Vintage turf roof
Old turf roof

Turf roofs used to be very common and there were some good reasons for that too.

First of all they have terrific ability to withstand sunlight. Even vampires would love to use turf roofs because they can handle sunlight much better than any other traditional roofing material. Actually they thrive in sunlight, where other materials wear down.

Another important reason is insulation capability. Turf roof is instant protection against elements, but also gives the better insulation the thicker the roof layer. Hard to achieve same result with tiles, eh? As a result, turf roofs provide warmth during winter and soothing coolness during summer.

Third reason for their past popularity comes from durability. Like I said, turf roofs are especially good in dealing with sunlight, but it doesn’t end there. Thick layer of soil gives good foundation for small plants, which keep pushing new sprouts, no matter how much wind, snow and rain the roof gets – sort of a regenerating roof, how cool is that?

We are never going to run out of people who like cheap. Turf roofs are your thing if you happen to like cheap things. Materials are readily available and building is rather straight-forward. Maintenance is also easy, just occasional watering during long dry spells.

Here is a photo showing that turf roofs are not only yesterday’s news, but defend their place in modern log home building. Photo from Norway, a country where turf roof can put all its good features in good use.

Modern turf roof
Modern turf roof

Yes, I was there and took over 600 photos. Here are just few of them, I’ll try to make some sense out of them during the coming week. They did have couple of log homes, though…

Lineup

From the up

Shoreline

Street view

As any homeowner, log homeowners are deeply concerned about effects of current financial crisis on their homes. Foreclosures are happening left and right, maybe our friends are affected or maybe a family member. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to worry about your log home’s or log cabin’s value and I’m going to give you a list of seven good reasons to stop worrying. For other valuable log home tips, subscribe my feed.

woodland cabin

1. LOG HOME IS A DREAM
Some call it longing for times long gone or sentimentality, some call it the ultimate way of life, but they all have one thing in common – log home is a matter of heart and soul. Dreams are difficult to value in money, but we all know that they are worth a LOT. This means that log home dreams are highly valued by the people who live in them and therefore log homes and log cabins prices remain high.

Living in a dream home makes people cling to it. If everything is perfect, why change anything? However, if you are not yet living in your dream home, it just might be that during rough times, flipping down would be easier. No flipping down in log homes, we love and live them.

2. LOG HOME STANDS AMONG GREAT BEAUTY
Lakeside, mountain top, prairie, riverside, woods, slope, resorts and some other beautiful locations are places where you find most of log homes. Suburban log home… nah, not really and this shows in the price of log homes and log cabins. Many log home lots cost more than our everyday single home in the midst of other similar houses.

mountaintop cabin

Mark Twain said along the lines that land is always a good investment because nobody’s making more of it. Make sure your log home stands in a special environment and value appreciation is guaranteed.

3. LOG HOME RESIDENTS ARE OLDER

How many young families that you know live in log home? Not many, because log homes tend to be luxuriously designed by using unused space (now that’s a funny term), those cathedral ceilings or large foyers and what about those outrageously large fire places… Yes, log home is not a place for young family, which is fighting with the bills and commuting between school, daycare, work, hobbies etc. When would you have time to enjoy your home?

Log homes are for people who have time to enjoy environment, staying home and doing little chores, all part of the lifestyle, which comes along with a log home. There’s a big chance that these people have already stepped into retirement, there are no sudden changes in every day life (4th baby! We need a bigger home and we need it now!) and years of work life have brought enough to get by without working. So, as a result, these log home enthusiasts stay in their log home and have a ball while doing it. Not many log homes are coming to markets to be sold and market prices of log houses stay high.

4. LOG HOME MAINTAINS ITS VALUE
Log home is very special in the way it’s built. Builders have to solve many structural challenges while creating someone’s dream. Robust structure and thick walls set the log home for decades and while lesser homes get torn down, log homes get renovated and remodeled to suit the likings of different generations. When log homes age, they age like fine wines, bringing more meaning to the story of the house and to the people who live in it.

5. LOG HOME IS MADE OF QUALITY MATERIALS
It ain’t no way to dream without silk and satin sheets. Log homes are all about wood, stone and steel. No one is going to water down their dreams with vinyl, plastics or polyester. Another angle with materials is down right cold cash. Poor materials devalue home and increase upkeep costs over time, because cheap must be fixed more often. Also people who value quality know that there is price tag included, moreover they look what they get with their money not how much it costs.

6. LOG HOME IS UNIQUE
Just about every log home is built according somebody’s special plan. The plan might have been brooding up for years. Before building project starts, the planning book can contain clippings from magazines, textile samples, photos of real life log homes around the country, news stories, wood material samples, floorplan sketches, coffee stains… Log home is a labor of love.

People recognize love and dedication to unique details and in turn fall in love with the place. Sometimes it might be bit of a wait, but the right person is bound to find the right home and match is made to last. These perfect matches create so much value to the owners of log home that benefits easily outweigh monthly payments.

7. LOG HOME BUILDER LOANS ARE A PAIN TO GET

Because large part of log home crowds love to have the deluxe log home experience, they end up building the home from ground up. Unfortunately banks are not too trusting towards the combination of owner/builder and log home therefore loans are hard to come by. Luckily, today this means that log home owners are less likely to fall into the turmoil of financial crisis. Also it means that many log homes have been built with lot of elbow grease, which has helped to keep the building costs at check. Living in a home that was relatively cheap to build and sports high market value is a perfect combination.

Do you have a good point that wasn’t mentioned, please, help me and post a comment.

Which company is the best American log home manufacturer? I’m playing with an idea of representing an American log home company here in Finland. I know this is tough market, because half of world’s biggest log home companies come from Finland. Still, I believe that American rustic log homes have a suitable and distinctive style, which is hard to imitate. Log cabin rental business is growing by leaps and bounds in Lapland and rental companies need specialties to compete efficiently.

AMERICAN LOG HOMES HAVE CHARACTER
That’s true, say what you will, but American log homes are one of a kind, bit like American cars – big, bulky, powerful and cool. Unfortunately, American car manufacturers are in a bit of a trouble, markets cry for efficient cars and companies can’t deliver. Let’s hope the log home industry understands to jump the energy efficiency bandwagon and doesn’t just lull itself into thinking that people will buy those dream log homes no matter what. I’m all for dreams but if we can’t afford them, then we just have to change our dreams. Anyway, back to the topic.

LOCAL FINNISH LOG HOUSE IN LAPLAND

log cabin home in Finnish Lapland

Now, here is a photo of competition. You will see this sort of new log homes and log cabins in ski resorts of Lapland. Good thing with this style is that it reads log home all over it. However, like most Finnish log homes, design is so Scandinavian that it starts to lack character. This kind of Scandinavian-styled log cabin will surely loose against rustic American log home. The victory prize is yet another happy family of overnight renters. So, any recommendations? Please, just type it down to comments.

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