If you’ve been researching loghomes, with the intent of either buying one or building one, you’ve probably experienced a bit of frustration. That’s because there is a ton of erroneous and conflicting information out there about log homes. Well here are 3 widespread myths about loghomes debunked in plain English.
1) [strong]“All loghomes experience settling.” [color=red] FALSE[/color] [/strong]
This is an important issue, because any log cabin that settles must use items like screw jacks, slip joints for plumbing, key ways for windows and doors, et cetera.
These are expensive and complicated methods of making allowances for settling, that if not done just right can cause major problems over time. It is certainly true that most log cabins experience settling. The styles that experience settling are all notched styles of log cabin construction and milled log cabin kits (the list includes Scandinavian Chinkless, Canadian Chinkless, Saddle Notch, Appalachian Style Dovetail, milled butt and pass, et cetera).
Below is a picture of spring loaded, “self adjusting” nuts and all-thread used to address settling issues in log cabin kits and notched log cabins. This is exactly the kind thing that adds complexity and expense onto a project.
[img]http://www.loghomebuilders.org/files/images/log-home-settling.JPG[/img]
But it is well worth noting that this myth is totally false, because there’s one style of log home construction that [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/why-good-log-homes-dont-settle]doesn’t experience settling.[/url] That is the Skip Style Butt and Pass method of log cabin construction. With this style you do not need to use screw jacks, slip joints, key ways, et cetera. This makes the construction process a lot quicker, easier and less expensive.
2) [strong]“One species of wood is better for building loghomes than all the other species.” [color=red] FALSE[/color] [/strong]
Usually when a manufacturer claims that they use “the best” species of wood for log home building it means only one thing: that is the species that grows locally to them, that they can get for the best possible price, [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/warnings-about-kit-log-homes]so they can increase their profit margin[/url].
Below is a picture showing a large pile of Douglas Fir logs. Douglas Fir grows like a weed in Washington, so it is very common to build with it here. In other areas you might use Lodge Pole Pine, White Pine, Hemlock, Cypress, et cetera. We have even had members use [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/eucalyptus-log-home]Eucalyptus[/url], and their homes turned out absolutely stunning.
[img]http://www.loghomebuilders.org/files/images/log-species.preview.JPG[/img]
The truth is there isn’t an ideal species of wood to use for building log cabins. No one species is “better” than the rest. Instead, each species has pros and cons and there are always trade offs made when selecting wood species.
For instance a species that is very resistant to rot, like Cedar, tends to be very weak and won’t support weight in a span. A species that is very strong, like Douglas Fir, is not very resistant to rot. You have that same give and take when it comes to aspects like workability, checking tendency, r-value, and shrinkage rate.
The best thing to do about this wood species issue is to become an informed and educated consumer. You should understand the characteristics of the different wood species that you could use, and understand how wood species can affect a log cabin project (because it really can, in many different ways). To kick start the process we have included this exact information in our [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/our-log-home-class-workbook-and-cd]log cabin construction manual[/url].
3) [strong]“Loghomes are more expensive to build than a stick framed home.” [color=red] FALSE[/color] [/strong]
Yes log cabins can be very expensive. Most log cabin kits are more expensive than a stick frame home of comparable size and design. Likewise most hand crafted log homes are far more expensive than a stick framed home.
In fact, handcrafted log homes are usually much more expensive than log cabin kits. But log cabins can also be extremely inexpensive, if you have the right attitude and knowledge. For example, one of our members built his home in 9 weeks and [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/9-week-log-home-0]spent $10,000[/url]. Another member spent [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/jeff-cooley039s-log-home]a total of $60,000[/url], but sold it for [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/how-sell-log-home]around $490,000[/url].
And then there’s Sherrie and Debbie, a pair of woman builders who [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/sheri-debbies-log-home] spent $20,000 building their log cabin[/url]. Below is an example of an inexpensive Skip style Butt and Pass log cabin.
[img]http://www.loghomebuilders.org/files/images/butt-and-pass-log-cabin.JPG[/img]
There you have it, 3 popular myths about log cabins totally debunks. Really these are just the tip of the iceberg, because there are a lot of other myths floating around out there.
Additional resources for building loghomes:
- [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/log-home-chinking-important-information]Save up to $10,000 [/url] on chinking your loghome.
- Use [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/free-logs-building-log-homes]free logs[/url] to build your log home. This could easily be a $20,000 savings.
- Save money on your roof with [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/save-tons-money-a-roof-your-log-home-with-4-easy-tips]4 easy tips[/url].
- Build your home [url=http://www.loghomebuilders.org/save-money-building-your-log-home-with-fewer-logs]with fewer logs[/url] (less expensive, and more environmentally friendly).
