Log Wall Stacking Was $20 Thousand MORE, WHY?

Log Wall Stacking Was $20 Thousand MORE, WHY?
Log Home cost was $50 thousand more for Hand Scribed, Why?
The Home You Choose Can Have Hidden Costs.
So how do you find them before you buy your home?
By asking questions and keeping track of different log home costs and how they are put together.
Simply put you need to do your home work and never take someone’s word for something without checking and using common sense. The alternative is higher costs and a low quality log home. (There is another alternative, you can hire a technical adviser.)
So let’s go on and learn about why the costs vary so much.
Different log home companies have different ways to set up their homes which are: cutting every log to fit in its place at the site instead of at the factory, some have to use cranes to lift logs into place but others do not, some have to be drilled as each log is stacked into place then lag bolted or spiked and some drill at the factory, some log homes have to have caulking between the logs and later chinked but a good well dried log system does not, some log homes have to have the windows and doors cut out after stacking but many are pre cut at the factory, and some logs which are high in moisture content have to have extensive settling slots and cutouts so they will not break the windows but dried logs to 15% moisture content do not. These things are very expensive to do at the site which causes other problems when contractors have to shave costs they will not put enough fasteners in when building or put the foam sealer in. When the cutting is not done at the factory many things can happen like the logs are not scribed into each other properly, the lag screws are not drilled properly or enough put in, and many other things causing expenses down the road. The difference in construction costs between a log home which is drilled and lagged at the site and a pre-drilled all thread log home can be quite different. For example, the difference between a Lodge Loge home which is pre-drilled at the factory for all thread bolts that go all the way up to the top of the log wall and a lag screwed home was $20,000.00. The time difference was 3 weeks and this was for a 2000 sq. ft. home. I have seen over a $100,000.00 dollar difference in costs due to only labor costs in some homes.
In another blog I noted that you should not buy windows from a log home manufacturer. The reason is that most of the time the windows are produced in another state and hauled to the log manufacturer’s warehouse at the mill then hauled to your site, which means that they are handled many times by people that handle logs not windows. These windows which are usually insulated glass will have a tendency to have problems with steaming between the glass sometimes within a year or two and it is very hard to get the log home factory to do anything about it. When you buy from a dealer which is in your area you have more control and the windows are usually handled only once by professionals.
Cutting drying slots and preparing the log walls for settling is quite expensive and is a very poor way to build a log home. Some of the problems down the road are settling up to 13” in wall height (the first hand scribed green stick log home I built did this.) The manufacturer stated that it would only shrink about 6”. Ha! Ha! The joke was on me. I changed the windows once and the trim 3 times. But worse yet we spiked the logs together and when they dried 4 years later the spikes helped to split one log in the middle of the log wall and it simply failed. We had to go back and repair that home. It cost about $20,000.00 to rebuild that wall. The moral of the story is you should do your home work before you buy your log home. I should have but instead I worked for days for 5 years and still there were problems.

