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

How to Order Your Log Home.

How to Order Your Log Home. 5/15/10

Some people simply think that the salesman should know all about this and the fact is even some of the oldest sales people can make mistakes.
Should you find a company that sells the whole shell package or just the logs?
Some people feel that they don’t have to worry because the company they picked is a reputable company, is that really so?
Choosing your log home company will be talked about in another blog and should be considered before ordering.
So now we need to consider the statements and questions above along with other thoughts and actual true stories.
Should you rely on the salesman, thinking that he really knows what he is doing? No! One of the worst things to do is not to get advice from another source. For example a couple found a log home company that met all of the 10 things outlined in my blog, “How to pick a great log home company!” Yet when they ordered they relied on the salesman.
It started with not finding a rep in the area they were building in so they ordered from the factory. Bad Idea, they lost $20,000.00 on the log package. The salesman at the factory was also the manager of the company so he could do just about whatever he wanted to. They ordered their package according to his calculations and he was off by $20,000.00, a trifle right, wrong. That was more than they allowed for overrun on costs for their home and they haven’t even started yet. But he did not tell them until their order was ready and simply called them stating that they needed to send over the rest of the money before they could ship the logs. They needed the logs right away to get into the construction window. If they had bought from a salesman other than the factory they could have at least dickered about the price but more likely the salesman would not have made that big of a mistake because the company makes its sales man pay for any mistake they make. This company is noted as a reputable company and has one the best products on the market so be aware that companies still do what they want. You should order from a dealer. And even better a dealer builder.
So when ordering you should check the lineal footage of the log walls in the home your going to build. Next you should make sure each log on your log home plan is numbered and its size is on your order sheet.
Find out what they expect for payment on the log order and make sure it is in accord with your lending company. If you are financing the home yourself and you agree with what they want,then go ahead. But before paying the final payment for the logs, go to the mill and ask to be allowed to check out your order. You should have a detailed order list with every log on it and the lineal footage of log wall logs.
If this is something you just don’t feel you can do then find someone other than the salesman. One of the better ways to go is to hire a consultant that can help with all phases of your home. He should be experienced and I have covered this in why you should hire a consultant.
Other problems I have seen with ordering is the simple fact that the Architect does not detail log connections for log homes. I have actually seen log floor joists sitting on thin air. I have seen log connections left out completely because the Architect could not get their cad program to draw it correctly. Stairs met for average people which will allow only midgets to use them. I have been sent to log home sites to redesign and basically rebuild parts of homes that the architect has messed up. The sad part of this is that the home owner paid a lot for plans they thought would be great because they were drawn in the modern way with lots of frills and fancy things put all over them by a COMPUTER, NOT A MAN. Tools are what you make of them and people are no better than their tools. These new Architects don’t use the best tool they have their brain. Their ability to use it to draw a great set of plans no longer exists. Even when they are said to be great designers watch out they will charge high prices and you will just have to have the plans redesigned or the logs reordered.
One Architectural company in particular that is one of the best today and charges for it, does not have a cad program for designing their homes and commercial buildings. It is all done by hand.
So if you want a great log home get a dealer builder that designs plans and you will be far ahead of everybody else. Do not go through the factory if at all possible. A dealer has to watch his reputation and large factory does not.
Another thing is buy logs from a log home company and windows from a window company and so forth. Log home people know about logs and window people know about their windows. When you start mixing products up you start having problems. Don’t buy roofing from the log home company buy it from a roofing company. Would you buy a sewing machine from a car dealer?
There really are no great deals out there. Sometimes it seems like it for instance I bid on a log package for some people and then they received a bid from another company at less than half price. They thought they were saving money. Their log home logs had to have a big crane to lift them into place. The logs needed to be cut and drilled and lag screwed. Their construction costs were more than the cost of my logs and the cost to put my logs up. But worse their logs were flat on flat green logs. They then shrank 6” in the first 3 months and they had tremendous problems. They never did get the home finished and finally lost it to the bank. Later the bank sold it to someone else and they finished it only to have it start rotting, and 15 years later it was torn down.
To sum it all up if you haven’t studied log homes and learned all about them then get unbiased help. A cost of a few thousand can save over a hundred thousand on bad decisions. For instance a person had several bids from other log home companies for a large 3400 sq ft home. But they would not bid logs for the second story and their costs for the pole logs and the log walls came up to $100,000.00 more than my bid. Both bids had erecting the logs included in them.
I have seen many people pay way too much for building their log home and many time I have saved them a lot of money.
So if you want your home to go smoothly and not cost an arm and a leg Get Help.
(The two log home pictures above are from feature articles of homes that I designed and built.)
Have a great time with your home.
Log Man Dan
Dan Barnett
541-999-5477
PS: if you would like some help please give me a call.The Log Home Plan Book: Favorite Plans, Decor and Advice

