Waterproofing your log home doesn’t just keep out water. It also ensures that your home remains insulated from the weather and your cabin doesn’t lose precious heat. In log cabin parlance, waterproofing goes by the name of caulking or chinking. The difference between the two, is that chinking is used for larger logs and larger gaps.

In the diagram above, we see the caulking material being applied using a caulking gun. The special property of caulk is that it can expand along with the wood. In fact, modern substances are designed to tolerate as much as 50% of the joint expansion. This is necessary because it can take upto 20 years for a log home to fully dry in Ohio. Having the caulk expand as necessary is important so that you don’t haveto have it redone every single year.

Caulking is a complex process and is best left to a professional. There are techniques that a first timer will not know and you risk ruining your beautiful log home. Contact a Professional to get your home waterproofed.

photo credit: creatingkoanWhen you are speaking about log cabin and home manufacturers, the list is endless for the creation and building of log homes. Each of these builders offers many different services such as interior and exterior design; log home refinishing and colors of the wood used. They also offer cleaning tips for your log home such as what to use to protect the log home after construction. Home restoration tips are also given by consultants for each of the builders of these types of log homes. Decorating your new log home is also a snap, with many different types of accent colors that can be used on the home in question.

Let’s talk a little about the maintenance of your log home. Proper maintenance is necessary in order to preserve the wood and seal it as well.  Barna Log Homes has some excellent information on maintenance of your log home such as re sealing logs, paints and cleaning. For a log cabin or home, the logs must be cleaned every 2 or 3 years. Other tips include proper design elements such as extending porches and roof overhangs. Always keep a check on the sunny side of the home for bubbling, or differences in the finish.

Ohio Log Homes also has some good information that pertains to the proper maintenance of your log home. There are many different types of log care products such as chinking, interior finishes, preservatives and sealants just to name a few of the areas that are covered. For example, one item of interest is Perma-Chink Energy Seal which eliminates both heat loss and water infiltration.  This product is available in six different colors including: Natural Pine, Cedar, Sierra Brown, Brown, Desert Tan and Slate Gray. These products were developed for milled or scribed log homes, and one application seals the home.

A topic that I would like to discuss is the types of wood that are used in log cabin, log home and modular log cabins and homes. Each manufacturer will use different woods, but there is agreement that these particular woods are the best when building a log cabin or home for residential use. This list includes but is not limited to the following woods: Cedar, white and yellow pine, Douglas fir, spruce,  oak,  walnut, poplar and hemlock just to name a few of the woods that can be used when building a log cabin or home.

Let’s talk now about log home consultants and what they do. A log home consultant is a consultant that will walk you through every phase of building a log cabin and home. They will advise you upon certain things such as the design of your new home, the construction and building, decorating both interior and exterior, maintenance, the colors both inside and outside of your new log home, Log refinishing, floor plans, woods used and framing options as well as square footage, interior design and other subjects that pertain to building and maintenance of the new home in question.

Next up is the services that are provided when building a log cabin or home. These services are necessary to the building, maintenance and design of a log home. What are these services, you may ask? These services are not limited to the following: Design, building, maintenance, chinking, weatherproofing, aids for maintaining the home such as sealers, cleaning, restoration and repair, decorating, construction of kit homes, financing, lots,  plans, materials used, planning square footage, remodeling, sandblasting, High pressure cleaning, staining,  and log rot repair. This is by no means a complete listing of all the services that are offered for a log cabin or home.

In this article, I have discussed several things that you will need to know about log homes and the services, building and design of these log cabin homes. Remember that each manufacturer is different and that each one goes about doing things in a different way. Come see me for more information upon this particular subject.

The following are some of practical application for this purpose:

·         Bedrooms

Enhance a room by installing long-colored drapery panels that reach the floor.  This is best achieved when your bedding is neutral or has design.  Take the most attractive color in the design for the drapery and add some pillows on the bed.  Put a small lamp on your dresser or on the side table.  Hang a mirror across from the source of sunrays to reflect natural light into the room.

·         Living Room and Dining Room

Enliven your great rooms with a rug in deep color.  Spread some soft and textured throw pillows.  Make your coffee table by putting some good books, jar candles and a nice bowl filled with candies or dried berries.

·         Bathrooms

The baths must always be included in re-designing your log home because they are also important part of the home.  Scented candles or air-fresheners make the air fresh and smelling good especially during winter when the air becomes steady.  Put some new towels with color.  You can place some silver wall hangers and a lower towel rack with an electric towel warmer.

To sum-up, re-designing your log home suitable for varied seasons is easy once you have practical guidelines to follow.  Simply transform the overall task into smaller and manageable projects and you can get what you want.  You can also get some ideas from the internet which can surely provide you with plenty of choices.  If you are so meticulous in your home designs, you can ask professional advice from an interior designer or you can ask your friends for assistance.  Your log home deserves this kind of pampering as it provides you with comfort, warmth and relaxing atmosphere in all seasons.

