Some log homes have very steep roofs.  They can be so steep that they almost look like an A-Frame building.  Other log homes have shallower roof pitches.  More like what you might see in typical modern stick frame construction.  There are some reasons why a shallow roof pitch is easier and less expensive to build and work on, versus a steep roof pitch.  Here are 4 of the reasons:

Sometimes when you build a log home you end up with left over sections of logs.  These log sections might come from the wall, where you cut openings for windows and doors.  Or they might come from cutting your logs down to the proper lengths for your walls.  

Some builders simply throw this excess away, because the log sections are so short.  That's not the most environmentally sensitive approach to building though, and a lot of good wood simply ends up going to waste.  Our students take a different approach, often finding creative ways to use all their pieces of scrap wood.

The bottom line is that when you build your own log home, you'll be able to use every part of your logs.  That will help make your project environmentally friendly.  Here are a few examples of how our members use scrap logs:

Many people have the mistaken belief that log homes are environmentally unfriendly.  While that might be true for the commercial kit builders, our members build log homes which shatter that stereotype. 

Our students are building their own traditional log homes from scratch, and as owner-builders they can build absolutely as eco friendly as they want to.   In fact, our students are building some of the most eco-friendly log homes on the planet.  One of our members just won the 2009 Built Green Washington environmental award for his log home. 

Below is a quick look at just a few of the tips on eco-friendly log home building that we cover at our class:

Log homes tend to get looked down on by environmentalists, because they think you have to wreak havoc on the environment to get your logs.  That is not the case.  It is possible to obtain the logs for your log homes while being environmentally friendly.

For example, many of our members want to incorporate some form of sustainable forestry practices into their log home building experience.  There are several methods one can use to get logs from eco-friendly sources, and here are some real life examples:

Since the real estate bubble popped lending standards have tightened.  That has lead to a "credit crunch" where people who really have good income and employment history can no longer qualify for mortgages.

This problem has only worsened with the failure of IndyMac and other regional lending institutions.

In response to this financial crisis some of our members are using a very traditional finance method which completely bypasses the banks.  They are using 'owner financing' to buy unimproved land (raw land) where they then build their mortgage free log home.  Here's some general information about owner-financing:

You can save a lot of money building a log home with the Butt and Pass style of log home construction, because it uses fewer logs than any other log home style.  Since the Butt and Pass method uses whole logs (without notches), you end up gaining more height with each course than you do in a notched or milled log home (which has wood removed from each log). 

Below is a picture of a whole log Butt and Pass corner:

 As a rule, kit log homes and notched log homes require that you cut keyways and leave settling space when installing windows and doors.  That is true for Saddle Notched log homes, Scandinavian Chinkless style log homes, and Appalachian or Dovetail style log homes, because they all experience settling.  

A keyway is a slot cut into the window and door bucks.  The slots allow lag screws to slid down, as the log wall experiences settling.  If there was no keyway, then as the log wall settled the the lag screw would damage the windows and doors in your log home.  The diagram below shows how the lag screw can slide down in a keyway: 

No one likes being left in the dark during a power outage.  It doesn't matter if you live in a log home, or a stick frame home.  To avoid the hassle, and the expense of rotting food, many people use back up generators for power.  Whole house systems are the most convenient, because they run power through your entire log home.

It is important that whole house generator systems be set up and installed properly.  You want to avoid the risk of shock and fire to the homeowner during use.  You also want a system that can't back feed into the grid when in use, because you could harming utility workers who are trying to restore power.

When it comes to safe, code compliant options, there are 3 main methods of powering your whole house with a generator.  Some methods are more expensive and harder to install than others.  Here's a quick overview of the 3 common methods: 

Many of our members turn their log homes into money making ventures.  There are actually a lot of ways to use your log home to make money, and here are eight different methods:

1) You can turn your log home into a Bed and Breakfast.  There is a lot of demand for log B&Bs, because they offer guests a unique and awesome experience.  It's just a totally different staying in a log home, than going to a 'regular old' stick framed B&B.  After attending our log home class one student built the Lucky Dog Lodge and it has been a very successful log B&B.  Cook's B&B was also very profitable, especially when they sold it!

2) There's a different way to make money with a log B&B that is worth mentioning.  Rather than just going for regular nightly clients, you can broaden your customer base by targeting group events, or functions.  Usually all you need is an extra log event hall next to your B&B building.  Good groups to focus on are weddings, business retreats, scrap-booking conventions, stamping conventions, scholastic events, et cetera.  One of our students built the Wallace Falls Lodge, which has been so popular for group rentals and weddings that is it almost always booked. 

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: