If your idea of a log home is “Little House on the Prairie,” allow me to bring you up to speed on 21st Century log homes. It’s still true that log homes have a “rustic” appearance – there’s really no way around that. (And the “lodge look” is sort of the whole point.) But innovations in design technology and building enhancements mean your interiors are expansive – and won’t necessarily sport the “all log” look on the inside.
If you’re in the market to build a new home, and you’ve never considered a log home before, Ray Herwig, of Ray’s Real Log Homes, St. Louis, MO, whose home building experience spans nearly 40 years (almost 30 specializing in log homes), has four compelling reasons to re-think your design choice:
- Unbelievable Strength. Log homes withstand tornadoes and hurricanes. News stories show log homes standing through 160- to 170-mile-per-hour winds. They’re strong, safe and quiet.
- Fire Resistance. Solid log walls have a fire-resistance factor. Under most circumstances, it takes three hours to burn 1½ Inches of log. A hot fire of that magnitude can reduce a conventional home to ashes in 45 minutes.
- Natural Timbor® Treatment. All of Ray’s logs are treated with this product prior to shipping for long-term protection from wood-eating instects. The company uses this same product on log home restorations, too.
- Real Log Homes® Designs. Ray says, “Every home I build is personalized and customized to each owner and their budget. The first step is meeting with the prospective owners to understand what they want, what their vision is.”
Exterior shell of a log home
He shared an experience with a recent couple he worked with: “The homeowners had purchased property several years earlier with the idea of building a retirement home. I met them at their home and showed them, in general, what was available. They informed me that they knew what they wanted but couldn’t find the right plan anywhere. After learning their general idea, I took them to a customer’s log home that was similar to their needs. They liked the home, but the design was not quite like they wanted. “Next I spent a couple of hours with them at their building sight. Then I went to my office and drew a new design. After changing the size of breezeway and two windows, the result was just what they wanted.
Ray said there are four points to ponder as you consider if a log home is right for you:
- There are many different designs that a log home can accommodate. They can have a lot of drywall or a mixture of drywall and wood.Log homes can be built on basements, crawl spaces or slabs.
- The water table of the building site will determine the foundation. Ray usually suggests you add on a basement because of the easy way you can work on your utilities, plus you get the bonus of extra storage. Proper building codes demand a frost wall which is at least 1/3 of the basement wall anyway. The basement is also the least expensive part of a home’s useable space.
- Be an informed shopper and learn as much as possible about log homes before purchasing your new log home, including getting to know the salesperson, the builder and their finished product. Ray suggests you visit several completed log homes and watch the building process of new homes for each builder you consider hiring. Also, check out the log home magazines to see a variety of designs and featured homes. Two of Ray’s Real Log Homes were featured in Log Home Design Magazine.
- An experienced log home builder can assist you in the selection of a heating and cooling system that provides energy efficiency, and works best with log home construction. As with anything, some systems cost more, yet pay for themselves in just a few years.Log home kitchen customized for the homeowner
Ray adds a cautionary note about the variety of builders in the log home industry. “Many customers think that logs are logs. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many items to consider when choosing a log home manufacturer and a local independent dealer. What species of wood do they use? How do they join their logs together? How do they join logs to the windows and doors for a positive seal? Does the company provide a ‘system’ or just logs? You want to make sure you work with a company that provides a good building system so you have a home you can enjoy for many years to come.”
Log home kitchen customized for the homeowner
Lastly, Ray said you will need to perform exterior maintenance occasionally, just as you would with a conventionally built home. The maintenance and cleaning required is similar to what you would do with a cedar-sided house: pressure washing and re-staining. The inside, however, doesn’t need any additional maintenance except for occasional cleaning, because it’s finished with a long-wearing sealant or covered by drywall.
Your home is probably the biggest investment you’ll make in your lifetime. You deserve one that’s well-built and custom designed for you. Log homes provide the beauty of the deep woods, provide a homey atmosphere and can be as traditional or contemporary as you like. So look at a few log home designs next time you’re in the market for a new home. You might be as surprised as I was at how beautiful, safe and roomy they are.
Originally posted 2009-07-31 19:14:05.
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This article provides excellent advice for anyone considering a log home project. At Gastineau Log Homes, we work with oak. Specifically, Missouri native red and white oak. Our fully engineered system is designed around building with oak. I always recommend that our clients walk through as many log homes as possible before deciding on a materials provider. The interior look of solid logs can vary greatly between wood species and you want to feel comfortable with the textures that surround you. This is why we love working with solid oak.