  One day I was called on the phone by a screaming lady, my home is flooded. Water is spouting everywhere. She was right. When I got there it was raining and the wind was blowing hard. I went inside and saw quite a site. There was water spouting out of the log wall like small fountains.
Why?
The log home was only dried to 19% moisture content before stacking and it was a full round log milled with a Swedish cope but the logs were full length of the log wall. What had happened was they had slowly dried in the log wall and split but what was worse was that several of the logs had bad spiral grain which allowed the split to go from the outside of the home and spiral into the inside of the log home. This allowed the water to flow from the outside to the inside of the home. Then when the wind blew just right it would push the water out like a fountain. I caulked and chinked but could never get it all stopped and then a few years later the chinking caused rot when the water was trapped behind it. If they had done their home work they may have discovered that one company puts a saw cut in the top of each log which stops most of this cracking.
One couple complained that they have to refinish their home every year. I thought wow that is pretty bad because the homes I have been building last from 9 to 12 years between each coat. So I went to take a look and try to see what was happening and give them some advice. What I found was a sad state of affairs. The log home was what I call a flat on flat log wall system with a butt and pass corner system. The water simply ran down to the seam between the logs and soaked in or ran in from the ends which were out in the weather. Their log walls already had some rot starting and there were massive cracking caused from the logs not being dried before they were put into the log wall along with the logs being cants which means that the heart of the tree is not in the center of the log. This caused more twisting which opened up places for more water penetration. To top it all off the original finish was put on 2 days after the painter pressure washed the home. When you pressure wash logs the water is forced into them and it takes months to come out. But when it is painted over within a day or two that traps the water behind the finish and the finish will not stay on very long and sometimes will just turn black and come off. Once this starts you need to completely sand the old finish off and start fresh. They were just putting some more finish on over what was already in bad shape. I will say this only once, NEVER PRESSURE WASH A LOG HOME!!!!!!!! You will be paying for it for many years to come.
The final thing that I want to talk about is why do some log homes need to have all the trim re-applied and chinked every few years. When the logs are not dried to 15% they will shrink twist crack move and generally cause a lot of problems. When the logs have 17% moisture content one inch in, which is the industry standard, they will settle (a fancy name for shrinking.) approximately 5 to 6 inches in wall height and also shrink end wise around ½ “ per 20 ft of log length. This will take up to 5 years to do because finishes slow down the drying process. This is why you will have extra costs in re-applying the trim and chinking and calking. At this time there is only one or two log home companies in the US that dry their logs to 15% to the center of the log.
Drying of the logs is one of the most important things to consider because you do not know what will happen with the logs until they are completely dried to stable moisture content. This is my biggest complaint with the log home counsel and the industry.
Hope this has given you some knowledge to use.
Log Man Dan
PS: If you have a question just give me a call: 541-999-5477

Straw Homes Versus Log Homes.

Straw Homes Versus Log Homes.

The other day I talked with a person that had built a log home and decided to try a post and beam building with straw bales for the walls. Apparently he had a bad time with his log home and wanted something easier to up keep. Some people can be talked into some of the darnedest things. The log home he bought was from a company that did not care what happened to his home after they sold it to him. ( he did not do his homework or find a good technical ad-visor.)
A Straw home reminds me of building on sand mentioned in the bible.
So being ignorant about them I looked them up and yes some people do build with them. They stack straw bales up between post and beams and than cover them with slurry, a concrete cover about 1" thick more or less. They have to put breathing holes top and bottom so that the bales of hay don't mold.
I still wonder how they are going to last when they are made in any wet climate at all. And what about little furry friends? The Post and Beam system that holds the bales of straw will move some, that is what wood does. This movement will eventually crack the concrete around the straw and then water penetration as well as other things.
They say that straw homes will last but I have a hard time trying to grasp how the concrete slurry up against wood window and door trim will last. Every time concrete and wood are put together one of them rots.
So how do they last in earth quakes or Tornadoes?
One final point is the value of a good log home appreciates, the value of a straw home I have yet to see.
From what I have read and seen any-body that builds with straw is grasping for straws as they say.
Log Man Dan

You Can Loose If YOU Snooze, Why You need a Log Home!

You Can Loose If YOU Snooze,
Why You need a Log Home!
This is a very sad story. So get out your box of Kleenex.

