Ten Things to Know About Building a Log Home

Log homes embody all things festive and kiwiana. They have the quaint rusticness which often features in Christmas movies and fairytales. At the same time, they scream DIY and not materialistic which makes them appear perfectly kiwi. Not only that, but it is clean, green and renewable! If you’re convinced, then here are ten things to know about building a log home:

1. There are no limits 

Just because trees are limited to the sizes and shapes they can be, doesn’t mean your log home needs to be! Sure there are pitfalls if you try building a house in a perfectly circular shape, however this too can be overcome. So your log house doesn’t actually need to resemble a quaint cottage at all! It doesn’t need to resemble a tree house either.

2. These homes are built to take the cold

Wonder why you often see log homes in isolated areas and snowy mountains? It’s because the homes can handle cold really well. They have amazing insulation and are incredibly thick. This also means they are great at keeping the heat in.

If your home doesn’t take cold (or heat) well, and you don’t want to renovate completely, I’d recommend getting a heat pump installed. If you’re after heat pumps in Hamilton, try checking out local dealers. This costs way less than demolishing your house and replacing it with a log one!

3. It’s highly unlikely to ever burn down 

One of people’s biggest fears when considering a log house is that it’ll burn down. Because it’s made out of logs, and logs are used in fireplaces right? President of the Log Builders Association of New Zealand Graeme Mould told Stuff, “You could put a blow torch against a log wall and it would just go out.”

4. They are super tough 

Log homes are immaculately tough. If you were to drive a car into a log home, the car would be written off but the home would be intact.

5.  A log wall is more than a wall 

A log wall is so thick and provides more than just shelter from the outside world. It is the outside lining, inside lining, faming and insulation all in one. And it’s all natural!

6. There are logs, and then there are logs

You may think a log is a log but there are subtle differences that could make or break your home. Stuff claims The best wood “has has a dense cell structure in its heartwood, has grown over a long time to a good girth size, and has naturally occurring toxins that make it resistant to fungi and insects.” It’s also straight, all the same age and ideally 10-12 meters long.

7. A log home doesn’t have to be ‘woody’

A log home doesn’t need to be unkempt and foresty inside too. The interior can, and usually does, differ from the exterior. The insides are usually the regular plaster board lined walls which are free to be decorated however.

8. This is hands-on hand-crafting

Believe it or not, building a log home can be DIY. In fact, the Log Builders Association runs a course every summer on building your own! The most important decision you will need to make is what logs to use. This shouldn’t be taken lightly.

9. How to make a wall with no gaps

Trees weren’t made to lie perfectly on one another. That’s why gaps can occur. To make a perfect wall, usually an expert is required to match logs then craft tham together to make a dense wall with gaps no wider than one millimeter.

10. You’ll also need a conventional builder

Even though the log home can be a DIY builder, you will still require a conventional builder. A conventional builder will do the foundations and the floor slabs while logs are prepared off site. I’d recommend getting a master builder, such as these master builders in Hamilton to do that job for you.

Information sourced from Stuff.co.nz