Welcome, Jim. As you learn more about log homes, you'll find several different approaches to building. Kit homes are generally made of logs milled into timber, losing a very large amount of thermal mass, and they are built with lots of shrinkage expected as the wood dries over the years. Accomodation has to be made in kit homes to allow extra space over doors and windows, and jacks have to be installed and adjusted periodically as shrinkage progresses. Experienced realtors can tell you log homes (from kits) turn into a great deal of maintenance, too.

This forum is centered on different design techniques, addressing the issues I just mentioned and many more. If you are interested in this style, take a look through the student gallery photos, and if you want real logs but without building it yourself, there is a forum member here (Ronnie RockClimber) who does these for a living. The rest of us have built, are building, or will build the home(s) ourselves (DIY).