Who Were The Greatest Log Home Builders in the World?

Who Were The Greatest Log Home Builders in the World? 5/12/2010

Is it the people who represent the log home council in the US? No, not even close.
Is it a company existing today? No but there is one that is close if not as good.
We should really ask the question; who built the longest lasting log home in the world?
That is the secret is it not? If we find the longest lasting log home then we have found the best and the greatest log home builders.
So where are the longest lasting log homes and who built them?
We find in the Scandinavian countries that they have homes that are hundreds of years old. Nowhere else in the world is there log homes that have lasted that long and are still in good shape. Who built them and how did they manage to make them to last that long.
Why do most of the log homes made in modern construction today have problems? What we find will probably up set you, it has me.
Those old builders took their time and did it right. They selected straight logs just the right size peeled the bark from them then let them dry for 4 or 5 years.
Woops, what was it that they did? They used completely dried logs. Most of the log home companies in the US and Canada only half way dry their logs to 17% moisture content. Why? And why is this a problem? When logs dry they twist, warp, and crack. Nothing can stop them. In this modern day world, competition for that almighty dollar is foremost for many log home companies, not how your home performs. You see if they actually dried them before you put them in your home they would lose about 25% to excess cracking and warping and twisting.
Those old log home builders threw out the ones that had excessive cracking or other problems due to the drying process. Then they plained them to fit like gloves with a Swedish cope and used stockade corners. A Swedish cope is a log with a profile that has a concave bottom that fits to the round convex top of the one it sets on. This makes for a very tight log home. And it stays that way because the log is completely dried. All logs crack when they dry (So when you go to a log home show and see logs in a log home companies display that are not cracked you know they are NOT DRY!) The old timers simply placed the cracks that were not excessive where they will not cause a problem. The twisted and warped logs were simply cut up for shorter ones or not used at all. With the modern log home companies you get the bad logs with the good ones.
Things that the old timers did were to use a one, two, or three tong and grove with their Swedish cope profile. This locked in the logs which made it even better. They used full round logs with the hart at the center of each log. They did not use cants which are round logs made from squared timbers that are cut from larger trees and there for almost never have the hart at the center of the log. With the hart at the center you have a lot less warping and twisting because the annual rings go clear around the log. They are not cut through as with cants. The cracking will only go to the hart not all the way through as they sometimes do with cants. About 85% of the log home companies in the US and Canada use cants.
These old timers did not have to use chinking or calking to seal their log homes. Their homes did not twist or crack or do anything after it was built. Our modern day log homes need all kinds of chinking and calking. One big problem with chinking and calking, it causes rot! This is because the logs will always have minor cracks that can-not be filled completely or they start anew and open up to channel water behind the chinking and calking. Later much of the chinking and calking starts to pull away from the top first and this creates a dam effect holding more water that soaks in to the log home. Again I can-not stress this enough if you want a long lasting log home buy one like the old timers made with no, NO chinking or calking. All the homes I have repaired that had chinking or calking was rotting because of this. I have repaired and seen many homes with this problem.
So to recap what they did:
1. Dried completely or to 15% Moisture content to the center of the log.
2. They threw out the bad logs.
3. They used a Swedish cope profile with a tong and grove.
4. They used a stockade corner.
5. They did not chink.
6. They used full round logs with the hart in the center.
There is a log home company that does all of this and even more. Find it and you will have the best log home on the market. One that will last.
Have a great time with your log home.
Log man Dan
PS: If you would like some help, some technical advice, give me a call.
PH: 541-999-5477.

