Checks (cracks/splits) in a log are the result of the drying process a log goes through. Checks are common & occur in all species of wood. They are not a concern since they do not affect the structural integrity of the building. As checks do not pass through the center of the log, energy efficiency is not compromised. Checks are good to see in a log as they indicate the log is dry.

How is my house insulated? What goes in between the logs and how energy efficient is it?

Efficient log home design uses logs at least 8 inches thick with a rigid foam gasket installed between the logs. The logs are the actual insulation. Pine and cedar are amongst the best to use. An 8 inch pine log is equivlant to R-20 insulation. (same as wood frame construction) When the foam gasket is properly installed, the energy efficiency of the building will meet Energy Star Standards.

What are the different options of foundation that can be used with the logs

Any type of foundation can be used for a log home.  The thickness of the foundation is normally the same as wood frame construction. To give you an example of the weight of a log home:  A pine log home with logs 16 inches in diameter weighs less then a wood frame house with brick veneer.

Will the entire inside of my house be logs? What material is the roof?

Usually the exterior walls are log and the interior walls are frame, (2*4 and 2*6.)For someone who wants more log wall, we can construct interior log walls as well. For someone who wants less log, we can build post and beam style which uses log only for structural supports. Frame walls or windows are inserted between the posts and a chosen interior/exterior finish is applied.

The roof system is constructed with log posts and beams. (which are visible from the inside) and frame material (2*10 and 2*12) for the rafters.The roof frame is covered with an interior finish of choice.

Can the entire house be a mix of logs and other material?

Yes! Log homes do not have to consist of full log walls. Post and Beam construction uses log for structual support only. Logs are visible form the inside and outside. Between the posts, there can be:

• any other type of exterior wall construction or,
• a mix of log and other exterior wall construction.

Do the logs come in different shapes or sizes?

Yes! For hand-crafted log homes, there are two profiles, round and timber. Round logs use tops (top of the tree) close to 13” thick. The butts of the log are whatever the taper is, usually a 40′ log will have a butt around 19”. Timbers can be any length/width avaible. Common sizes are, 8*10, 8*12, 10*10, and 10*12. Lengths for handcrafted logs are up to 50 feet.

For milled log homes, there are 3 different profiles; round, timber,and d-log. The d-log profile is flat on the inside and round on the outside. The round logs are available 6 to 16 inches thick. Timbers and D-log can be 8*8 aand 8*10 or 10*10. Milled logs are available in full length and up to 60 feet long.

Can I get different stains? If so how is it applied? Is it more expensive?

Yes! Stains are available in many different shades from light to dark. Interior stains can be clear, keeping the log its natural color or, contain one of the many pigments available.

Exterior stains can be any shade except for clear. Also, due to the development of log stain industry, staining a log home is now a once in a life-time application. All log home stain companies have a clear top-coat that is appllied on top of the stain, providing years of protection. (7 to 12 years) After this time, a single coat of top-coat is all that is needed to continue to protect the stain.

Stains are applied by brush or sprayer. It is not that costly anymore to maintain a log home due to the development of the stain industry.

Where do these logs come from?

Our handcrafted logs are eastern white pine and they come form eastern Ontario FSC certified forests.

Our milled logs are standing dead-wood (Pine-beetle) from westen Canada.

One thing that separates us form other companies is that we don’t harvest any young growth timber. All our logs are at or near life expectancy when they are used. Our milled logs have reached life and are waiting to be preserved in one of our homes.

Our handcrafed logs are near life and would naturally fall to the ground soon after they are harvested.

How long does it take to construct a home from start to finish?

Milled home normally take 3 to 5 months to complete, depending on the size of the home.

Handcrafted homes are normally complete in 5 to 7 months.

Should the logs be dry before the home is built?

For any milled (machined) home, logs should dry for at least 3 years before they are machined, so the joinery in not compromised.

Handcrafted homes may be built with green or dry logs with modern joinery techniques.

