build it from logs which are identical in diameter. These logs are "turned" on a large lathe and construction can be made of shortened pieces put together complete with a tongue-and-groove slot system for easier construction and better sealing. This may bother a purist, but because of the time savings of not having to size the logs the home is cheaper to build with the same quality as a naturally-built log home. In addition, because of their uniformity, lathed log homes can be built once on-site from a set of plans andthis identical sizing means that there are fewer air leaks. . Like stick-built, the right amounts of wood can be trucked to the site based on the home plans.

3. Log-Like Homes

The manufactured-home process has produced many styles of "clone-homes" which mimic the qualities of log homes, both in structure and look. These may include "half-logs," which have the rounded exterior but fit together with squared sides, or solid wood, squared products which have a log look. Both these products, and others like them, have the advantage of producing flat interior walls which, again, have a natural log-look but are much more practical. Projects like hanging cabinets and designing the bathroom are made much easier using this system.

The newest innovation is a squared-log product with a foam core. These have an incredible R-value although they do give up the thermal mass advantage.

Finish

Nobody builds a log home because they want to paint it. To go to all the expense and time of building a log home means that you want the natural wood to reflect off the lake surface or be framed by the mountains. This means a clear, natural finish on the exterior, one that you can get from a wide variety of polyurethane products. The interior can be oiled or sealed with a water-based sealant to allow the walls to breath.

Cost

As for cost, log homes are definitely more expensive because of the manual labor involved: 10-50% more. Even the lathed logs cost more than conventional building because, unlike wood frame construction, electrical outlets and plumbing have to be cleverly disguised or buried. This means drilling and routing and also messing around with the interior plans to make something like a larger refrigerator fit in a space designed for a smaller one. In other words logs are not movable. However, in the right setting, a log home will have a great resale value.