Things to Think About Log House Plans
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Log cabin house plans were the earliest structures which settlers from Europe built when they arrived in America in the early seventeenth century. The abundance of virgin forests in the New World and the utilitarian design made the early log homes functional and practical, even if they weren’t particularly commodious or comfortable. Nonetheless, even today these primitive homes of logs are popular housing options for millions of Americans, although modern log houses are much more efficient and structurally superior to the originals upon which the concept is based.
Modern log home owners have two types of log houses to choose from – handcrafted or milled log houses. Handcrafted log houses are constructed using the same time-honored techniques of log smiths of previous centuries. Using mainly hand tools, logs are cut and shaped by log smiths from trees which have been carefully selected so that each log makes a perfect fit with the log beneath it. As a result, the logs in handcrafted log houses retain the individual characteristics of the trees which they once were, and give a more rustic look than do milled logs. A milled log house is made of logs which have been milled to the same profiles and dimensions, with an interlocking mechanism which lets manufactured logs fit together snugly. Besides handcrafted and milled log homes, it is possible to sheath a conventional stud-framed and insulated house with log siding, which gives the look and feel of a log house without using logs. If they are correctly manufactured and built, log homes offer energy efficiency which is comparable to or superior than conventional framed bungalow house plans. Many independent studies prove that log walls are especially high in thermal mass, which means they are as energy-efficient as any well-insulated frame wall, and in fact are superior to most of them. As many owners of log homes have known for years, a log home is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
When considering log house packages, it should be borne in mind that different manufacturers’ log home packages differ considerably in the completeness of the materials and components included; therefore it can be difficult to compare the different manufacturers’ offerings. For example, the choice of tree species to be used may depend upon structural requirements, environmental conditions, availability and cost, as well as homeowner preference. Although logs of different species of trees dry at different rates, the logs of all tree species shrink as the wood dries and the use of logs which are not fully dry can pose serious structural problems in log house plans, such as settling over time. Therefore, kiln dried or long-dead standing logs are usually used in preference to newly-cut logs. Also, different species of trees yield logs with differing susceptibilities to insects, decay, and weathering. Modern wood preservatives help to extend the lifespan of most logs for well over a century, so treated logs are definitely preferable to untreated ones.
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Source by Alice Lane