My husband and I recently bought some property and were planning to build a log cabin on it. We just met with a prospective builder, who said he’d be glad to build it, but that we should be aware that a log cabin is very difficult to maintain.
The property it will sit on is in Southeastern Ohio, which can get below freezing and experience snow. It’s heavily wooded, and on a lake, which may add to the humidity.
The house will sit on a foundation that is partially exposed, from 8 feet on one side to 2 or 3 feet on the other, so drainage won’t be a problem. The plan I’m eyeing has two gabled porches, so neither porch will be directly exposed to rain. The roof will be metal because it gets a lot of shade and we don’t want the mold issues that you get with shingles.
If we decide on a log cabin, we have the option of either using full logs, or using a hybrid product, which is basically a log exterior with an insulated panel in between. This gives a higher r value, and allows plumbing, electric and ductwork to be run more easily.
Does anyone here have any experience with a log cabin? Do you find it much more difficult to maintain than any other house? How often do you have to stain it? Do have any issues that you wouldn’t have with a regular house, such as bug infestation or birds drilling holes in the wood? And if given the choice, would you change to a different material?
I don’t, but my brother does. The biggest ordeal with a traditional log home is having to reseal and rechink. Also, running additional electrical and plumbing lines can result in teh ugly. You’ll really have to ramp up the lighting inside (either large windows or interior lighting), as they can be very dark. For heating, they mostly use a Blaze King wood-burner. If I were to do it, I’d probably go with a hybrid that has the insulation, or even with the half-log exterior with a traditional interior to make electrical/mechanical work easier. All that aside, his place retains the rustic look, but has all the modern conveniences, and he’s been living there happily for what must be 30 years now.
We looked at buying one a few months back. It was only about 10 years old, and had some serious rot issues. I personally would do the SIP “cheater” version if I wanted the look.
I have an old log cabin made from white cedar D profile logs. The D profile puts a relatively flat side on the interior and their no chinking or mud filler between logs. The cedar is highly rot and insect resistant, and this house is at least 75 years old. This was an original Ward Cabin, the first manufacturer of log home kits. The original company was acquired at some point and they are still in business providing cedar log home kits. I strongly recommend not using pine. The maintenance costs are much higher even though initial cost is lower. Unless you are in a very cold zone you don’t need to worry about insulation except on the roof. In southern Ohio you shouldn’t have a problem. Log homes cost more initially than conventional construction so the look and feel has to be worth it for you. I’ve never regretted buying this one.
Can you be more specific, Crafter Man? If you had used SIP panels, would that have alleviated any of your issues?
The plan I’m eyeing is this one:
I have quotes for this model from this company, that does SIP panels, and another traditional log cabin home builder. I think we’ll rule out the latter since chinking should be alleviated with the SIP panels.
I’m pretty sure we’ll still have to seal it every few years, even though it’s a hybrid, though. That concerns me, as does the potential for bird and animal damage. The former home that sat on the existing foundation had a raccoon infestation. I fear that they’ll return and simply chew through the wood to get in.
One thing you’ll love about that is the woody aroma when you walk in.
The logs typically go together tongue and groove. A bead of glue is layed on the tongue of the bottom log like caulk, then the upper log is placed on top and lag-bolted down tight. The lag bolts are around a foot long and impact drilled into place. You couldn’t chink it even if you wanted to. I joke that if a flood ever came down the hollow we could stick oars out the upstairs windows and ride it down (our place is small).
If you’re building on vacant land you’ll need to run electrical, put in a driveway, well, septic, etc. This can add significant cost on top of the price of building the house. So it’s kind of an in it for the long haul type of project. If you’re thinking of selling it in a few years it probably won’t work out too well unless the market you’re in is hot.
I grew up in a log home (from fifth grade on) in SE Ohio in the woods. It was built in 1983, all cedar, by Boyne Falls. I don’t think they exist any longer.
It started out with cedar shingle, but the whole roof was replaced about five years ago, I think.
I don’t recall any issues with rot on the house. I know the deck had to be replaced. The woods wreaked havoc on it.
