Log Home Facts

Why / Energy efficiency

Logs provide excellent insulation. This benefit is primarily due to their high thermal mass and low conductivity. In other words, they absorb heat slowly and release it slowly – so the temperature inside your log home will often vary less than with other types of construction.

Simply put, they help you keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

According to the National Bureau of Standards, log homes reduce energy needs by 30% when compared to traditional stick framed homes.

An interesting fact that many people find surprising is that log homes are actually more fire resistant than “stick built” houses. Many people think the opposite would be true, just look at all that wood!

The reason log homes are more fire resistant is because the size and diameter of logs used make them harder for fires to use as fuel. Unlike traditional framing, the fire cannot wrap around the logs as it would with traditional 2x4s.

Log homes have many aesthetic advantages.

Log homes provide a rustic feel, but they can also offer vaulted ceilings, modern kitchens, beautiful fireplaces, central air & heat, excellent insulation, diverse layouts, and energy efficiency.

Log Home History

Some of the first American built log homes were built in the 1630’s by northern Europeans who were settling in the east.

They had simple floor plans, low ceilings, 1 door, 1-2 windows, fireplace/stove and loft.

The Finns and Swedes settled along the banks of the Delaware River (New Sweden) in the 1630’s, and it’s believed that they built some of the first American log cabins. Later immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Scotland, and Britain followed suit and adopted their cabin-building technique.

So, what made log cabins a popular home choice for early settlers and pioneers? First, cabins required few tools and simple materials (lumber), so resources needed to build one were easy to come by.

Secondly, the building process was relatively simple. For a single man, it would take only a week or two to build a one-room cabin. With three men, it could be done in just a couple of days.

Trees must be chopped down, trimmed, and then dragged to the home site. Roof shingles would be cut using the froe.

Because of the weight of the logs, a lone man could build a cabin only about 7 or so logs high. But with a team of men, it was possible to build a two-story log home.

These log cabins often lasted several generations, making them a reliable shelter for the rich and poor alike.