            Getting a log home used to be a struggle, because people know having one is too costly. Floor planning for their log home is also a struggle, as well. It’s like a hellish road that they need to cross by before reaching to their ever-dreamed log homes.

            People need a log home they can afford, and one that fits into their lifestyle. Choosing a floor plan and elevating the design to satisfy their needs will require some research, examination of own self’s feeling and thoughts, and creative motivation. Here are some guidelines that will wholly help you on choosing the most excellent log home floor plan for you and your family.

Know your Location

            This is one of the first things you need to consider. Of course you can’t build your own log home if you don’t have any place for it. What’s the type of the land plot you own?  Is it water front, wood type, or mountain? You must also know what kind your location is and its difference from the others. This is because not all floor plans fit with a certain building site. An illustration of this is, you must build your home on a slope or dug-in to a hillside if you have a walk-out basement.

Furthermore, some plans are constructed to achieve the advantages laid by the location of the home in relation to the sunlight. That’s why even though you already have a property you should still plan on how you’re going to position your home in your land. Do you want to it to face the big street in your place, or you just want it not to be noticed by the people on your street?

In addition to this, consider the exterior views of your log home. Is it too much eclipsed and the light can’t get in? It would be better if your house isn’t that darkened because if it is, you will need to use more light from your fluorescent bulb, and that will be an additional expense for your family. On the contrary, if you don’t want your log home to be so much lightened you may use overhangs to keep the sun out. And if you want people walking on the street to easily notice your log home, you may put double-picture windows to attract them.

Measure the Appropriate Dimensions

            This is also a very significant part of choosing a log home floor plan. You must be very sure that you and your designer have understood each other’s thoughts or opinions. For example, if you want an 18” wide room, clearly tell to your designer that you want the interior of the room be 18” wide. The measurement should be from the wall and not from the outside of the log. If a misunderstanding happens, the measurement of your room might shrink into 16” because some designers include the parallel logs while measuring the room. You can not change this anymore once the building of your log starts so as soon as possible, discuss this with your designer.

            One illustration is that of room dimensions as they relate to the diameter of the logs you will be utilizing. A custom handcrafted home made from 20″ diameter logs will have a different footprint than one requiring 6″ milled logs. If this is the first time you will be dealing with a log home manufacturer or architect, make sure you are comparing ‘apples to apples’ when discussing interior dimensions.

Count your Pals and Identify the Things you Commonly Do in a House

            Knowing the numbers of your pals and taking note of what you usually do in a house is very helpful in log home floor planning.

You should know how many people usually go to your home, in addition to the number of family members and pets. You should reflect on this because the space of your would-be log must accommodate the number of them. It’s awkward to have a well-made log home but your pals and other relatives can’t get in just because it’s too crowded.

            List down your basic household operations such as eating, washing your dishes, cooking, washing clothes and stuff. There should be enough space for these operations that’s why this should be taken into consideration. You don’t want to live in a superb log home but family members can’t do their own hobbies, collection-displaying and other family activities, do you? Due to this, you may expand your floor plan so it will satisfy the space in a house of your desire

Take the following pieces of advice to maintain your log homes cozy and energy – efficient during winter.

• Know your maintenance duties to deal with before winter starts

Inspect the chinked joints of your log homes. Pay special attention to seals at corners and in vulnerable locations close to the ground, where rain or snow from previous winters may have weathered or loosened the sealant. If the sealant is damaged, pull it off and replace it. Sometimes, what you only need is touch up gaps. In other instances, you might have to remove the sealant and replace it. Never add new sealant on top of the old, loose materials because this will only join the old one allowing air and water in your log wall.

Spray your log walls with a garden hose to determine if the wood preservative has been compromised. If water beads and runs off, they’re ok. If the wood darkens and stays damp – or you find gray or black splotches on the logs – its time to reapply a preservative.

Give your gutters a thorough cleaning, and make sure downspouts are free to carry water away from your home. Position splash blocks so water can’t reach the logs. Trim shrubs and don’t forget to rake leaves – they absorb moisture like a sponge and create conditions favorable to wood rot.

Call a professional to checkup your heating system thoroughly. Make sure that the furnaces, boilers and heat pumps are in good condition and do not forget to replace the filters. Check the fireplace chimneys if there are birds or chipmunks nesting there. Install a damper in the flue.

Examine the window glass seals and check if they’re carefully intact. Look if the area between the double – pane windows is clear and not cloudy.

• Prevent critters from hollowing up your log homes

Do not just sit there and wait for the critters. Remember the medical saying that it is always important to prevent than cure? This is also true to our case during winter season. So, get up and look for any opening in your roof which can allow critters to enter. Make sure to cover up the soft ball - size openings by heavy gauge wire mesh. Do not use light window screens because these can be easily chewed by these not so friendly creatures. Remember to check the crawlspaces that can provide entry to chipmunks, mice, squirrels and the like. After all, they are tenants during winter that do not pay rent at all.

