Roofs can be one of the biggest expenditures when building log homes.  A roof can cost anywhere from one thousand dollars to over twenty thousand dollars.  It's not uncommon for our members to spend as much on their roof as they did on building the rest of their log home.  Here are 4 easy tips that could end up saving you thousands of dollars on roofing your log home.

Using techniques that we explain at our two-day log home building class, it is possible to save over 50% on the construction of your log home.  A lot of our students have been able to build their log home "mortgage free" by using all of our tips, insights and techniques.

Here are a few articles that begin to explain how to save money building your log home:

Across America the real estate market is crashing and homeowners are losing equity hand over fist.  The market faces real, long term problems and home values will likely continue to fall for years to come.  Fortunately there are several ways you can build a log home and not lose money due to this market crash.  In fact, many people are managing to make a profit building log homes, despite the fact that the real estate values are falling.

Here are the problems hammering the real estate market: supply has outstripped demand, there's been years of unsustainable price increases creating widespread overvaluation, for years banks and finance companies used questionable lending practices and suspect appraisal schemes, repo rates are approaching all time highs, realistic credit requirements have finally hit borrowers creating a credit crunch, mortgage costs skyrocketed while rental costs remained very low (which creates a disincentive to buy property), et cetera.

There's no quick fix for any of these real estate market problems.  To buy a house now simply means it will probably depreciate, and you'll end up owing more than the home is worth.  It seems that our country faces years of price declines in the real estate market, despite the slogans shouted by real estate agents. 

The good news is that market needed a correction because many Americans faced the risk of being priced out forever from owning a home.  The bad news is that people do not want to buy into a falling market.  As the saying goes, "no one wants to try and catch a falling dagger."  That means many people who really want to be home owners are still locked out.

Despite all the doom and gloom, it is still possible to enter the real estate market right now and build your log home -- without the high level of risk that most people face.

Here are some tips on how to accomplish that:

At our log home building class we explain all the various ways you can get logs for your log home building project.

We explain how to buy logs, and we also go over three methods of getting free houselogs. Two of those methods are right from the Federal government.

Here are a few emails from our members who have received free houselogs:

Upon a very rare occasion, the Association bestows our "Exceptional Log Home Award" when a student has built a truly awesome log home that deserves such an award. 

This prestigious award is meant to recognize one or more of the following principles:

One of our students built the home you see on the right and immediately sold it for $160,000 profit.  He says he could build two of these per year, and that it is so easy that "anyone can do it."

This was the very first log home that he built after taking our class.  It is just a simple, straight forward design.  Easy to build, inexpensive to build, and very strong. 

The person who built this home acted as an 'owner-builder,' and for many reasons that made the process a lot easier and more profitable. 

The feedback we get from our members is that it is almost always easier and more profitable to build for yourself, and then sell the home -- versus building for someone else.

We have a full gallery of photos of this home and you can find additional pictures and information about the home in the gallery.

One of the biggest problems with "kit" log homes is the price -- most kit log homes are even more expensive than stick-built homes these days. But for just a moment, imagine that you have an unlimited budget and are planning to build or buy a log home. How would you know if it is any good?

Unfortunately most log home buyers wind up buying a log home kit from the salesman who tells the best lies, such as:

"We use a shrink to fit notching system that gets tighter with age"

"The log home you are buying is built in the Scandinavian Chinkless style" (when in fact almost all chinkless kit log homes are built with the vastly inferior Canadian Chinkless style)

"Our logs are peeled with draw knives because it gives them more character"

"Our logs are machine-peeled for better quality control"

"Our logs are run through a lathe to insure they are all the same size and they fit together better, so they will last longer"

So we've put together a couple of pages about how to protect yourself when choosing the log home that is right for you. Take the time to read these articles and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to drop us an e-mail. We're always available to answer log home questions by e-mail. Our e-mail address is on our contact page.

IMPORTANT ARTICLES ABOUT KIT LOG HOMES:

The difference between different styles of chinkless log home construction

The myths and truth about log homes and 'settling' (what the kit industry won't tell you)

Why you shouldn't buy a log home kit

When using pressure treated lumber there are some things you need to know about how it effects metal fasteners -- in order to ensure your safety and the longevity of your home. 

First, you need to know that today's pressure treated lumber is far different than the treated lumber used and sold just a few years ago.  In 2002 the Environmental Protection Agency coerced the companies that produce pressure treated lumber to 'voluntarily' change their treatment methods.

The old treated lumber used an Arsenic-based preservative solution, and was known as CCA treated lumber  (chromated copper arsenate).  The new chemical formula is known as ACQ treated lumber (Alkaline Copper Quaternary).  Unlike the old formula, ACQ contains no arsenic but has high copper content. 

Log homes are actually safer than stick frame construction when it comes to house fires.  People often think that log homes are more susceptible to fire damage/danger than 'standard' stick frame homes, because log homes are made of logs. In reality the opposite is true: a properly built log home is naturally fire resistant -- and much safer than a stick frame home. 

For fire safety structures are ranked within one of five different types of construction. At one end of the spectrum is Type 1, which is the most fire-resistant. Type one construction is comprised of NON-combustible material such as concrete, stone glass or steel. At the other end of the spectrum is Type 5, which is the MOST combustible. Type 5 is a 'traditional stick frame.'

When built properly log homes can qualify as "Heavy Timber Construction," which fits under the category of Type 4 construction. That means that log homes can perform much better in a fire than stick frame homes.

It may seem counter intuitive, but logs are actually very hard to burn. You can try this experiment (recommended by the Canadian Wood Council), obtain an unsplit round of firewood and try to light it on fire by holding a flame to the rounded side. Then try the exact same thing on a split piece of firewood. You'll notice that if the log is in a natural state, then it is REALLY hard to light on fire – unlike kindling or a 2x4 which is pretty easy to burn.

Many people ask about beautiful front door on Larry Kapin's log home.  His door is just so cool looking that people want to know just how it was made. 

The following is Larry's explanation of how he made his front door:

The door is made from (4) rough-cut, Douglas fir, 4x12s (these could be considered beams, or timbers).  Use well-seasoned wood or the finished door will ‘shrink’ over time and create all sorts of problems. 

The 4 timbers need to be ripped so they have tongue and groove edges.  Larry just used a circular saw for this.

Then they get side-drilled, with a 5/8” bit.  Four evenly spaced holes should be enough, 1 at the top, 1 at the bottom and 2 more in between.  Feel free to add a 5th if you want, Larry actually didn't remember how may he did on his door.