Is the log cabin lifestyle right for you? Before you buy or build, read this article. (Photo © Pixmac)
With their aesthetic beauty and majesty, log cabin homes inspire a sense of heritage. They’ve become popular in recent years due to factors such as their obvious “green” and eco-friendly nature, as well as the facts that they are extremely energy efficient, durable, and adaptable to many different climates and building situations.
A History of Log Cabin Homes
Log cabins started showing up in North America around the middle of the 1700s because they could be built with basic tools, they were sturdy and worked well for the early pioneers. They were very small — about the size of a modern living room — and used tree varieties like Douglas fir, spruce trees, lodgepole pines, western larch trees and tamarack trees.
These days, a log cabin home can be made from scratch or built from log cabin kits. Some people also buy existing log cabins or old log barns, then renovate them and turn them int a quaint, rustic vacation cabin. Some even create a high-tech hybrid that combines the advantages of the beauty of the traditional logs or timbers and modern additions such as running water and electricity.
Log cabins only represent about one percent of the new homes built each year and there are several advantages and disadvantages that must be considered when setting out to build or buy one:
The Many Advantages of Log Home Living
There are many advantages to life in a log cabin home, and here are some of the primary benefits:
- Log cabins may be twice as warm as your average wood-framed home.This is because they are tightly built and insulate surprisingly well.According to Communications Manager Eric Fulton, Building Systems Councils of the National Association of Home Builders, this is because logs have an R Value less than regular insulated 2×4 walls, and they absorb and hold the heat in longer due to the cellular structure of logs, and at night the logs release that heat back into the home.
Did you know that logs shrink? Before you build a home, get advice from experienced builders.
- Log cabins are easier to keep cool in summer. Since log cabins are naturally well insulated, they can be cooled more cheaply than traditional homes. (Hint: For best results, you should be sure that your cabin is built with double- or triple-paned windows and walls that are six to eight inches thick.)
- Log homes can be sturdy enough to survive an earthquake! It’s a little known fact is that, if built properly, a log cabin can stand up to even an earthquake.
- Log homes can last for hundreds of years if properly maintained.
- Log cabin homes are insulated against noise. Another little known fact is that log cabin homes are extremely quiet to live in. This is due to the fact that logs are natural insulators and sound (such as music or voices) doesn’t rebound off the walls and reflect back into a room like it does in traditional homes.
Log Cabin Homes: Beware the Downside
Of course as with any type of home, there are also disadvantages. Here are some of the drawbacks you may want to consider before buying or building a log home:
- Log cabins shrink over time! A log home will eventually shrink because when the logs were first cut they held a higher amount of moisture and as time goes by they lose this moisture and shrink about eight to 12 percent in size.This is natural and to be expected, but this shrinkage can shock new owners unfamiliar with this fact. Some log cabin makers try to compensate for this shrinkage by using flexible joining products to hold the logs together.
- Log cabins can crack. Another phenomenon related to shrinkage that can shock or worry new log cabin home owners is small cracks that tend to appear in the logs after a few months. These are called “checks” and usually appear as horizontal cracks in-between the wood fibers in the logs.As long as the logs used to make your home were graded correctly, this is not a concern and is again due to the gradual loss in moisture after the logs are placed into the walls. You can use a sealant or caulk to fill in the checks.
- Log homes can turn gray! A strange, yet common occurrence is that your logs may turn gray as they are drying in the sun. If you don’t wish to lose the beautiful brown color of the home, then you need to use special coatings or sealants that help to preserve the color. The manufacturer can recommend the proper type for your home.
- Termites and carpenter ants love logs! Insects such as carpenter ants or termite would love to get inside the wood and make it their home, so you must maintain bug treatment if you don’t want this to occur. Otherwise you could end up replacing some logs and this may or may not be expensive to handle.
- Getting a mortgage and insurance may be difficult. One final drawback to consider is that it may be difficult to get a mortgage or insurance for your log home. However, depending on where you are building it, there are some banks and insurance agencies that specialize in log cabin homes.