Logger-Rhythms

Why use solid logs instead of cheaper methods of log construction?

If you want a log home, build a log home. The first thing you hear from anyone offering an alternative to solid logs is, “No one will be able to tell the difference. It will look the same.” So does a knock-off Rolex! Actually, they’re right…mostly. From the outside, it probably will look pretty much the same and to anyone who isn’t ‘in’ to log cabin homes, they might not see any internal differences, either. However, there are a couple of problems and the biggest one is that you’ll know the difference!

Once we decided to build but before we got into questions like what kind of wood, exterior corners, log style, type of drying, plus a dozen other decisions we needed to make before choosing a vendor, we faced that same decision. Do we build a real log home or what I have come to call a ‘phony baloney’ one? I guess you can tell from my statement we chose real logs and, in fact, felt so strongly about it that one of the reasons for selecting our particular log company was they were one of the few suppliers using solid logs, top to bottom, on the entire house. Even though many use solid logs on the first floor, they switch to conventional stick construction for second story walls and gables. Then there was the group that manufactured a ’sandwich’. It’s kind of an Oreo cookie made of wood and fiber. Essentially they use standard frame construction, studs and all on the inside, log siding on the outside and insulation in-between. There are a couple of different variations which are called panelized, system built, pre-fabricated pre-manufactured, and any number of other names, most of them pre-constructed in sections at the factory. Call it what you will, it’s still not a real log home. It’s traditional construction without the integrity of an on-site, stick-built home. The sections roll off an assembly line, are bounced, twisted and jarred to the building site, then dangled into place by a crane. My choice of material was log so I expected to visit a mill, not a factory. Then I wanted to see my house being built, not bolted together like a bar-b-cue grill.

To Vigi and I, the log-sided cookie seemed to offer all the disadvantages of solid logs without any of the advantages. Aside from the desire to have a genuine log structure, our first red flag was the realization that many of these manufacturers were not licensed to do business in states like New Jersey, Southern New York, New England, California and several other places that have strict building codes. To us, that sent a pretty strong message about quality. The added strength and inherent energy-efficient properties of solid logs, such as the effect of thermal mass, would be missing with a factory-issued house. In case you’re not familiar with thermal mass, the most concise explanation I’ve seen is on-line in the Wikipedia, which states:

Thermal mass, in the most general sense, is any mass that absorbs and stores heat during sunny periods when the heat is not desirable in the living space of a building, and then releases the heat during overcast periods or during the night, when the heat is desirable. The same can be said for not absorbing heat during hot periods of weather. The internal mass remains at a lower temperature than outside keeping the occupants more comfortable.

Our experience is that it really works, too! Thermal mass is not measured in R-values but if you need to equate it in order to make comparisons, our 8″x8″ log walls would be the equivalent of R-38 insulation and our roof about R-39. The factory pre-built gives you an R-19 with a rare few offering up to R-28. R-19 is typical for today’s more traditional paper house. When it comes to heating and cooling, that’s quite a difference. In areas where snow load may be a concern, the log homes we researched ran rings around the ‘knock-offs’. Since I work extensively with audio, I appreciate the added sound insulating property of solid logs, as well. But strength, quiet and energy-efficiency are only part of the story.

If you’re building new, you probably want custom. For us, off-the-rack wouldn’t due. Of course the assembly-line houses have a certain amount of flexibility [usually as optional upgrades] but we found that ‘writing on a blank slate’ offered us the ultimate in unlimited choice. Building a real log cabin home did cost more and take longer than the log-sided cookie but the old saw, “you get what you pay for” never applied more than here. A house is probably the biggest investment you’ll ever make. When looking at dollars and cents, we found that panelized, system-built, or whatever name the factory’s marketing team chose this week, only held or increased value at about the same rate as any other traditionally built home. Real log homes were in greater demand at better prices. With regard to speed of construction, remember, the mighty oak didn’t grow from an acorn overnight; it may cost more but you’ll have more. As for the completeness of your package, whenever you’re building a home, there’s no such thing as including all the items you’ll need. There is no ‘no-shop’. As Fred’s third law states, “Just when you think you have everything, you need one more trip to the store.”

When people ask if we bought a ‘kit’, I sort of cringe. In as much as we opted for pre-cut logs and a well-supplied package, I suppose you could call it a kit. But my pride always forces me to qualify my answer; because I shudder to think a true devotee of the log lifestyle might mistake the word ‘kit’ for a pre-fab paper house with log siding. When the big bad wolf comes huffing and puffing at my door, the hairs on my chinny-chin-chin want the confidence of knowing my house of logs is not only authentic but is stronger and functions more efficiently than factory-fresh!