I must disappoint you, because there is no specific and right way to get a log home or log cabin. However I try to demonstrate how to build a log home. I will show the process from the start to finish and explain the details and motivation. There will be pictures, video, articles and interviews that document the whole project from the idea to the finished log home.

I am able to do this, because it’s me who is going to build the log home. Time frame is staggering because I have reserved three years for the whole project, starting from the beginning of the year 2007. I don’t know how many of you will have the patience to follow the progress or the lack of it, but I publish the information here anyway.

I have noticed that many people start to chase their log home dream from the wrong side of the street. What these people do is that first they are mesmerized by some of those stunning pictures at log home magazines. The second thing they do is to start shuffling through some floor plans, because those log home magazines are all about floor plans and log home dreams.

Together those trends put people in situation where they have high hopes, possibly unrealistic budget expectations and tentative contacts with log home dealers about the price of building a log home. Inexperienced and inspired are two adjectives that make sales people think about money.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t be inspired, after all, burning desire and passion are often the last two resorts, which keep any project running while facing hardships. However, I would like you to decide between – are you a log home owner-buyer or are you a log home owner-builder?

If you envision yourself as a buyer then you don’t have to worry much, just be careful while choosing your realtor and follow normal home buying process. If you want to have the whole big log home dream of building the log home on your own land with your own hands, boy, are you in a heap of trouble…

Long gone are those days when it was possible to quickly build a half decent log home. Nowadays log homes incorporate modern utilities and technology and given the special nature of log construction – well – log homes are more difficult to build than normal timber frame or element houses. Prepare yourself! I’m going to write a series of articles that will get you started, but as you will see, it is a long road.

This is another cabin that is very close to me. I built it for my cousin together with my father. Cabin has been standing tall for almost ten years now, but unfortunately it doesn’t get used much these days.

postandbeamcabin

Cabin has the look of a squared log home, but actually using post and beam technique with wood paneling as siding makes it look like one. In case you want to know more about post and beam building, please go and read this book.

Back in the old days, log homes were technology, which almost every man mastered. As time went on specialized carpenters kept on developing log home designs and their own skills. Eventually things developed so far that builder would hire a master carpenter to oversee and run log home building project. These carpenters wanted to leave a mark on their work from which they could be recognized, something of business cards. Solid corners were needed to keep log structure in one piece therefore corner became natural spot for carpenters to leave their trademark. There were as many variations of corners as there were proud carpenters. Nowadays we have lost our animal sense of log home building and therefore we fall as a prey of marketing, trademarked or patented corner cut this and that and so what…

cornerfastening

Check the picture, there is a model-protected corner cut as well as model-protected thru-bolted log fastening system. Every modern log home and log cabin has those features, so what’s so high-tech about it? Anyway I thought that we are talking about natural way of living here.

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