Associations & Directories

• www.logassociation.org International log builders association
• www.cmhc.ca Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (CMHC)
• www.cwc.ca Canadian Wood Council
• www.loghomes.org Log Home Council
• www.mha-net.org Masonry Heater Association
• www.sips.org Structural Insulated Panel Association
• www.loghomelinks.com
• www.loghomes.com
• www.contractorreferralnetwork.com
• www.logcabindirectory.com

Designing Info

• www.tnloghomes.com
• www.loghomedesign.ca
• www.dirksondesign.com
• www.log-home-plans.com
• www.loghome.com

Windows & Doors

• www.westwoodwindows.com

Log Care Products

• www.logcareproducts.com
• www.loghelp.com
• www.weatherall.com
• www.woodguard.com
• www.logfinish.com
• www.sashco.com
• www.permachink.com
• www.woodrestoration.net/

Green Companies

• www.greenhomebuilding.com
• www.energystar.gov
• www.thehealthiesthome.com
• www.logsend.com “Wide Plank Flooring”

Fireplaces & Stone

• www.greenmountainsoapstone.com
• www.soapstoneontario.com
• www.woodstove.com
• www.culturedstone.com
• www.fireplacecenter.com
• www.cutriverock.com

Structural Insulated Panels System (SIPS).

• www.eaglepanelsystems.com
• www.foardpanel.com
• banerpan@sympatico.ca

Roof Cover – Metal roofs and shingles are commonly used in log homes.

• www.idealroofing.com For steel roof systems.
• www.renewwood.com . Recycled shingles

Radiant Flooring Systems

• www.radiantec.com
• www.ipexinc.com

Log Furniture and decor

• www.artfactory.com
• www.lonesomecottage.com
• www.simpsonwoodcarving.com
• www.rockytoplogfurniture.com
• www.casthorndesigns.com
• www.cdnantler.com
• www.countrycritter.com
• www.mtnranchlighting.com
•  http://www.teakgardenindonesia.com - Teak Furniture Exporter from Indonesia.

Eco-friendly Paint

• ecospec by benjamin moore www.benjaminmoore.com
• The old-fashioned milk painting company www.milkpaint.com

• yolo colorhouse www.yolocolorhouse.com

Lodges

• www.lodgesincheshire.co.uk/  Stoneyfold Lodges  “Beauty, Relaxation, and more…”

Water Systems

•  http://www.advancedwaterfilters.com
   Advanced Water Filters

Spas

•  http://www.discountspasdirect.com - We carry affordable spa covers to fit any hot tub.
•  http://www.inventoryspas.com/ - Browse our large selection of quality, affordable hot tubs, portable spas and more.
• http://www.nationwidepools.com - If you are looking to purchase an above ground pool, look for the great deals at Nationwide Pools.

Step 1: Style of Log Home

Decide what type of Log Home you prefer (see: Style of Log Homes)

Step 2: Determine Square Footage

This step begins with asking yourself the, sometimes difficult, question: How many square feet?

The size of home you build will depend on one or both of the following:

1.Budget
Determining amount of square feet based on budget:

The cost of building your entire home will usually be somewhere between $150 & $200 per Sq. Foot. Where your home falls in this range usually depends on the type of finishing materials used inside the home.

Divide your budget by 150 & 200 to find out what size of floor plan to search for.

Example: $300,000 budget, 300000/150 = 2000, 300000/200 = 1500, search for 1500-2000 sq. foot floor plans.

2. Needs/Wants
Determining amount of square feet based on the needs/wants of the occupants:

Begin by determining the number of rooms you will like to have in your home. Use our Needs & Wants sheet to assist in the decision making process. Begin with the rooms ‘needed’ to satisfy your lifestyle and add ‘wanted’ rooms based on your budget. Next, decide on the size of the rooms. You may use past experiences or measure your present home / friends homes to assist in determining how many square feet are needed for your occupants to be comfortable.

Once you have the number and size of rooms organized, you will have an approximate square footage of your home. Multiply by 150 and 200 to determine how much your home will cost.

Step 3: Floor Plans

You may be lucky enough to find a floor plan using resources such as the internet, magazines, books, etc. This is your least expensive option since all we have to do is reproduce the plan for your; “blueprints”. If you are unable to find an exact plan or a combination of plans, we will custom design a plan for you. This usually involves a site visit and a couple meetings conversing and sharing ideas before the drawings are produced. Either way, we are looking forward in working with you on your project!

Log homes do require maintenance as does any other house, but they do not necessarily require more maintenance. In order to maintain the “new” look with any house, there is maintenance. For the log house, a clear UV coat every 5-10 years. For the conventional house, cleaning of siding, re-grouting brick veneer, etc. Logs as with many other building materials (even vinyl siding) have 2 main enemies: sun and water. The trick to eliminating maintenance is smart design. With a proper roof overhang & elevation to protect the logs from the elements, maintenance is kept to a minimum!

