The Marvels of a Log Home
When you head to the mountains for a weekend getaway or even for a weeklong vacation most people think of staying in a log home as an essential part of a mountain getaway. Nature and log homes just fit together, always have and always will. But why? What draws people to this amazing type of building? There are many reasons why and many more reasons why we supply the service to build your log home if that is your dream.
Nature and log homes just fit together, always have and always will!
Log homes are in a class all their own. They take the traditional form of making homes, by stacking logs and adding a modern twist to it. There is just something about making a home in a similar fashion as our ancestors did. We cheat by using modern tools, but the traditional sense is still there making it a lot of fun to build. On top of that you get so many great benefits from a log home. Let me go into just a few of them.
Naturally Insulated
For starters, since the walls are solid wood, there is no need for insulation in the walls. Wood is a natural insulator, keeping the cold out and the heat in or vice versa. Wood is good at maintaining the atmosphere in a home. In fact, studies are now showing that wood, even after it has been cut down, continues to be a CO2 absorber. Pulling carbon dioxide out of the air in your log home. And who doesn’t want a cleaner atmosphere in their home? Now, there are a few other options when it comes to insulation for you log home. There are always options to insulate your log home even more if you wish. A common method is to put a one-inch foam insulation board on the inside of your walls and then covering the foam boards with Tongue and Groove. This gives a look of having logs on the inside of your home but actually provides a couple of benefits. If you go this route, then you can run electrical behind the T&G and rather than drilling holes in your logs. But that's a matter of preference. Overall, you have options, which is always nice to have.
Striking to the Senses
Log homes have a great way of hitting all your senses. When you first walk into a log home most people will say that they notice that it feels peaceful and cozy. The cozy part comes from the atmosphere of an efficient home, but the peaceful part comes from the fact that wood is a good sound absorber. Most log homes are made of a cedar or pine which have lots of open pores in the wood, this is why it is both a good insulator and sound absorber. Peace and quiet is what we all need from time to time. Along with sound, log homes have a pleasant woody smell. If you go with a pine home, chances are it will smell like a good Christmas tree in your home for a while. That will fade over time, but you will always have a nice wood scent in the home. Besides scent, touch is something that everyone seems to do when they walk into a log home. Especially the posts and beams of a home. It's very therapeutic to run your fingers on the beams feeling the character of the wood. Don't worry, we will make sure you do not get any splinters! When it comes to taste...... well I wouldn't recommend licking the walls. But, hey, if you want the full effect. I can't stop you.
Environmentally Friendly
Another great marvel of a log home is that it is made from a renewable resource, so for every tree that is cut down to make a log home another tree can be planted to replace it. Which is an amazing resource. It also leaves much less of a carbon footprint in the manufacturing of the logs than a conventional home. The process of getting logs from the forest to onsite ready to build is a much shorter process than the process for a conventional home. The trees are cut, milled, dried and delivered. That's pretty much it. Obviously, there's a few other small steps in between but overall, that's the process. Versus a conventional home that uses a lot more Plywood and other products like it that take quite a bit to create. All this being said, it takes less time to make logs for a home, which equals less energy and less carbon released. A win, win situation!
Spectacular Creations
And finally, log homes are a work of art that could last for a long, long, long, time. Log homes are very durable. When maintained and built right you can count on your log home lasting a very long time. Especially with modern roofing, and other water and pest control methods. And who doesn’t like a home that catches everyone’s attention. Log homes are a work of art because they take skill to build and are generally different in style than a conventional home. Whether it is big or small. Log Homes can be customized really any way you want. There are some out there that are mind boggling in size and architecture and others that are more simple but still have a marvelous way of looking appealing. The choice is yours!
The Icky Bits
Now for the icky part, like all homes there are a few things that make a log home less appealing, well really only two that. The first being those pesky little insects, we all know that ants, carpenter bees, termites etc.... all love to chew on wood and can cause a lot of damage. However, there are two solutions to this problem, one is to simply treat you log home on a regular basis. There are many great products out there for this problem. The second is a bit more expensive upfront but in the long run could save you a lot. And that is to make your home out of cedar. Cedar has natural oils that make it both bug repellent and naturally rot resistant, saving you a lot of money and time in both.
The second con to a log home is that they do require more maintenance than a conventional home. Again, some of this can be fixed by using cedar rather than pine for your log home. But typically speaking you will need to do some kind of maintenance on your log home every 5 to 10 yrs.
Overall log homes are simply an amazing structure that is both pleasing to look at and very efficient and practical home to have. A traditional way of building a home, in a modern-day society.
If building a log home is your dream give us a call. We love to talk about the log homes we have built and are excited to answer any questions you may have!
