Home & Garden
Growing popularity of log homes builds on beauty and benefits
Story by Carol cowan Photography by J. Kyle Keener
W
hen folklore legend and lumberjack Paul Bunyan explored the American frontier, he may not have known the impact his occupation would have on Tennessee’s housing market. An upward trend in log homes in Tennessee indicates that residents of the Volunteer State are paying attention to the beauty – and benefits – of a log home. Dr. Adam Taylor is an assistant professor and forest products extension specialist in Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. According to Taylor, many people choose a log home because there is something aesthetic they like about it. With a log home, the wood is visible, contributing to a rugged image or lifestyle. “Part of the image is the rustic frontier, the get-away-from-it-all. Log homes fit with that,” Taylor says. A wood specialist, Taylor points out that
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wood is definitely an environmentally friendly building material. “It is durable, affordable, plentiful and renewable,” he says, noting that almost all homes are built with wood, but people go back to log homes because of the spirit they represent. “There is a pretty sizable industry in the state of Tennessee,” Taylor says. “We are kind of the center of the log home industry.” A leading manufacturer in the log home industry nationwide, Honest Abe Log Homes Inc., headquartered in Moss, has operated in Tennessee for three decades. Joshua Beasley, spokesman for the company, believes that many Tennesseans choose log homes because they are connected to tradition. “We are proud of our heritage and connected to our natural surroundings, whether that be the timber-filled mountains of East Tennessee or the beautiful farming country in the western part of the state,” Beasley says. “Being connected to one’s heritage and enjoying nature is what log-home living is all about.”
Five Advantages Offered by Log Homes • Logs are a renewable resource. • Log homes are long lasting. • Log homes can withstand extreme weather. • Log walls go up fast. • Thermal mass makes log homes easier to heat and cool. Source: National Association of Home Builders Log Home Council
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