Introduction

[kikokid]

Hi everyone! Greetings from DIY farm couple in central Illinois. Researching log home construction - have been working on our floor plan for ~2 yrs now and are seriously considering a kit home (until I blundered across this site!!!) NOT dealing with a 30 yr mortgage is very appealing! Wondering if there would be any LHBA member/builders in the St Louis/Springfield IL area that are under construction. What I have read so far makes complete sense, although the chinking look isn't a favorite, sometimes you've gotta take form over function!

Great info on this site!!!!
Thanks
Jenn

[Klapton]

Welcome! I'm no where near you, but I thought someone should at least answer your post and say hi.

Hi!

[Upers]

I think it might be worth your while to contact "shark" - he is just south east of Indy...

Check out their web site...
http://www.jandjloghome.blogspot.com/

Yoopers Pat

[JAK]

i live west of chicagfo area and plan on starting to build this winter in western kentucky i drive through southern ill reguarly take the class resource is plentyfull and all members are all very cool Joe

[rdcrane]

Hi Jenn,
I too happened onto the LHBA site when looking for info on log home kits. I took the class in April 08 and am glad I did! Will be buying land and building soon in SW MO. I'm wondering what you meant by the comment, "although the chinking look isn't a favorite, sometimes you've gotta take form over function." If you're wondering about the chinked approach to building, the class will point out the alternative which is a scribed approach. Done right, it can be very appealing and stucturally sound. But it is VERY labor intensive. And most of the scribed alternatives that you see are not done right. They are machine scribed, usually with a "canadian" chinkless method that greatly diminishes the integrity of the log itself, which over time will cause problems. It may look nice (form?), but functionally it is a problem waiting to happen. If you haven't looked through the "student log homes" section in the forum, you should do so. I think you will find there are some chinking jobs that look VERY appealing (IMHO). One more note: while the class wants to help people build homes that look nice, the emphasis is probably more on function and cost efficiency--how to build a home that will last and last at the least cost.

Best wishes in your thinking / planning!

[loghousenut]

I like the chinking look. When I was a kid in the 8th grade and drew my dream house for a school project it was a small one-room cabin that was chinked between the logs and around the ax-cut notches. That's how a guy gets tagged with such a funny nickname I spose.

[Timber]

Chinking or caulking will eventualy need to be done on any any style log home. There are very few who know how not to butcher a log home making it non chink. Then you have to deal with the possibility of wood on wood=capillary action?which?happens when wood on wood you? get ?moisture which you will learn is your worst enemy in a log home. I did not like the chink look at first but it to me looks great now. You can add color to your chink also if you choose to. The few builders who know how to make a chink-less home- I would hate to get a price? quote from them. I think you would need lotto money



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