[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by fiedlerh

My parents lived in one for 20 years during retirement. As has been said, they do require maintenance as does any type of construction. It's like owning a giant piece of furniture that is kept outdoors.

A key is to give the exterior a thorough inspection every few years and more often as it gets older. You have to keep insects at bay (mainly carpenter bees, wasps, and termites). One thing you MUST do is keep the joints between the logs sealed. You have to refinish/touch up the exterior now and then, maybe every 5-10 years. There are companies that specialize in maintenance and repairs when you get to the age where your wife won't let you get up on ladders.

I recall the home was comfortable year round and HVAC bills were normal, but this was Arkansas. You do need to dust the interior logs once in a while.

I appreciate the information.

Right now our biggest stumbling block has been finding a suitable piece of property. Middle Ohio is of course known for farming, and the woods have been clear cut in favor of tillable acreage to raise corn and soybeans. I have no inclination to build a log home in the middle of a former cornfield. Wooded property is a slim commodity in our area, the hunt goes on.

[FHummel]

I began building (literally) my own 3000 sq.ft. log home 37 tears ago. Took 2 years working part time (holding down a full-time job) mostly by myself with my wife and son as my best helpers. It was a chore. I was 46 at the time. Finished it when I was 48.
The main part of the house is 2 story. All the first floor is solid 8 1/2" round log, double tongue and groove. The upper story is actually 2x6 framed with log siding exterior, metal clad roof, full basement with 2 car garage below the single story part. That single story part is also 2x6 framed w/log siding applied.
I also drew the plans myself and had the logs/siding supplied by a company in Oneida, Tennessee (Jim Barna Log Homes). Bought the girders and joists and interior framing, etc. locally. Did all the wiring, plumbing and masonry fireplaces (2) myself.
More to it than what I've related. We have thoroughly enjoyed lining here for the past nearly 35 years (come July 4th 2021). We're in the middle of 5 acres of woods.

Good luck with your endeavor.

Fhummel

[428convertib]

When I was a kid in the 70s, my parents built a log house in Montana. The builder pre-assembled it at their place, then trucked it and assembled it on the poured foundation (crawlspace).

I think it's made of lodgepole pine. Possibly peeled. They are a relatively straight/consistent tree.

I don't recall any problems with bugs in the logs (but there aren't many bugs up there, relatively speaking). Woodpeckers used to get into the gable planks, but not the logs.

EDIT: We also have a log hunting cabin high in the mountains, and carpenter ants do get into that. But, it's been standing 45 years without noticeable damage, sawdust, etc. I think they eat the dead trees around the cabin and hang out/pass through the cabin. It's disturbing to see them, though.

I'm surprised to see a few comments about log homes being hard to heat/cool. In my experience, the opposite was true. Like others said, in summer we'd open the windows at night and close them up in the day, and it was like we had AC. We had a big fireplace and baseboard heaters.

We were told to expect our house to settle quite a bit after it was erected, and it did. Like, a couple inches maybe? Not sure, that sounds like a lot now. Anyway, the windows and doors even had space notched out to accommodate the settling.

Like others have noted, expect to re-seal the exterior now and then. Not sure how often dad did it. He'd say he oiled the house, but I'm not sure exactly what he used. On the hunting cabin, he uses gray paint-ish stuff.

I do remember the bottom log weathered the most. We didn't have gutters, so rain ran off the roof onto the ground and splashed up onto that bottom log. Oh, and several years back, I talked dad into installing irrigation for the lawn so he wouldn't have to move sprinklers all summer. It ended up causing stress over errant sprinklers misting water on the logs. Bottom line: Keep water off the logs.

Regarding caulk, we had two types. The first was a thin, black, tar-like caulk. It eventually split and dried and was kinda crappy. In the 90s, dad found some new, wide, rubbery-type caulk and used it to replace the old stuff. The new caulk remained pliant and is today, and it sealed up the house even better than it had been.

Our house originally had a cedar shake roof. It looked good, but when it wore out, dad replaced it with metal. The shakes were a big fire hazard, which is a concern in Montana, and with a fireplace/chimney. Plus, I think the metal lasts longer and is easier to clean (leaves, pine needles, etc.).

Regarding electrical, don't forget ethernet. This isn't log house-specific. But run it everywhere you think you could possibly need internet/network connectivity because wired connections are almost always better than wifi. Think about computers, printers, TVs, garage opener--everywhere. Oh, and for wifi, consider running ethernet to a point(s) in the ceiling for a wifi access point. Even if you won't use it right away (future-proofing).

Next time I talk to dad, I'll pick his brain for more.

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

I appreciate the information.

Right now our biggest stumbling block has been finding a suitable piece of property. Middle Ohio is of course known for farming, and the woods have been clear cut in favor of tillable acreage to raise corn and soybeans. I have no inclination to build a log home in the middle of a former cornfield. Wooded property is a slim commodity in our area, the hunt goes on.

Try rural Missouri, still plenty of rural area with privacy.
Land is still reasonably priced as well.
I live in a log home and despite the negatives I wouldn’t trade it. It’s nice to enjoy the view, fire up the grille and enjoy the privacy.