Facts About Our Log Homes
Our homes are created using wood that is presented in it's natural characteristic form and
cured using only completely renewable resources, the sun and the wind.  We feel that this is
the only way to achieve a far superior finished product. A product that requires less mechanical
processing and more handcrafting, bringing you a custom home to enjoy for many generations
to come.  

Energy Conservation  
The amount of energy we consume to build a log home is far less in comparison to the amount
consumed in conventional construction.  We responsibly harvest wood in a sustainable manner
from local areas, process it at our 10 acre mill yard, and handcraft our homes using the wood in
a more whole form allowing nature to participate, no extra milling and drying are required.  
Please continue reading to learn more about the different styles of log home building and to
understand why we have chosen ours as incomparably better.  

Energy Efficiency
All of our homes are energy star certified.  They have an energy efficiency that is unique to log
homes defined by the term "thermal inertia".  Thermal inertia is best described as the ability to
hold a constant temperature.  For example, the sun warms the logs throughout the day and
retains the sun's natural heat for slow release throughout the night, and likewise, the logs
absorb the coolness of the night, and dissipate the cooler temperatures throughout the day,
keeping your home at a more constant temperature without such extreme fluctuations.

Facts About Wood
Wood is the primary material used in building construction. It is a renewable and sustainable
natural resource. Wood is economical, lightweight, strong, long lasting and very attractive.  
Studies conducted by experts have indicated that inch for inch, solid wood performs 2.5-15%
more efficiently in comparison to a fiberglass insulated stick frame structure.  These results
were based on the real life performance of the structures which encompass many different
energy saving characteristics.

Naturally Cured Versus Kiln Dried  
Kiln drying is a process which involves using high heat to rapidly dry wood to a desired
moisture content usually between 8-10%.  

The advantage to kiln drying is:
  • You can take a green tree, and within a few days have it dry and ready to use.  
The disadvantages to kiln drying are:
  • When wood is rapidly dried, it shrinks and develops internal stresses that over time
    increases the woods tendency to warp, split, check and ultimately have less stable
    characteristics.  
  • Although kiln drying dries the wood down to 8-10%, within a few months wood will
    naturally acclimate to it's environment, reaching an equilibrium of the humidity that is
    present.  
  • The high costs of operating a kiln must be passed on to the consumer.  

The naturally cured process is a process in which the tree is debarked and stacked above the
grass line parallel with the prevailing winds.  

The advantages of naturally cured wood are:
  • Because of the slow drying process, the wood is able to dissipate the internal stresses  
    associated with drying, thereby producing a much more stable product which has less
    warping, twisting, cracking, and splitting.  
  • This process utilizes the sun and the wind and has been the process of choice for
thousands of years.  

The disadvantage to naturally cured wood is:
  • There is a much greater length of time from when the tree is cut until it is ready for use,
making it necessary to stock a much larger inventory.    

Milled Logs Versus Natural Logs
A log is composed of two types of wood, heartwood and sapwood.  Heartwood and sapwood
shrink and expand at different rates.  The heartwood is in the center and the sapwood is
around the perimeter.  In the milling process, due to the fact that trees are not completely
straight, in order for the mill to produce a straight log, more will be removed from one side of
the tree than the other, this results in an uneven distribution between sapwood versus
heartwood.  When these types of woods start to contract and expand throughout the changing
seasons, internal stresses will develop and be out of balance.  This greatly increases the
likeliness of the log to warp, twist, crack, split and overall destabilize.  

The advantage to a milled log is:
  • There is very little skill needed for log wall assembly, ease of mass production, produces a
    universal product.

The other disadvantages to a milled log are:
  • The milling process requires expensive equipment,
  • Consumes an enormous amount of energy
  • Produces a high percentage of waste  

The advantages to a natural log are:
  • They are minimally processed, leaving the natural beauty and distinctive character of each
tree clearly present to continue to intrigue the eye for years to come
  • The natural log will ensure that every home constructed will be unique
  • It is stable and well balanced, and less prone to warp, twist, crack, and split

The disadvantages to a natural log are:
  • The natural log process requires higher quality timber, and a high level of skill and
craftsmanship in it's construction
  • There is also no way to achieve uniformity as each tree is unique
Information About Our Log Homes
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