Question about care of log homes

[Lorrie]

Always been a dream of ours to live in a log cabin with a mountain view. Now that we are on the verge of being able to do that, we have the doubters trying to invade.....saying things like log homes are soooo much work to maintain and care for, there is no insulation, the bugs can crawl right through the cracks in the logs, they are more expensive to build than a regular house etc, etc. thoughts on this ? We think it's hogwash but don't want to be foolish either.

[StressMan79]

Always been a dream of ours to live in a log cabin with a mountain view. Now that we are on the verge of being able to do that, we have the doubters trying to invade.....saying things like log homes are soooo much work to maintain and care for, there is no insulation, the bugs can crawl right through the cracks in the logs, they are more expensive to build than a regular house etc, etc. thoughts on this ? We think it's hogwash but don't want to be foolish either.

Absolutely true. Build a kit home, you'll pay much more for a buggy home that needs stain/sealant every 5 years.

Build a BnP w/ your own hands @ a huge discount, won't be buggy, cold, etc.

[rreidnauer]

^ What he said.

Can't wait until you realize just what forum you've had the fortune of stumbling into.

[Arrowman]

Always been a dream of ours to live in a log cabin with a mountain view. Now that we are on the verge of being able to do that, we have the doubters trying to invade.....saying things like log homes are soooo much work to maintain and care for, there is no insulation, the bugs can crawl right through the cracks in the logs, they are more expensive to build than a regular house etc, etc. thoughts on this ? We think it's hogwash but don't want to be foolish either.

Well, you do have to maintain the log home, but you have to do that with a conventional stick frame house as well. Trim/shutters need painted, vinyl siding can fade and warp, CFS will need repainted, and brick/stone is one of the most expensive veneers going, low maintenance but you are stuck with the color you picked unless you want to paint and repaint it over the years. Log homes take maintenance, but people that say that it's "soooo much work" generally haven't contemplated how much work they do or hire out to maintain their stick frame house.

There is some insulation, but I don't see this as a negative. It's not like people freeze to death in a log home because they skip the insulation.

I have never lived in a house that didn't have bugs in it. If your friends/family do, let me know, because I'd like to contact them and figure out what I have been doing wrong all of these years.

As for cost, it's all relative, so it's impossible to say. Sure you can build an expensive log home, but there are expensive stick frame houses out there as well. Trying to compare pound for pound is comparing the cost of apples to steak. Sure you can do it, but it doesn't really help you decide if you want to buy the apples or not.

[rocklock]

The cost of a log home is greater than a stick frame. Why? My foundation must support 150,000 pounds of wet logs. Its called thermal mass. The greater the mass the more heat is absorbed then returned. Which is why my upstairs bedroom is always comfy. And I do have insulation between the logs.

Logs do have insulation properties but the thermal mass is a very cool feature.

[rreidnauer]

Yeah, the kit log home craze really created a bad reputation for real log homes. My neighbor complains about his kit log home. (drafts, hard to heat, etc) My building department practically cringed when I said I wanted to build a log home, knowing most kits can't pass energy standards. No wonder, with only 4 or so inches of wood in kits, what would you expect? Once I explained I was NOT building a kit, and planning on logs with a minimum 12" diameter, things went much more smoothly. I was really surprised that they didn't give me any trouble when I made no provisions for settling, as you would for a typical kit.

[BigD]

Hi Lorrie,
My wife and I had the exact same mentality that you had a couple of months ago. We took the class in Vegas a few weeks ago. It was great. ALL of our questions were answered and many many more questions that we didn't even know we had.

Certainly, to each their own. Some will prefer a stick built home, some will want to have a 'log' home from a kit. My wife and I came away from the class with a very clear idea of what we wanted.....a log home, low debt, a project that we could do together.

For us.....taking the class was worth it if nothing else than to help us to decide the building style we wanted.

[edkemper]

BigD,

Isn't it amazing what one little two day stay in Vegas can do for one's future? It's great every time we add new family.

[Basil]

maintenance? Let's see...we stained some of the decks a few years ago...we stained some of the doors-8 years ago...I think I painted something last year...

I guess it depends on whether or not you have a kit home or a real home