A couple wanted a new home in Portland Oregon. This home was to be their special once in a life time custom home. It was a stick framed home not a log home.
After picking their floor plan and finalizing their plans they asked for bids. They finally accepted one of the lower bids. The main contractor did not do any part of the work but farmed it out. It cost them $500,000.00.
When they finally moved in it started to rain. During the next several months the rain destroyed their home. The roof leaked everywhere. The siding started to fall off and the windows leaked profusely. This destroyed the sheet rock the expensive flooring along with much of the interior doors and trim. Basically they had to start all over.
What did they not do before they hired the main contractor? They did not check his past record or any one he had previously worked for. That contractor made over $100,000.00 building their home. When the new owners approached the Oregon State builders board they found that the total they could get back was $15,000.00. The contractor made over $85,000.00 for doing very little.
When they finally had their home redone it cost them another $400,000.00. The moral of the story: if YOU Snooze you loose. Take the time to do your home work. Get out of that comfortable arm chair, stop watching TV and check on back grounds and other homes they have built. And most of all do not pick the contractor by price only.
I had some people tell me that they do not take the lowest price, that they always take the higher bid. Later I found out that they had been taken as well, so don't think just because this one is higher than the other bids, that it is better. Not by a long shot.
So why do you need a log home, First ONLY IF IT IS THE RIGHT LOG HOME will it be better. Most log home companies talk a big deal and love your money but you can end up with a pile of fire wood, an expensive pile of fire wood.
The right log home will not leak through it's siding. The right log home will not have sheet rock to replace on it's inside walls. The right log home will have to be built only once. And the right log home can be built for $100,000.00 less than the original price they paid.
If they would have picked a log home company builder using the 10 point system in my blog, How to choose a great log home, they would have a great energy efficient log home.
I can show you how to build a log home with a life time warranty for the same or less than a standard well built home. This home will use 30% less energy to heat it and cool it as well as be a safer home in case of earth quakes, fires, or tornadoes. This home will not need to be resided in 10 or 20 years. It will be easy to maintain when properly done. And like most of the people I have built for in the past you will not ever want to sell it.

Log home are dream homes but you can make it a reality. Please do your home work first.
Have a great one,
Log Man Dan

Secrets About Log Homes

Secrets About Log Homes                                                                                                Date: 5/20/10

Did you know that Log Homes have secrets?

  Yes they have many.  Would you like to know some of them?

  Knowing these secrets will help you to get a better log home and be able to maintain it for a long time to come.

  Did you know that how the logs are produced at the factory will make the difference between owning a great log home for a long time or a pile of fire wood in 10 years?  What is the secret to low maintenance and long life of your log home?  What is the secret to having one of the lowest air infiltration homes on the market? 

  Water penetration is the prime factor in all three of these secrets.   The log profile makes a big difference.   How much the logs are dried before milling makes even a bigger difference.  And the biggest secret is even simpler.  A saw cut in the top of the log will allow the air to dry the log evenly clear to the center of the log.  This also relieves the stress from drying.  This will eliminate over 90% of the cracking in the wrong place but places the opening of the log at the saw cut.  This opening is then covered over with the log above.  Now that most of the splitting that happens with all logs is controlled and the log is now able to be dried to the center  so that it is completely stable, it can be milled.  Now when the logs are stacked they will not twist or warp or crack uncontrollable in the log walls.  This now almost completely eliminates all the water penetration in to the log wall.  What is left is to put on a very good finish the right way. 

  I have built log homes all over the US and many of those places have a very high rain fall.  Why do certain log homes that I have built over 30 years ago still look like they were just built?  And why does the finish last a long time.  That is the secret you now know.

  This also gives you part of the secret of the low air infiltration into the home.  Because the logs do not shrink, warp or crack.  And because of the drying saw cut the logs do not twist nor do the drying cracks spiral around the log and go from the inside to the outside of the log home or visa-versa.  The second secret to less air infiltration is all thread bolts that fasten to J bolts in the foundation and go up through the log wall to the top.  These are placed approximately every 2 foot along the wall and also there are 4 at each corner and beside each door and window.  

  I have seen the air infiltration tested in the state of Washington and in every case with this particular log home the air infiltration rate was less than one air change per hour.   Even a good sense home requires 1.5 air changes per hour and most of them barely do that.  And again most of the log homes other than this one can-not even meet the good sense requirement.  And I know of none that will meet even that after 2 years except for the one type made by Lodge Logs.

  Another secret that only a few types of log homes have is how they perform in storing heat.   Most log homes in the US today are made from cants which are cut from larger logs.  A cant there for would not have the hart in the center of the log and most would not have it at all.  With the hart in the center of the log the heat would have to travel through many layers of annual rings which are hard and soft.  The soft part stores heat and allows the heat to travel slowly or slower through it.  So pines and white wood species will do better than harder woods.  When you cut through the annual rings which allow the heat to travel along that cell to the outside as in cants, you lose more heat.  Each of those annual rings that are whole circling the hart is complete not cut through and they perform better.  Simply put the hard part of the annual rings that hits the air will transfer heat faster when in a cant most of them will be open to the air, in a round log with the hart in the middle they will not.  Simple physics will prove this.

