Modular Log Homes
Most people think that log cabins and houses are always weekend getaways situated in woody, forest areas. But the fact is that ninety percent of log homes (homes made fully of wood) are primary residences of owners - with over eighty percent situated in and around metropolitan regions.
Wood is an excellent natural resource for building homes. It is self-renewing, and harvesting wood causes less damage to the environment than extracting minerals and metals. It is easy to work with compared to brick, stone, concrete, glass, steel or aluminum.
The average log homebuilder takes five times longer than a traditional homebuilder to research and build his home. Log homebuilders must decide about budget, finance, where to build and how to build - and especially about log species, size, profile and so on.
Log homes are of two types - hand crafted or manufactured. Handcrafted log homes are done by expert craftsmen who strip, shape and custom fit each log in its place. This is usually very expensive and time consuming.
Modular or manufactured log homes are prefabricated homes made of smooth, uniform milled logs that come numbered and packaged. These are easy-to-assemble modular log homes. A milled log is one which has been put through a saw mill. In milled logs, the wood has traditionally been pine, spruce, fir, or cedar, with pine being the cheapest and cedar being the costliest
Modular log homes keep insects and bad weather away. A well designed log home will not let humidity accumulate, attract insects, or decay. Log’s ability to absorb heat keeps the weather outside from coming inside.
The choice for species of log is based on personal preference. White pine is abundant, easy to work with, has excellent insulation properties and is light on the wallet. Western red cedar is highly valued because of its longevity and resistance to insects and decay.
The cost of a modular log home is much lower than a handcrafted log home. It also compares favorably with a traditional, “stick-built” home. Modular log homes can be altered, and additions are easy to make. In all, log homes beat concrete stick-built homes in beauty and character.
• Architect Log Home Design Specialist - the most educated professional designer will be an architect. If you want to create your log home from scratch, you may wish to use the expertise of a local qualified architect. Ask to see their past designs, check their references and determine if they really do have the education and experience to be considered as your log home design specialist.
He or she can meet with you face to face, and they can oversee the construction process to help ensure that your log home is built as intended. This option will likely cost the most, and their fees will likely be a percentage of the project cost or based on square footage. Ideally, you'll find and investigate several architects, then choose the best one for you when designing your log home.
• Log Home Company Design Specialist - many log home companies have in-house architects, designers and draftspersons that can work with you to create your log home design. Draftspersons may be doing most of the design and drawing. If this is the case, verify that a qualified architect or designer is overseeing their work to be sure it meets code and is structurally sound.
Log home designs using manufactured logs can vary considerably in shape and appearance because the logs have different shapes, are made of different woods and can have different corner styles. You can obtain log home kits ranging from just the logs and fasteners to more complete systems that include the roofing materials, doors, windows and even more. You may be pleasantly surprised at the flexibility in designs and variety in log home plans that exist today with log home companies and their log home packages.
• Plans Service Log Home Design Specialist - reputable online national plan services exist that provide ready-to-build log home plans at a price considerably below what an architect log home design specialist must charge to create custom log home plans from scratch. Most quality plans services have in-house staff that can make modifications to the plans so that your plans become the log home plans that are just what you want.
As you visit plans services online, see what criteria you can enter so you only see the plans that interest you. You should be able to search by log plans, by square footage, number of bedrooms or bathrooms, one-story or two-story and so on. If you find log home floor plans you really like, then examine the plans company and plans prices to get comfortable with how the process works.
Whether you are just beginning to organize your ideas for designing and building a log home or are well along in the process, investigate your options. A well-designed and well-built log home can provide many years of comfort and pleasure of ownership. Before designing and building a log home, learn as much as you can about the building process, about controlling costs and how to work with a log home design specialist who will be helping make your dream of log home living become a reality.