Fantastic Things, Log Homes

Fantastic Things, Log Homes
Log homes are:
1. Energy efficient.
2. Earth quake resistant.
3. Wind resistant.
4. Fire resistant.
5. Sound resistant.
6. Bullet resistant.
7. Tornado resistant.
Log Homes are fantastic because they do many great things that other types of homes don’t. So let’s go over the list and talk about each one.

Energy efficient:
During testing the log homes at the test site out preformed all other types of construction for cooling, and most of the time for heating, but the testing did not represent the true environment for most households. (There were no people or bathrooms or kitchens.) The average household of 4 gives off around 10 gallons of water or more per day into the environment of the home. Fiber glass insulation is directly affected by moisture. When the humidity in a standard wall of R21 fiber glass insulation reaches 85% the R factor of R 21 insulation (which is tested in the laboratories at 0% humidity.) is reduced to around R4 or less. This happens in most of the residential homes in the US. When the humidity reaches 85% or more the air becomes stagnated in the home. This can cost more energy to heat the home. Sometimes up to twice as much.
A little secret, log homes control the humidity in the home. No other type of home can do this. Most log homes can keep the humidity around 45% to 50% which is perfect for heating the home. We have tested log homes on the Oregon coast where the outside humidity averages 85% and the inside averages 50%. Log homes just won hands down.
So now we have humidity controlled in the air what about humidity in the walls. We see that fiberglass insulation starts to fail with humidity and past 85% is almost ineffective. Log walls are not affected by moisture but control it and do more. Logs store heat. Fiberglass does not.

Earth quake resistant:
Certain types of log homes can resist Earthquakes better than any other type of construction. There were 4 log homes from Lodge Logs at the epicenter of the California earth quake in 1989. They did not even have a broken window but all the surrounding buildings were compromised. Why?
These 4 log homes had bolts attached to 24” long J bolts in the foundation approximately 2’ on center along with 4 at each corner and beside each window and door. This kept the log walls together but allows them to flex. Concrete buildings fail because they do not flex. Stick frame homes and metal frame homes fail because they cannot keep from flexing too much.

Wind resistant:
This was proved by the Florida hurricane a few years ago where on TV everybody saw that a log home was the only thing left standing after a 180 mph winds.

Fire resistant:
Wood burns only with plenty of air. Some log homes that are made right have very little air infiltration so there is very little air to fuel a fire. A fire burnt in a Lodge Log home for 2 hours at 1300 degrees only burnt into the log wall ¼”. This is because the logs have very little cracking which means no air infiltration and the fire can only burn ¼” into the wood because the charcoal stops air from getting to un-burnt wood.
In California a fire crew was trapped in a raging brush fire and had only one place to go, a Log home. It was still standing while the fire burned to the ground other homes around them. Those other homes were wood studs and steel studs homes. The wood stud homes lasted about 30 minutes and the steel stud home collapsed within a few min. When steel reaches 600 degrees it turns fluid and looses its strength and cannot hold up the roof. The home collapses even before it burns. They are death traps.
A well built log home will still be standing hours later and can simply be cleaned, sand blasted and repainted, ready for you to move back in. (Not all log homes will perform this way.)

Sound resistant:
A 10” log home from Lodge Logs was built by a freeway and one could not hear the traffic. But in the home next to it, the noise would keep you awake. 10” of pine wood is one of the best sound absorbents there is.
Bullet resistant:
A 3030 bullet will only go into a log about 2”. But when a hunter was getting his riffle out of his vehicle it fired and went through one stick built home which had T 1-11 siding and sheetrock and into the next home injuring a person sitting in his front room. Even more impressive was when a propane tank blue up 50’ from a log home and did not bother it yet the stick framed home on the other side was blown apart.

Tornado resistant:
A log home that is bolted to the foundation to a 24” J bolt into the foundation and extends up through the log rafter s and this is done every 2’ cannot be torn apart. The tornado would have to have over 240 mph winds and be able to move the entire home at one time. That would be virtually impossible.

Are you living in a log home?
Log home are really the way to go if, and I mean IF, you buy the right one.
Log Man Dan
PS: If you need any technical advice about log homes just give me a call.
541-999-5477
Also her are some links to

Hire a Log Home Technical Ad-visor? Why?

Hire a Log Home Technical Ad-visor? Why?

Are you going to buy or build a Log Home?