  How about another secret, log homes control humidity in the home.  A family of 4 will give off 10 to 15 gallons of water a day in the home.  Log homes will wick out this water and from testing the amount of humidity in the Lodge Log homes along the Oregon coast where it rains a great deal, those homes had around 45% to 50% humidity in the air.  When testing the standard stick frame homes around them I found 85% to 90% humidity.  If you look up how air heats with different levels of humidity you will find  that 45% is perfect for heating air and 85% takes twice as much energy to heat that air.

  Let’s take another secret about humidity and log homes.  Logs are not affected by humidity.  They will have the same insulation properties because they stay the same, approximately 14 to 15% moisture content in the average log home.  But the standard home with R21 fiberglass insulation is directly affected by humidity.  When it is tested at the laboratory it is tested at 0% humidity.  When in the average home it will suck up moisture like a sponge and with most homes it has a vapor barrier called Tyveck that stops the moisture from getting out of the insulation and the wall.  At 85% humidity which is normal for most standard homes R21 fiberglass insulation is less than an R4. 

  The secret is that Log Homes when built right will last a longtime be energy efficient and easy to maintain. 

  If you read my other blogs this particular log home by Lodge Logs also is fire resistant, earthquake resistant, and tornado resistant.

  I just have one question, Why aren’t they building this home more?  

Log Man Dan

Dan Barnett

 

Tornadoes Verses Log Homes!

Tornadoes Verses Log Homes!
  Which one will win?
  A better question is: why aren't they building log homes in tornado areas?
  Why did a log home out last all other homes in Florida's 180 mph winds?
  Why were 4 log homes from a certain log home company still standing un-hurt in California's earth quake of 1987?
  What type of home will still be standing after a case of dynamite is exploded next to it?
   What type of home saved a fire fighting crew in California?
  What type of home fell into the Missouri River and was hauled out intact?
  I could go on and on but I believe you get the point.
  A properly constructed log home will be virtually tornado proof.
  How can I say that?
  If you were to figure the up lift force on 5/8" x 24" J bolts that are set into the foundation on 2' centers and those bolts go from the foundation up through the log or beam rafters, the tornado would have to have winds stronger than 240 mph.  It still would be questionable as to the tornado even moving the log home because it would have to exert a tremendous amount of force greater than the weight of the foundation and the log home completely all at once because it could not tear it into pieces like it can standard constructed homes.  It would have to move the whole building all at once.
  The only thing I have ever seen affected on log homes built this way is roofing and the windows.  And the only one that I ave ever seen moved was when the whole side of a high bank slid into a river and the log home went with it.  That was the one by the Missouri river.  They simply used large cranes to lift it up and set it back on the property.  This time farther back from the bank.
  Not all log homes can do these things above.  It takes a certain type of log home.  One that has a bolting system that extends from a large J bolt in the foundation all the way up through the log wall as well as through the rafter.  It must have stockade corners and a Swedish cope profile and have 4 bolts at each corner as well as 2' along each log wall.
  Surprisingly enough, using smaller logs from a certain log home company meeting these qualifications, a person can build a log home around the same price as a stick framed home and have a life time warranty and be virtually tornado proof.
  Again I will eat my hat if you can find any log home built the way I described losing to a tornado.
  Learn more by staying in touch by reading my blogs on log homes.
  Have a great time reading,
Log Man Dan
541-999-5477
PS:  below is a picture fo a cover from Country's Best Log Home Magazine of a log home my son and I built in the 80's.  I love talking about log homes so give me a call some time.  If you need technical advise also give me a call.   Also please take a look at the ads it helps me, thanks.

