Log homes?

All Bite No Bark

All Bite No Bark

New member
Mornin,We are looking at buying some property up here and building a log home.I'm just wondering if any of you guys that have them might have some advice on things you would do again or never do again when you were designing it,things you would change,words of caution? thanks guys!Beck
 
Had a log home for years. Hard to keep clean (walls). Logs get "season cracks" allowing insects to penetrate house. Requires constant maintenance.
 
my dad had a log home, while they make a nice looking house there are many issues to consider compared to a conventional home.
There are issues with plumbing and electrical in exterior walls. Weather cracks and constant maintenance.

ON the plus side if they are built right the insulation value is very good.
 
We have built plenty of log houses along with conventional homes. I would personaly never own a log home. I can build a stick built house that you couldn't tell wasn't a log home. An it wouldn't have any of the problems that a log home has.
 
We thought about it also & passed. It's takes a lot of maintenance to keep them up & they never look as nice as the ones in the catalog. Of course they cost more to build too. Just the maintenance on a regular house & systems is enough for most people.
 
Originally Posted By: All Bite No BarkI have heard all of what you guys were saying before..I'm assuming these are "kit homes"you guys are talking about?

My experience is that it does not matter if it is kit or not. Simply put full sized logs will dry and crack, swell and shrink.

As mentioned, you could build a nice stick built and save the mess. I personally would prefer to build a good stick built and finish with good wood paneling.
 
As a plumbing heating and hvac contractor, I can say log homes can offer a lot of challenges. R- factors of the log walls are less than a 2x6 wall would be. A lot the ones I have done were built with a dummy floor in between the first a second floor. That made running wires and mechanicals a lot easier. Good luck

Mark2
 
I'm building a log home kit from canada for my employer right now. Next spring, he will order one for my bunkhouse as his ranch foreman. As the others have said, they have their own special needs/requirements/problems....

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If I had my druthers it would be a timberframe with log siding. Kinda like the barn.

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Just because someone had a problem with a log home does not mean that everyone will. Like any type of construction, it depends on if you do your homework and buy a good product with a good builder. Go for the cheapest, cut logs off your property and build with no experience, etc and I guarantee you will have trouble. I have been building log homes for 32 years of Oak, and our customers love their homes. Not on here to advertise, but want to set the record straight. And maintenance is not difficult if you build the home correctly. And there is a lot less maintenance on the inside than a home built with drywall.
Also, a "stick house" is a frame house (2 X 4, 2 X 6). It does not have anything to do with where it is made. A modular home built in a factory is still a stick home.
 
Quote:Also, a "stick house" is a frame house (2 X 4, 2 X 6). It does not have anything to do with where it is made. A modular home built in a factory is still a stick home.
May be a regional thing, because around here builders refer to site built as a "stick built" home.
Anything not built on site has a number of terms. Although factory built stuff is built with the same materials they never get the same label or value or appreciation or insurance coverage.

I helped assemble a couple pre built log homes that were fairly nice. They never seemed as warm in winter to me.
 
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