Log Home Properties in Carolina

Living in a log home is an experience like none other.  Log homes offer a unique and rustic style of living with all the amenities of a traditional stick built home.  From custom woodwork to rock fireplaces, log home living creates an atmosphere for relaxation.

Log Home Efficiency

Comparing a stick-frame wall to a log wall by using the "R-value" system is not an accurate comparison.  Logs have a lower "R-value" than insulated 2x4 walls, but they work on the principal of thermal mass.  because of the cellular structure of logs, they tend to absorb heat and hold it longer than traditional walls.  The logs will actually absorb heat from the interior of the house (or from the sun, if facing south), and when the temperature drops at night, the walls of your log home will release that heat back in to the house until the temperatures equalize.

Log Home Maintenance

Wood is the most versatile natural building material available.  As a renewable plant material, wood offers some natural resistance to the effects of sun exposures, moisture, extreme temperature, insects and microorganisms.  When more than one of these conditions is present at the same time, however, wood can begin to deteriorate.  Unlike homes built with vinyl siding, a log home's structural integrity is dependent on sound maintenance practices.

While moisture is the principal ingredient supporting wood deterioration, it is also the most controllable.  the primary goal of log home maintenance in finding ways to control moisture.

The most basic way to keep logs dry is to shelter them from Mother Nature.  If a log surface is left unprotected for a prolonged period of time, the bare wood surface will quickly discolor and start to erode and decay.  Certain species of wood are naturally more decay-prone, so understanding the natural properties of your homes's wood type is essential.  To keep logs adequately protected, some type of water and weather resistant coating is needed to provide a barrier that will help shield the harmful outdoor elements from the wood surface.  The key to selecting the appropriate coating for your log home is research. 

All log homeowners should perform visual inspections at least once a year to insure the integrity and well being of the home.  On newer logs that are in the process of losing internal moisture and drying out, cracks in the logs can occur.  See links below for more information.

Pest Control Measures

From termites to carpenter bees, insects can prove to be a thorn in a log homeowner's siding, or just a minor nuisance.  Prevention against insect infestation begins with home design.  While there are safe, preventive measures on the market, chemical treatments should be considered after other, more natural options.  See links below for more information

Resources