Log Homes, Log Cabins Versius Log Home Kits

Log Homes, Log Cabins Versus Log Home Kits

  The other day I was reading in a forum where a person stated "Don't Buy Log Home Kits"!
  Why not?
  What was his reason?
  He said that all kits had butt and pass corners and that they are not good.  He also builds and sells log homes using a butt and pass corner.
  Many of us that have done our homework already know that those corners are not good.  Why pay a lot of money to build a home and have to tear it down in 15 to 20 years or rebuild parts of it. 
  May people do not know what the difference is between Kits and regular log home packages.  Actually there is not much.  A Kit is simply a log package already made up of standard log home plans and it usually has flat top and bottom logs with or without tong and groves.  This along with butt and pass corners makes them very affordable because it is very inexpensive to make them up compared to standard log homes or log cabins.          But not all kits or packages have butt and pass corners.   And many log home companies have sales on log home packages that people get mixed up and call them Kits. 
  So don't be decieved when somebody says that is a kit don't buy it.  Your really want to put that word out of your mind and look at the logs themselves.  How dry are they?  Are they dried to 15% to the center of the log?  Do they have a stocade corner?  Do they use Swedish cope logs with a tong and grove for the log walls?  Are they through bolted from the top of the log wall to the foundation?  Do they have some sort of drying cut in them?  (This allows for the log to dry more evenly without twisting, kinking, or cracking in the wrong place.  This happens to all logs so when it is controlled you have a better log home.)  Is the heart in the center of the log?
  One thing you should watch out for is when somebody says, "not all butt and pass corners are bad!"  I have repaired and tore down many log homes with this type of corner.  And the man that said don't buy kit log home packages above also said that he makes a butt and pass corner that preforms well.  Hog wash.  Any time you stick a piece of wood out in the rain and snow it will transfer water along it to the log wall.  Even a child can tell you that.  Why is it grown people keep trying to pull the wool over others eyes?  Why is it that over 90% of the log home companies in the US sell inferior product?  Why is it that only one type of log corner was made by the old log builders and has lasted for centuries?

  I am sorry if I get a little frustrated at the log home industry but I have seen so many people taken by these companies.  Even well known companies have not taken the time to make their product last.  It really boils down to that almighty dollar.  The so called Log Home Council doesn't do the right thing but hedges on what really should be done.  Like they put out statements, "17% moisture content is ok".  Butt and pass corners are ok and so forth.  One only has to look at who controls the council to know why.  The log home companies that conpromise their products controls the council.  That's why.  Money talks.
  I would rather be broke than tell a lie or take someon's money under false pretenses.
  So I am going to say it one more time it is not log home kits that are bad it is what they use that makes log homes bad wheather it is a kit or not.

  Thanks for taking the time to read my blogs,
Log Man Dan
541-999-5477

PS:  If you need any technical advise simply give me a call. also below you can see a stockade corner.  I have never repaired a log corner from this company.

541-999-5477

 
   

HOW TO CHOOSE A GREAT LOG HOME

 This home was built in 2006 by my son and I near Bend Oregon.

HOW TO CHOOSE A GREAT LOG HOME


What would you do to find a great log home? Many people look for floor plans that they like. Some will simply start calling or looking for different log homes without any plan of action. Others simply ask everybody for information, but we need to consider who writes the info. To give you an example, a friend asked a company for information about a certain product. They sent him statistics about their product which was edited and published by them. Not by an independent organization. Do you think they will be biased? A viewpoint is not what you want when you choose, YOUR Dream Home! True facts are what you want.

One more example to get the point across: A Russian newspaper printed a headline stating: U.S. comes in next to last – Russia comes in next to first. There were only two runners in the race. How they word the facts can be confusing and misleading.

The answer is to use a check-list of important items log home companies must meet, but very few sit down and work out a plan of action and follow it through.

So what is you plan of action?

There are 10 things to consider that will lead you to one of the top ten log home companies in the industry. I have spent 30 years building many different types of log homes and in that time these 10 things have come out on top.

