Log homes have been popular among homeowners for ages, and for good reasons.
They are beautiful and make you feel closer to nature.
But before you go buying a log home, know that the benefits of living in a cabin don’t necessarily come easy. Log homes are unique in everything from their construction process to their maintenance, and being unfamiliar with these factors can lead to a few concerns down the road.
That’s why we have come up with some important things you should know before building a log home.
What is a Log Cabin or Log Home:
A log home or log cabin refers to any structure made by using whole logs. These logs are generally horizontal but can also be seen vertical. The horizontal logs interlock with each other at joints (corners) by using a technique called notching.
Log homes can be made with different types of logs but pine is the most common. Logs can be hand hewn, round, square, milled or handcrafted.
Wide Range of Styles to Choose From:
You can build a log house in the way you want them to be. Different corner construction, different trees, and different processes—each one of them can impact the appearance of your log home.
You can choose between sawn logs that are sawed at consistent widths or milled logs that are put through a machine to achieve a uniform shape.
Although the logs make up the overall interior and exterior, the modern style has involved different materials as well. For example, a rock entryway or fireplace might complement your rustic look.
Wiring is Not That Easy:
Complications can arise during electrical wiring installation. Wiring a log home is far different from wiring a conventional home. Because log walls are solid; wiring for switches, wall plugs, and lights often goes below the floor level and are brought up through channels drilled during construction. Keep this in mind if you plan for renovations, it will take a professional to modify lights or plugs.
Insects Problems:
If talking about the downsides of living in a log house, insect problems should be one of them. There might be many insects that live in, feed on, or otherwise make use of wood, such as carpenter ants, termites, and carpenter bees. You are required to be aware of pests and others, such as woodpeckers. Field mice can find their way into a log home more easily than a traditional home. If you are looking to buy a log home with significant pest issues it’s best to contact a professional in your area to get a quote on how to correct the issue. (learn more about pests and insects here)
Requiring More Maintenance:
While maintenance is important for all homes, a log home requires a bit more than usual. (learn more about maintenance here).
The exterior of a log house should be washed once a year to remove pollen, dirt, and insect debris.
The home should be checked for mold and mildew. Then, you need to take care of any caulking and chinking. Another part of regular maintenance for log homes is restaining or refinishing the exterior. As the weather takes a toll on your log home, the finish will gradually wear down and need to be reapplied. Therefore, you should refinish your home every three to four years. (learn more about log home staining here)
Your log home also faces some separate issues. Logs are likely to shrink as they dry out over time, leading to small cracks or checks to be appeared in and in between logs. Keeping your log homes faithfully maintained extends their life.
Hope you must have understood what it takes to build a log house. What do you think? Let us know by commenting below!
I hope this was helpful. Browse some of our log home questions from log homeowners like you.
Question 1 | Question 2 | Question 3
See you soon,