Myth #2: Insects are attracted to log homes

Contrary to popular belief. Insects are not attracted to your log home. Why? When the logs are set on your foundation, they dry to the relative moisture content of the area. Insects are not attracted to dry wood, they are attracted to the moisture in wood…fallen trees outdoors in direct contact with the ground is where they call home. If insects needed dry wood to survive, they would be in the exterior wall of most people’s wood-framed home

Myth #3: Log homes are difficult to insure

After a few phone calls one will discover a log home is as easy to insure as any other house construction method & for relatively the same price. Why? Compared to conventional construction, log homes are not a fire hazard, actually less of one due to there low flame spread rating. Logs are also able to be restored back to their original condition if a fire does so happen. (see links, log home council) How? By removing the char formed during the fire. The char formed on the outer surface of the log prevents oxygen from reaching the rest of the log which results in no more fuel for the fire. Insurance companies are, today, well aware of the benefits of log construction, they are happy to insure your home, just pick up the phone and find out for yourself, any reputable company will be thankful for your call.

Myth #4: Log homes are a fire hazard

In order for a wall assembly to be considered a fire hazard, the fire resistance rating must be below 30 minutes. Wood frame exterior wall construction with drywall on one side is able to perform at this 30 minute rating. An 8” thick solid log wall performance is rated at 60 minutes (see Canadian Wood Council, Wood Design Manual), double the performance. Why? The properties of solid wood & fire. Logs are an extremely poor conductor of heat and fire starts upon off-gassing of the material present. In order for off-gassing to begin with respect to solid wood greater than 8”, an enormous amount of heat has to be generated. Just think of it? When was the last time you heard of a log home fire? What about a wood frame house fire?

Myth #5: Log homes are significantly more expensive to build

The cost of building a log house is actually gone down compared to conventional construction. Dimensional lumber has more than doubled during the past 10 years due to increased manufacturing costs (fuel to run the mill, transport, etc). The raw material (being the log) has been relatively the same price for the past ten years. Just think of it, how much did a 2”x4”x8’ cost in the 90’s? How much does it cost today? Log homes used to be 30 – 35% more costly to build. Now, with smart design, they are relatively the same cost.

Myth #6: Log homes do not last

Some of the oldest standing structures in the world are made of logs. The key to longevity, as with any house is to protect it from the elements (rain, wind, sun, & snow).  With proper design a log house will last forever.  Design principal should include elevating the foundation above the ground (at least 12-24” (300-600mm) and with a sufficient roof over-hang.

Myth #7: Logs are not good insulators

Most log homes constructed have an insulative value 25-50% higher than standard conventional construction. Wood is comprised of tiny air pockets which help resist the flow of heat. R value is the measurement of insulative performance of various materials. (The larger the number the higher the performance). R –value when tested is based on the resistance to heat transfer. Logs do not have an R-value since they don’t resist the transfer of heat. Logs have a U –value which measures the rate of heat flow through a substance. The heat flow through a log is very slow which gives logs thermal mass benefits. Thermal mass means the ability of a substance to store heat and radiate the heat back through the path of least resistance, which is towards the inside during the winter and towards the outside during the summer.

Logs are the only renewable major construction material. They are able to efficiently regenerate from a well managed forest. As stated by the Canadian Wood Council, “Canada is at no risk of deforestation”. “Canada’s forests account for 10% of the world’s cover & only ¼ of 1% of the Canadian forest is allowed to be harvested each year”, not to mention the hundreds of tree planting operations happening on a yearly basis.

2. Preservation of Nature

Log Homes are the only type of home that preserve nature. It is known that 90% of the wood used to construct a log house goes into a wood frame house the same size. True, the size of a log is much greater than dimensional lumber, however, the amount of waste produced by the manufacturing process accounts for nearly the same amount of wood used. The difference is: The log house preserves nature instead of hiding it. It is the log that provides the structural and finish (exposed) material, complementing nature’s real beauty and heritage & able to be enjoyed by all..

3. Low embodied energy

Definition: Embodied Energy is the hidden energy in a house required to manufacture materials resulting in pollution and supply to the point of use.

The log home has the lowest form of embodied energy in any building since material is not manufactured. Environmental impact is kept to a minimum. An example: Western Red Cedar is commonly used as an exterior finish material in eastern Canada, even though Eastern white Cedar is as readily available from Ontario to Newfoundland. White Cedar is also as naturally rot resistant and as good of an insulator. The difference: White Cedar is local, Red Cedar is transported up to 6000 km away from its source. Not too environmentally friendly is it?