1. Buy only in the USA (or in the country you live in).
2. Look for a company that has been in business for more than 15 years, (the longer the better).
3. Find a qualified dealer near you from the company of your choice.
4. Check out the company’s reputation with the BBB and other state organizations.
5. Buy only logs that have been dried to 15% moisture content to the center.
6. Purchase only from a company that uses select or better, graded logs from standing GREEN timber (not DEAD standing).
7. Log profile is very important. A Swedish cope with a tongue and groove holds up best.
8. Use only a through-bolt system that hooks to the j-bolts in the foundation.
9. Be sure that the company has a good warranty of at least 20 years. A Lifetime Warranty would be even better.
10. Finally but also very important buy from a company that puts some type of drying cut in their logs.

There are less than four log home companies, out of six hundred, in the United States that can meet these standards. So why use these 10 things to qualify a company? Let’s go over each one and see why.

1. Buy only in the United States. This is most important because you have no way to legally correct any problems with a company out of your country. You are completely at the mercy of the company.
2. Look for a company that has been in business for more than 15 years. Many companies in the log home industry only last about 10 years. So be sure to buy from a company that has been in business for much longer. That way you know that their warranty is good. These companies value their reputation, so they will be more inclined to help you with any problems you may have with your home. Things that go wrong with log homes not dried to 15% will take several years to develop. This is because green trees take longer to dry when applied. Problems occur in logs only after they are mostly dry.

3. Find a qualified dealer near you from the company you choose. Do not go directly to the factory to buy a log home. Always find a qualified dealer as close to the building site as possible. A qualified dealer will know how to deal with the factory, and will keep their reputation in good standing even more so than the log home company. All dealers should sell for near the same price as the factory, with the exception of extra cost in their area, such as state tax and/or levies. These dealers can help you a great deal and will be close by during construction whereas, the factory will not and probably could care less. Many times in the past 30 years I have seen people with the idea that they can get a better deal from the factory, and every time they have problems with the factory, or they end up paying a lot more than they would have from the dealer after all was said and done.

For example: A couple decided to buy from one log home company because they could get the logs at over half the price of another well known log home company. They thought they were saving money, but they did not consider how hard it is to cut and drill every log, or how to throw out cull logs. They also did not allow for settling, shrinking, twisting, warping and other problems that occur with logs that are not dried or graded properly. They bought from the so-called factory that simply did not help, period. The end result was they lost their home, and a lot of time and money. So I ask you, do you really want a good price or a good product that will last and save you money in the long run?

4. Check out the company’s reputation with the BBB and other state organizations. This is very important because it may save you a lot of money. All log home companies require money down; many of the ones in good standing require ½ down to order your logs. Several times in the past I have seen companies in the red fail, and on the way down take the money paid to them for log orders with the buyer losing out altogether. Some log home companies are in bad standing within some states, and they are not allowed to sell in them. This should put up a red light for you. One state in particular is New York. There are several companies that cannot sell in that state. Stay away from such log home companies. You can call the Attorney General’s office of any state and get such details. So make sure they are in good standing and in the black, both within your state and in the state where the company is located. This is probably one of the most important things you can do. Why lose your money!

5. Buy only logs that have been dried to 15% moisture content to the center. Moisture content is very important when selecting the logs for your home. A stable home that doesn’t shrink, twist, or break windows will give you great satisfaction. And logs that are dried to 15% moisture content are very stable. They will not cause you the severe problems of a green or partially dried log home. This will save you a great deal of money and time, offsetting any difference in price for the superior logs. Some of the problems that I run into in the last 30 years include: Logs twisting and raising the roof up. Logs twisting and warping which raise the floor system up or sideways. Logs splitting and letting the wall system fail. Log walls settling or shrinking for a period of up to 6 years or more, breaking windows and allowing everything in through open space with shrinkage as much as 12 inches in a 9 foot high log wall. Also splitting logs can happen during their drying period. There was one such incident I know of where the log split in half in the middle of the log wall and that was not easy to fix. ( This is very expensive.) Chinking is required in most log homes that are not dried to 15% before building it, and that can cost about $15,000.00 for the average home. (Chinking holds water behind it and will soon rot the log wall.)