• Avoid the formation of ice dams in your roof

When moist air inside your log homes settles underneath your roof, snow on top of it will melt; thus, ice dams form. The said melted water runs down the roof until it hits the overhung unheated roof and freezes. The ice tends to accumulate and forms a dam in that part of your roof and a fabulous ice sculpture will be formed. However, your problem will start here because this ice formation can destroy your gutters and create leaks into your roofs.

But don’t panic. You can still do something about it. If you log home has an attic, always inspect it regularly to make sure that the insulation layer is intact. Just in case you’re just on the planning stage of having a log home, you still have the chance to prevent this worse scenario. Involve yourself in the construction part of building your homes. Be sure that the workers will install vapor and insulation barriers to prevent having ice dams.

• Make sure window glass seals are intact

Create a seal that stops air and water as close to the surface as possible. Keep water from getting behind the trim. If you prefer to have the caulk seal visible around the window and door trim, remove the trim and seal behind it before replacing. But remember that exposed cavities between logs and trims provide habitat for the insects during warm weather. Thus, make sure your window glass seals are intact. If there is cloudiness in between the double – pane windows, that means the seal has been broken. Call a window manufacturer or window company to replace the glass units.

• Check your wood burning place

During winter, everyone loves to sit in front of the roaring blaze set in the fireplace. If you don’t want to spoil your ultimate time to warm your body, get ready for the winter. Install glass doors to prevent the warm air to go out.

Consider the installation of dampers to the chimneys. When the fireplace is not in use, cold air settles in the chimney and flows through the damper back inside your home. A top damper seated on the op of the chimney and prevents the water and air to come in.  

These are just some of the tips we can check out when the winter season comes. This will definitely ensure the safety and comfort of the log home owners.

A simple technique to help you locate any areas of rot or decay is by tapping the logs with a hammer every few feet. Sound wood will have a nice resonate tone. Rotten wood will have a dull thud. The best preservative for your logs are the borates. They are less toxic to humans than table salt, they don’t change the color of the wood, they have no smell and they poison the wood as a food supply to just about every wood destroying organism know to man, including decay fungi, beetles, and termites. However, there are limitations. Wood needs to be retreated about every 5 years, the wood needs to have some moisture to allow for proper diffusion and you must apply and maintain a water repellent finish over the borate treated wood to keep them from leaching out. Given these few limitations, Borates become very inexpensive insurance against a host of problems. Borates disperse into wood through a process called diffusion. Better that you can Consult Experts to do this. Click here for More Info on Maintenance of your Log Home.

Jaworski Coatings Inc.

photo credit: Let Ideas Compete

Decisions had to be made about the type of cabin. Styles varied greatly from one part of the US to another: the size of the cabin, the number of stories, type of roof, the orientation of doors and windows all needed to be taken into account when the cabin design was being made. In addition, the source of the logs, the source of stone and the available labor either human or animal had to be considered. If timber sources were further away from the site, the cabin size might be limited.

Cabin corners were often set on large rocks; if the cabin was large, other stones were used at other points along the sill (bottom log). Thresholds, since they were usually cut into the sill, were supported with rock as well. These stones are found below the corners of many 19th century cabins as they are restored. Cabins were set on foundations to keep them out of damp soil but also to allow for storage or cellars to be constructed below the cabin. Cabins with earth floors had no need for foundations.g

Cabins were constructed using a variety of notches. Notches can vary within ethnic groups as well as between them. Notches often varied on a single building, so their styles were not conclusive.

Log cabins were constructed with either a purlin roof structure or a rafter roof structure. A purlin roof consists of horizontal logs that are notched into the gable-wall logs. The latter are progressively shortened to form the characteristic triangular gable end. The steepness of the roof was determined by the reduction in size of each gable-wall log as well as the total number of gable-wall logs. Flatter roofed cabins might have had only 2 or 3 gable-wall logs while steeply pitched roofs might have had as many gable-wall logs as a full story. Issues related to eave overhang and a porch also influenced the layout of the cabin.

The decision about roof type often was based on the material for roofing. Milled lumber was usually the most popular choice for rafter roofs in the areas where it was available. These roofs typify many log cabins built in the 20th century, having full-cut 2×4 rafters covered with skip sheeting and cedar shingles. The purlin roofs found in rural settings and locations, where milled lumber was not available, often were covered with long hand-split shingles.

photo credit: without you.

By the time Europeans began to settle in America, there was a long tradition of using logs for houses, barns, and other outbuildings in the Scandinavian countries, Germany, and Northern Russia.

In the United States, log structures were first constructed by Finnish and Swedish settlers in what is now Wilmington, Delaware, beginning in 1638. Later German immigrants also used this technique. The Scots, and Scots-Irish had no tradition of building with logs, but they quickly adopted the method. Log cabins were not widely used by the first English settlers.

Few log cabins dating from the 18th century still stand, but they were not intended as permanent dwellings. When a larger, more formal house was constructed, log cabins were often converted into outbuildings for chicken coops, animal shelters, or other utilitarian uses.