I can ask my mom for any specific information you’d like. I don’t necessarily know much.
Appreciate that heads up. There was a house on it already, but even though it was only ~30 years old, it needed to be torn down. Raccoons had made it their home, and between the smell, mess, and feces, it had to be torn down. We were able to save the foundation, which is where the plumbing, septic and electric goes into the house. That saved us quite a bit of money. We still have to have a guy come out and inspect the septic tank. It’s apparently made of concrete, which is good, but I have no idea how much capacity we have, or whether the pipes need to be replaced.
Another fellow we know said that the decks, and exposed sides, were a problem. Gabled roofs will help alleviate that, though we still have two completely exposed sides. I’d hate to have to trim back the trees on the side of the house that won’t have a gabled roof, but I don’t want the wood to rot or get damaged. As lovely as trees are, I know that woods aren’t good on homes.
My parents live in the kind that is actually a regularly constructed house that is faced with logs. It is just a regular house, like you would expect. The outside logs have to be re-sealed every few years, just like any wooden exterior. Indoors, you don’t have to worry about painting walls, though you do have to dust them sometimes.
Just in case you haven’t considered it, you might want to look into ICFs as an alternative to SIPs. My husband and I are building one now (DIY), and it’s super-easy. Also, good in tornado areas.
I know that the whole house got resealed after about 10 years (I know because I helped do it) and maybe every 10 years since then. But it’s simpler even than painting. Just a power wash and then sealant.
My in-laws had one built about 11 years ago and while it hasn’t been a nightmare, there IS more upkeep. They’ve had issues with leaking and have had to reseal it, but only recently. I think it was right at the 10 year mark and they did so as maintenance, not that there was anything particular wrong. The problem with leaks is finding the source. My father-in-law kept doing bits here and there. Finally my spousal unit just caulked every seem in the wall that had the leak (on the outside) and that did the trick.
I don’t think they’ve had any problems with insects or animals and they live in a woodsy area.
BUT, you may want to reconsider the metal roof, or at least look into how to best soundproof it. Friends of my in-laws built a similar cabin to theirs but opted for the metal roof. The noise drives them crazy every time it rains. It’s apparently very loud.
I live in a log home that was built in the 1840s and is still standing as strong as the day it was built.
Our logs were all hand-hewn to be flat on the vertical plane, so we cheat and have siding on the outside of the house. That definitely cuts down on the maintenance.
On the inside I don’t do much other than makes sure humidity levels stay high enough during the winter.
We also just installed a metal roof last year and have no problems with sound during rain. Ours sits on top of a rubber membrane and is no louder inside than our old shingled roof.
Standing inside the garage during rain is a different story, it’s quite a bit louder, probably due to a complete absence of insulation or ceiling.
I live in the South and ours was unbelievably hot during the summer. The central air would run constantly and the temperature would still be 90 inside. I ended up putting window units in the living room and master bedroom to keep it cool inside.
Cooling can be a problem with log cabins. You don’t need insulation in cold weather because the large thermal mass of the logs retains a lot of heat. That works against you in warm weather. You need large windows that can open and ventilation fans, or AC.
A good friend of mine has a log cabin about 110 km north of Montreal. He bought the property, then chose the building site and cut down the trees on that site (he had spent a summer logging in northern Ontario as a student). He cut the longs into 20 foot logs and built a 21 foot trough that he filled with preservatives and put the logs in for a couple years. He hired people to level the site, dig a basement, and pour a concrete foundation. He then allowed the logs to dry and hired locals who knew how to build a log cabin. Which they did. He also got electricity installed and uses it, plus a fireplace, for heat. Although they have a house in the city, they spend time there all winter. I think he built this at least 25 years ago and I have heard nothing about maintenance problems. He is extremely happy with the outcome. The main problem is water. He had a well dug, but cannot get more than a trickle. So he gets water from a lake, but that is considered non-potable so he fills 5 gallon jugs of water from the town he is legally part of. It is not my idea of how to live, but he is planning to retire there and sell the city house.