Tar River Log Homes Qualified
Service Provider. Designing, building and owning a log home is different from a
conventionally framed home. Our architectural firm designs dozens of log homes
each year and here are the top 10 things that you should know about log homes.
10: Logs
require maintenance. This is
an unyielding reality of the nature of wood. It will shrink, warp, twist, crack
and if not protected, rot. But this is also why we love it - the character and
very nature of wood itself is still alive long after it has been cut down. If
you want to live with the warmth of wood, you have to protect it and plan for it
to continue moving.
9: Log
homes provide thermal mass in the walls. R-value alone doesn't tell the whole story about
thermal comfort in a home.
8: Log
walls settle. It
doesn't matter if the logs are kiln dried or dead standing, the material is
made up of millions of tiny cells that were once living. As those cells
continue to dry out, the logs will continue to shrink. As the logs shrink, the
entire structure of the home settles down with it (provided you are using your
log walls as bearing walls). This requires a great number of special details
and very close consideration in the design by your architect so that settling
components do not literally rip themselves apart from nonsettling components.
Now, there are glu-laminated products that significantly reduce some of this
movement and there are systems to help mitigate it, but at the end of the day,
you're working with a material that is still alive in many respects.
7: Window
walls get expensive. While
everyone loves the expanse of windows in certain rooms (and we do too), these
window walls can be much more costly to achieve in a log home than in a stick
frame home. The reason? because there is a limit to how short you can cut the
logs and rely on them for bearing, so window walls tend not to be log walls at
all but instead a structural grid of posts and headers. The problem is that all
of the structure in a log home needs to be designed so it can settle with the
logs. This means, that the entire window wall structure in a great room needs
to allow the roof above to settle over it, compromising its structural
integrity and thermal barrier. These are challenges that have solutions, but
like every complicated solution, not at a price.
6:
Electrical runs can get very interesting. Unless you pre-mill the logs (which some
manufacturer's will do), and plan very far in advance, your electrician may
find that he's pulling significantly more wire than he would in a conventional
home. The reason is obvious, but also consider log homes on a slab - then the
problems compound. Now imagine a log home on a slab with a SIPs roof. We've got
to give them somewhere to go!
5: Pay
very close attention to the insulation package. What insulation in a log home?
Plenty. There are still some framed walls in a log home, dormers, gable ends,
basement walls, slabs, roof and all of the settlement gaps above windows and
doors. All of these things need to be tightly sealed but still allow for
settlement which requires a number of special details.
4: Log
Homes cost more to build. Some will say this is a myth, but let's not kid ourselves here. There's
more material and more labor involved with a log home. Period. This means a
premium cost of maybe 15%-20% over a stick built home. Lots of folks decide to
build their own, set their own logs, etc. Sweat equity is a great way to save
in your construction costs, but that doesn't mean that you can compare to stick
framing in an apples to apples comparison. CAVEAT: You can "trick
out" a stick frame home and drive cost per square foot through the roof. I'm
talking about equivalent homes with equivalent finishes. The good news here is
that you get what you pay for.
3: Your
bank or appraiser will have a hard time finding appropriate comps for your
home. Unless
you live in an area densely packed with log homes (where is that?), they are
relatively few and far between. This is good news for the log homeowner because
of the good old law of supply and demand. Remember the 15%-20% premium you paid
in item 5 above? well, that can result in a 20%-30% premium on valuation over
an equivalent stick framed home. This is also because the market values log
homes higher than their conventional counterparts. So, don't settle with a bad
appraisal based on stick-built comps. Insist on accuracy and if your appraiser
doesn't understand what you're talking about, find someone who does.
2: Your
architectural style is NOT constrained. Sure, most people who dream of living in a log
home envision traditional rustic styling reminiscent of the pioneer lodges of
old. While this is a very consistent style with the materials, it is not the
only style. We have designed much more contemporary, clean lined architecture
with logs and you can even venture into the modern with bold forms and simpler
geometries. Remember that logs are the medium, the architecture is anything you
want it to be.
1: Log
homes are livable, comfortable and calm. Maybe it's built into our psychology from
centuries of our ancestors living in natural settings, but everything from
acoustics to even the natural smell (no VOCs please) of wood in the home
results in a very warm and comfortable atmosphere. Quiet environments and calm
settings that reduce the stress of daily life and therefore promote healthy
living. Tar
River Log Homes Certified Service Provider. To know more about Tar River Log Homes please visit
here:- http://www.tarriverloghomes.com/
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