Choosing a Log Home

Image Gallery This lakeside Idaho log home was designed and built by Rocky Mountain Log Homes of Hamilton, Mont. ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOG HOMES

Demand for log homes is up, partly because an increasing number of people view them as an attractive — and more sustainable — alternative to conventional housing. Others simply like the idea of living in a log home, for its warm appearance and solid wood walls. Recent consumer surveys show that log homes are one of the fastest growing segments of the building industry, with more than 25,000 built every year, mostly as the homeowner’s principal residence, according to the Log Homes Council of the National Association of Home Builders.

In the late 1960s, a renaissance in log home building began in the United States and Canada with small, simple, do-it-yourself kits mainly designed for back-to-the-landers. Today, modern log homes incorporate many different styles and can follow almost any floor plan. And many of those floor plans are custom designs; log homes now represent about 7 percent of custom homes in the United States. Although some may choose to build their own log homes, most homeowners hire a contractor to do the work.

Trying to select the right log home design can be a daunting task: More than 400 commercial manufacturers currently produce log homes, each with numerous styles and options.

“I’ll be the first to admit it, we make it very difficult for consumers to compare apples to apples, so to speak, because every company has a different package,” says Rich Horn, 2004 president of the Log Homes Council. “That’s why it’s so important to understand exactly what you are buying from the log home manufacturer, and the terms of the agreement.”

Typically, the manufacturer supplies the logs and other structural components, and may offer design assistance and construction services. When the design work is completed, the manufacturer delivers construction-ready materials to the building site. But this is only part of the larger picture, which also includes site work, utilities, a foundation or slab, heating and cooling systems, electrical and plumbing work, cabinetry and finishes, and labor costs. Although prices can vary widely, the cost of a log home shell usually represents about a third of the finished home’s total cost. Most reputable manufacturers can provide an estimate of the final cost to help you plan a budget, secure financing and decide how much of the work you want to do yourself.

Every potential buyer should understand the two main categories of log homes: manufactured and handcrafted. Both use the same general strategy of stacking logs on top of each other to create the home’s walls, but they follow different methods of producing the logs.

Manufactured versus Handcrafted Log Homes

The manufactured log home, as the name implies, is produced in a mill. The wall logs are sawed, planed or otherwise shaped to a specific size and uniform profile. The end result usually has a uniform appearance on both the exterior and interior. Because mill buildings and the machinery in them are expensive capital investments, manufactured log home companies generally are large organizations. And many of these companies also utilize the latest in computer-aided design (CAD) technology. The Log Homes Council has more than 50 manufacturer members that participate in a certified log-grading program and agree to follow a code of ethics.