Can you learn enough about log homes to keep from losing a great deal of money?

It took 40 years for one person to become a Qualified Log Home Technical Advisor!

Do you even have 5 years to learn all there is to know about log homes?
Do you have 1 year?

Hiring a technical advisor is really the best way to your dream log home.
Again, why hire one? I have seen many people simply take the advice of a sales representative from a log home company. That is the worst thing that a person can do because that representative is trying to sell his product and make money for him and his company.
Another time a couple wanted a used log home that had been built 12 years before they bought it and they did not know what to look for in the log walls themselves. What happened? They called me in about 6 weeks after buying their log home and asked me to look at their home because there was “a lot of sawdust like stuff coming out of the logs.” (Their words) It was actually what comes out of the south end of a termite going north. Anyway, their home started falling down that very week and had to be torn down.
It cost them thousands of dollars to start over. A consultant that knew about log homes would have saved them a lot of heart ache and money.
Another time a couple just liked a certain floor plan that only one log home company happened to have on their web site. Later they had a lot of problems with their log home package and then their log home. They did not know that just about any log home company can make that floor plan. A Log Home Consultant would have saved those headaches and money.
One of the biggest problems with the log home industry in the US is the simple fact that there is no control on what they are allowed to sell. People get taken. I like to say, they buy an expensive pile of fire wood.
Are you going to buy that expensive pile of fire wood? Or, hire a technical advisor.
I just have to tell this one.
About 5 years ago I was helping with a log home in New Hampshire and we stopped to look at a log home nearby that had been there about 15 years. We asked the owner how he liked his home. He said: “Oh it is a great home except for replacing 2 of the corners and I will probably have to do the same for the other two very soon.”
It will cost him, when he is done replacing the 4 corners, more than what he paid for the log home package. And in another 10 to 15 years he will have to do it all over again.
Is that really what you want to do with your dream home?
I would think, “Hiring a log home technical advisor”, would be less expensive.
One more story, a long, long time ago when I was just starting with my 40 years of learning about log homes, I worked on a green stick hand scribed log home. (It really wasn’t a true hand scribed log home because the true had scribed log homes of 700 to 800 years ago were done by hand with simple tools. This one was done with chain saws.)
First the logs turned black and slimy. Boy was the owner mad. We spent 2 weeks bleaching and cleaning the logs. Then they started to shrink. Not only was the home design poorly done, but the green Douglas fir logs started to crack and twist and warp. The design had a large center truss setting on the side walls with an entry door right under it. The top log on the log wall was the only thing holding it and that log was twisting and rolling off of the log wall. Then to top off that, the wall shrank over 13 inches and we had to cut into that log over ½ way in, to keep the door intact and opening. During the first 2 years we changed most of the windows which were broken and all the trim several times. If you want to talk about a night mare, that owner had one.
Do you think hiring a person with a lot of knowledge is the right way to go? I Do.
I have over 40 years of true stories that I could tell but I will stop here and ask another question.
How do you pick a good Technical Advisor?
Qualifications should be: Acquainted with wood species used in building log homes and should have woods experience and be a certified log cruiser and log scalier.
That person should have a good working knowledge of many different log profiles, from different log home companies learned by repairing them.
That person should have, knowledge of Architecture, and have designed at least 30 to 40 log homes that they have actually built.
That person should have a working knowledge in log home sales and be unbiased.
And finally that person should have a few years doing technical advising.
I know of only one person that meets all of those requirements, and more.
That is of course Log Man Dan.
I chopped my first tree down at 12 and operated my first cat at 13. Put myself through college at the U of O in Architecture by logging. Became a certified timber cruiser and log scalier for The US Forest Service by 23 years of age and started working for home contractors at 24. By 25 I was the shop supervisor of a storm window company and by 26 I also had my own construction company and started designing homes. I have since repaired many log home of all varieties and have designed and built or supervised more than 130 log homes. During that time I have sold log home for several different log home companies. Also I have traveled to many parts of the US for various log home companies and log home owners to give technical advice. And several times I have re-designed homes on site to correct log home design problems.
I have perfected a log bracket that will hold log floor joists straight and still let them dry properly in a floor system. I have eliminated many structural costs by redesigning and using practical log construction practices.
I have enough knowledge in thermal dynamics of wood to impress a college professor at cal tec. So much that he had me design and build his log home.
I have now had many of my log homes featured in national publications such as Countries Best Log Homes and Log Home Living and my favorite home in 2007 was selected one in 12 in the nation by Log Home Living for their calendar.
My son and I have perfected and built several, all log spiral stair cases, and our last one connects 3 stories on a 32” center log with the log steps supported by 3” log pickets, a unique design I have not seen anywhere else.
I would be glad to help you save a lot of money by advising you on your dream home.
So just give me a call and we can talk,
Log Man Dan,
Trails End Log Homes
2420 Hwy 101,
Florence, Oregon 97439
Ph: 541-999-5477
PS:  the two pictures above are from two national magazines.