4. Low flame spread rating

Simple terms: The lower the rating, the better the performance.

Building codes for flame spread rating in a residential construction wall assembly must be around 150. A 2’x6’ wall with fiberglass insulation and drywall is rated at 150 (typical conventional construction). “Logs of the softwood nature are between 75-125”. (Flame spread rating, Log Home Council). It is well known by now that in order to ignite an average size log on fire, an enormous amount of heat has to be present. Due to a logs flame spread rating, they are less of a fire hazard than typical construction. Most Insurance companies are well aware of the situation. The log home myth, “it’s difficult to insure a log house”, simply is not true.

5. Energy Efficiency

The Softwood Log is among the best natural insulators known to man. Why? Simply speaking, as wood dries, its cellular structure changes from holding water to tiny air pockets. These air pockets act as resistance to heat flow through the log. Therefore, causing wood to be an extremely poor conductor of heat & an excellent insulator. In addition logs also act as a thermal mass when heated, meaning they are able to radiate heat back to the inside or outside of the building, which ever is the warmer side of the log. What is the result? Less pressure is placed on your heating system during the winter and a cooling system in most locations is not required any time of the year.

The insulative performance of different wood species is based on the“u Factor” (rate of heat flow through a substance). Most people would be more familiar with the “r-factor” (resistance to heat transfer) which is how fiberglass insulation is rated. Standard wood – frame houses are insulated to a value of r-20. After converting a logs u-factor, it has been proven that Pine or Spruce Species are around 2.5 per inch and cedars 3.5 per inch. A typical handcrafted home of pine would have an insulative performance equivalent to r-35.

6. Air Quality

Basic air quality in any house should be of a high standard, even to people who have severe allergies. Too bad 90% of the time, this is not the case. Basically, the more manufactured materials in a home the higher the air pollution in the home mainly due to the glues and adhesives used commonly in conventional house construction. Materials include OSB, tar paper, fiberglass insulation, paints, carpets, linoleum, & varnishes to name a few. This does not mean you shouldn’t apply paint or varnish, it means if you don’t want these products to compromise air quality, they should be of an environmental and low-VOC standard. People with severe allergies who live in standard wood-frame houses usually require some form of air-purification system. Most Log home builders use minimal manufactured material, therefore low toxins and healthy indoor air quality actually exists.

7. Authenticity

Log homes were permanent shelters of our early pioneers and settlers. It is authentic, it binds us to our heritage. Some of the oldest structures in the world are constructed with logs. A properly designed log house (protection from the elements & weather-tight construction) should last a lifetime

Hand-Crafted Round Log: Logs are kept in their natural form (excluding the bark), retaining their natural taper and appearance. Logs are normally hand-peeled with the help of a drawknife. Full length logs are used & average diameter is 14-16”.

Scandinavian Full Scribe:Round logs are scribed (by hand), together, throughout the entire building (corners and longitudinal grooves). An expandable gasket and wool insulation is normally placed within each corner and groove.  With proper construction tecnique, the logs will rest tightly together with no need to ever chink.

Scribe Fit Chink Style: Round logs are scribed (by hand) together in the corners only. Longitudinal grooves are sealed (on both sides) with an insulative chinking material. The chinking rests on foam gaskets placed between the logs & if properly applied, will be permanently attached to the logs.  This type of home is the least expensive of handcrafted homes since only the corners are scribed & notched, not the grooves.

Hand-Crafted Timber: Round logs are converted into squared timber retaining the natural taper of the tree (large at on end, smaller at the other). Sides of the log may be removed either by bandsaw, chainsaw, or axe… which ever finish or appearance is preferred. Full length logs are used & average thickness is 10”.

Timber Dove-Tail:Logs are squared by bandsaw, chainsaw or axe. Timbers are dove-tail notched in the corners with the longitudinal grooves capped with an insulative chinking material. Behind the chinking should be a foam gasket or backer rod with an additional backer rod in the center. With this procedure, the gap between the logs is well insulated and performs better than a thermal-pane window. The dovetail notch is the most authentic one of all…it has been around for centuries. The dovetail is also believed to be the strongest type of notch in log construction…as the building settles, it actually becomes tighter over time.

The main advantages for handcrafted homes are:

• Size of the logs: large diameter = large thermal mass = greater insulation & less heating costs.
• Aesthetics: more authentic look with tapered logs and no butt joints

With proper building techniques & construction practices,  all types of log homes listed above have the potential to be as efficient as the other and 30% to 50% more efficient than standard conventional construction.