DIY Network

Blog Cabin WEB EXTRA: Log Cabin Primer Fourteen essential things you should consider before you commit to building or buying a log home of your own. From "Blog Cabin" episode DBLG-101

Log Cabin Primer

So you want a log cabin. It's a dream that's not that uncommon, and it's not necessarily an impossible one. But log homes have a number of attributes that make them different from a more standard type of home. Here are some basic topics that you should familiarize yourself with and consider before you start investing your time and money into fashioning or seeking out the log cabin you've always dreamed of.

advertisement

1. Land

Locating a site suitable for building your log home is step one. A professional realtor can help walk you through the selection, from access to water and sewer lines, soil evaluations and contacting the local building inspections department.

When you build new you must acquaint yourself with covenants and restrictions on the structure's size and the building materials permitted.
And then there's the look and feel. Are you building for privacy, convenience or a great view. Once you've settled on the site and the finances, you'll be ready to select a design.

2. Design

Are you building a weekend getaway or your primary residence? How many bedrooms do you need? Are you an active outdoorsy family that needs lots of rooms for equipment?

All these questions, and many, many more need to be answered well before you put pen to blueprint. List your priorities, such as big kitchen, privacy, porches etc., and then work from there. And make sure that your design fits well with the size and terrain of your site.

3. Wood

Many types of woods work well for log construction. Consult with experienced log home builders and designers who can walk you through the pros and cons, and the individual characteristics of specific types of wood.

You can certainly choose a combination of woods in your construction depending on factors such as expected roof load, climate conditions, insulation requirements and simply the availability of certain woods. One of the key determinants will be shrinkage.

4. Log Shrinkage

Pardon the pun, but this is no small matter. Moisture in the wood slowly evaporates and shrinks the girth of the logs. This is part of the normal settlement process as a log home matures. Don't worry, it happens to everyone.

An experienced log builder can make the appropriate accommodations, such as using settling boards in window and door openings. These are pieces of trim sized to span the settling space. There are tricks to installing them, so get some professional advice in advance. This is where experience really counts.

5. Dry Logs or Green Logs?

Green logs are those that have a moisture content of 19 percent or greater. They should be allowed to shrink about 3/4 of an inch for every foot, or about six percent. Generally they shrink in diameter, not so much in length. It takes time for them to completely settle, about five years as part of a heated home. But settling is dependent on many factors, including wood species, initial moisture content, temperature, humidity and log diameter, to name a few.
Expect dry logs to shrink as well, but not by the six percent standard as the greenies.

Page  1 | 2 | 3