  Also please look at the ads below.

Log Home Nightmare

Log Home Nightmare
A True Story
Once upon a time a nice married couple decided to build a log home.
They had saved for years, scraping here and there. Finally they were ready to start shopping for a log home. Which one to choose? They all are log homes.
Taking in log home shows and talking to many different sales people they began to accumulate a lot of information. This went on for several years while they were deciding where to put their dream home and what they wanted in there log home. After awhile it became more and more confusing so they decided to focus just on what company offered the floor plan that they liked!
Along came a silver tongued salesman offering them the moon but not telling them that there was really no cheese on it. This salesman said that all corner styles are good! (even when but and pass corners have a proven track record for ROTTING). That 19% moisture content was ok! (even when the log home industry standard is 17%.) Log profile doesn’t matter that flat logs are ok! Cants are just as good as logs with the hart in the center! That spiked logs are just as good as bolts! That we have the best log package on the market! He told them their log company has a great 4 year Warranty. (it did not occur to them to check out other log home companies with life time warranties or to look at homes sold by them that were more than 4 years old. It takes about 4 years for the big problems to show up.)
They bought the package hook, line and sinker ( they never did find the cheese.).
So there next step was to hire a general contractor and get started. They hired one that was recommended but did not check with any people he had worked for . That was there second mistake.
The excavator was a fried of the general contractor and got the job digging but did not give a bid with the fill included. There contract went over $15,000.00 more than another bid. Worse yet the concrete contractor ran into trouble because the excavator did a poor job of digging and filling. The final foundation was not square or level.
At that time they received a letter from the log home company that the logs would be arriving late. This caused the log stacking to continue into late fall and snow. Extra labor and costs ended up to be another $10,000.00 for the log stacking (they did not think to check out labor costs for stacking the different log profiles. There are some companies Like Lodge Logs that labor costs are less than half.).
Through the next year sub contractors were late or had added expenses because the general contractor did not check out their bids (or they were friends and he received 20% of all building costs.).
Budget just disappeared and they paid a lot more before the home was finished. It was supposed to cost around $350,000.00 but ended up over $500,000.00
Well they finally moved in and were prepared to enjoy their home. But it lasted only a short time. That winter water started coming in at various places. This was due to several things but the main problem was simply the, but and pass corners, which channeled water into the log wall through cracks developing in the wall logs.
The next year they had problems with trim being pushed off when the wall logs started shrinking ( at 19%, an 8’ high log wall will shrink around 5 to 6 inches in 4 to 5 years. Next , the doors would not open and some of the windows broke from the logs setting down on them. Logs began twisting and warping, opening up places in the walls.
After losing a lot of money in repairs they became fed-up with the home and sold it shortly after 4 years. (Notice that the warrantee the log company’s offered was only for 4 years. From my observations over 32 years I have come to find out that the warrantee that log home companies offers reflect how long the home actually starts to have problems. But later a few years ago another company offered it. Not only were there logs short lived but their warrantee wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. So now you still need to do your home work.)
About 10 years after the home was built, the corners showed rot and eventually the home was tore down.
The Nightmare finally ended.
After 32 years of selling, designing and building over 130 log homes and having worked on over 30 different log companies log homes, I found out one very important thing; The buyer needs to do their home work.
My next article will let you in on more secrets to a successful log home experience. And yes there is truly a way to make it a dream home.
Have a great day,
Dan Barnett
Trails end Log Homes
541-999-5477
If you would to have my technical assistance simply give me a call.