6. Purchase only from a company that uses select or better, graded logs from standing GREEN timber. Standing dead trees come with, YOU GUESSED IT, BUGS!!! There are rots of various kinds, as well as, great variances in moisture content. For example, the butt cut (bottom) usually has 22% to 26% MC, the second log 18%, and the third log 13%. What happens if you have more logs with 22% MC in one wall and 13% in another wall? (This happened to me and I had a house so lopsided it looked like it was going to fall down about 3 years later.) Green logs select graded and better are higher quality, therefore easier to maintain with less chance of problems down the road. Whereas most standing dead trees will not meet select grades. No bug or worm holes allowed. Have you heard of TPI (Timber Product Inspection) Inc? This company is now the leading timber grading company in the USA and all log home companies that are with it, use them. The thing to watch is most companies use TPI 30 grade, which is the lowest grade before cull, and this grade allows 8 inches of rot per 16foot of log. TPI 40, the next grade up, allows 8” of rot in a 16’ of log. So do you want rot in your log home even before you move in?

7. Log profile is very important. A Swedish cope with a tongue and groove holds up best. Water is the biggest enemy of logs. Keeping the water running off, (no flat places) and the logs have no problems. That is why the Swedish cope was developed hundreds of years ago.

8. Use only a through-bolt system that hooks to the j bolts in the foundation. Some log home companies use spikes or lag bolts, Each of these cause a wedging effect in the logs, and then years later if you happen to get a drying crack in any of the logs that line up with these fasteners, your log home will FAIL! With a through bolt system this will not happen. Through bolt systems will allow the logs to settle, not holding the logs apart. Spikes or lag bolts will not allow the logs to settle properly. Watch out for the log home company that uses through bolts but does not attach them to the foundation or those that do only some through bolts and the rest lag screws.

9. Be sure that the company has a good warranty of at least 20 years. What you see is NOT what you get with a new log home. Most log home companies do not dry their logs completely. Climate will also change the logs, so 10 years down the road you could have a problem with YOUR log home. Will your log home company stand behind their product? A good indication is how well they manufacture their product. The better the product equals better the warranty. Watch out for those companies with long term warranties, but are almost impossible to collect, (kind of like the small print on a car sales agreement). You bought it, you own it. One way to insure you don’t get a bad product is to make sure the log home company you choose follows all 10 requirements.

10. Finally, buy from a company that puts some type of drying cut in their logs.
Log Home Living magazine rated log home companies several years ago, and all of the top ten companies have some type of drying cut in their logs using the Swedish cope log with lower moisture content than the average of 18%. Again, the company that I would recommend is Lodge Logs out of Boise Idaho. They make their cut at the top of the log, allowing for less cracking in the top ¼ of the log, critical for eliminating most of the water penetration. Which means there will be less upkeep because the finish will stay on longer, and less upkeep means less maintenance which = $aving money.


I hope you do well in picking out your log home, but I would like to give one more example:
I have been doing log home shows for 30 years now and it really gets to me when a log home salesman doesn’t tell the truth. This particular person has been selling log homes for a long time and was from a so-called reputable company, but the company sells butt and pass corners which are used with flat logs. He stated to a group of people at his seminar that all log corner styles are good ones to use and stated the different ones including butt and pass. Now if you were to take a flat board and stick it out of a wall, when it rains will not water stand on it? And if you take that water and follow it, it will soak into the log wall system. Butt and pass corners are the worst type for making the wall system ROT!!! The moral is, take the time to do your homework. Check out some log homes built by the company you are thinking about buying from, and make sure they are more than 5 years old. And PLEASE, do both you and me a favor, don’t buy butt and pass log corners. I have repaired, and seen so many beyond repair, that it is unforgivable for those people to sell them.

Have a great time choosing your log home company.

PS: I just returned from New Hampshire. While there, I visited a butt and pass log home and the owner was just finishing up repairing his back wall corners from severe rot due to the elements, because he had flat logs with butt and pass corners. This home was less than 20 years old and has already cost him a great deal in repair. So buying the right home will eliminate this cost.

Written by Log Man Dan Year 2006, revised in 2010
(Trails End Log Homes, Florence, Oregon)
Phone: 541-999-5477