My uncle and aunt's home made Log Home living. It's the type of place I know a lot of people here can/would appreciate. Thought I'd share.

2 things

1. The pictures do NOT do this place justice.
2. The pictures are a mix of in-process and finished

My uncle's wood working prowess isn't really on display here but he did make a lot of the things here and just recently build a shop on the property that's fully outfitted. He even has CNC routers to create things but can go old school hand tools too.

On-line Article


He made the arched door on the right - goes to a wine/booze nook.



Kitchen

Wow! That's nice.

WOW, that's one awesome log home.

Beautiful! Hickory flooring?

I don't know on the floor.

What he's managed to do tho is create and executive level home that feels VERY comfortable and homey while you're there. I was up there to visit 2 weeks ago to visit and burn some steaks and it's just very comfortable...

Beautiful!

My dad and I ripped out the stuff in the basement for him, dishwasher and helped install the washer/dryer they mentioned in the article. Never realized the downstairs suite/master bedroom was 900 square.

My whole house is 1100....

Uber interior, how's the view?

Looks very comfortable,

Wow, that is stunning!

Decent. Lake averages 30 feet with pike and bass. Should be killer duck hunting too on the far shore. 5 homes on the lake and that's it. Gentleman's agreement no motors.

Opposite side of the lake - one person owns all the land with no homes on it.

Sounds like a very nice location, nothing wrong with that view!

Very nice, I looked at having a log home built about 20 years ago, my research revealed Western Red Cedar was the wood to have as insects don't like to eat it.

Noice!

That is incredible Teal, And your uncle choose one of the prettiest places in the US, Iron mountain area is nothing to sneeze at.

We're originally from the Bark River area - to the east of it just a very short way.

What's great is there's a ton of good places to eat up there with all the Italians.

Plus the whole Tom Izzo/Steve Mariucci deal...

I wouldn't get too cozy. A new administration could see wonderful possibilities for multi-level Section 8 housing units.

Dude!

That is a beautiful log home.

I have built 8 log houses down here in the southeast. Mine are with logs that are flat on the sides, using the dovetail notch. This was the type of house built by the pioneers in the Appalachian mountains.

The house in this story uses Scandanavian full length scribing. They use round logs. This log building style is more difficult than the dovetail notch style.
They lay the next log on top of the existing log, then they use a scriber to mark the contours of the bottom log onto the top log.

Then the top log is removed and set on the ground, and they cut those marks with a chainsaw.
The top log fits exactly onto the contours of the bottom log. No chinking is used. My cabins use chinking.

My cabins are beautiful but I have always admired the Scandanavian full length scribing technique. It was brought to Minnesota by Swedish immigrants and this is the style of log house usually built in Minnesota, Montana, and British Columbia.

I bought a scriber for $110, 20 years ago, and I always wanted to build a house in this style, but I never got around to it.

Beautiful log home!

Very nice. When we were looking in NW Montana and N Idaho 11 years ago a log home was the desire. After reading of the maintenance we went with Hardy planked exterior/sheetrock interior with accent logs and rough sawed accents. Looks great and we could not be happier with zero maintenance since purchased.

Maintenance on a log cabin isn't too bad, if it is built right.
I have been living in mine for 20 years. After 10 years, I stained it with latex stain, took a week.
Will have to re stain some day but not this year, still looks great.

To minimize maintenance you need big roof overhangs and porches. My house has 4 foot roof overhangs on the gable ends, and full length porches on the long sides.
Gotta keep rain, snow, and sun off of the logs.

If I could have that on wheels I would be all set and in a different National Park every month!!!

Nice home!!

Not to hijack the thread, but it is nice to see you back here posting, byc!

You're one of the good guys, and I for one have missed ya'.

John

Beautiful..simply beautiful..


But I have a serious question. What's he gonna do when one of those logs in the wall rots?


(from experience, I ask.. I had a log home once. And ONLY once.. )

everyone that i know that owned a log home will never own another.

build one in the woods ,they don't get enough sun to keep them from rotting.

Nice!

wow.....super nice

I built a 2400 sq ft one in 1992.......

just built it with the wrong woman..........

My father OIDabble built hand scribed custom log homes for around 30 years. Pick the right wood (Cedar), have plenty of overhang, put sliding bucks in the windows and door openings, keep plants away from the base and use a high quality UV resistant stain(Sikkens) and a log home is not much more maintenance than any other home.

Done correctly they can be very energy efficient and with smart use of drywall and windows and lighting they can be bright and cheery.

Mack

Yep - exactly.. And maintenance (recoating with wood preservative) is an annual chore and can run into serious bux.. BTDT, NA.

And I have noticed how some new companies have sprung up advertising 'rotted log replacement'.. I can't help but wonder what it costs to replace even ONE log.. I would bet that, in some cases, ten grand might (I say "might") cover it..

And you can bet yer sweet bippy no 'homeowners' policy' will cover bupkis of THAT bill..

Still - that's a beautiful place he put together, teal.. I pray he never has an issue with the logs..

+1 on the overhangs. My place has full length 8 foot "porches" on the south, west and east sides. Helps greatly in the summer keeping the house cool.

Soooo true, and I will add, get them up off the ground a foot and a half or two, at least.

Knowing my uncle and how he approaches things - replacing a log or two will hardly be a thought. Monetarily and from a process stand point.

All the logs were cut on site by the original builder. (Guy who did the shell) and he was an engineer by trade.

I don't think he's worried too much.

Man, I could love that place.

Boy, the horror stories on here about log cabins.

The wall logs rot? What?





Here is my log palace up in the NC mountains. I have lived here for 20 years and trust me, no wall logs have rotted.

Y'all boys have had cabins built by someone who didn't know what they were doing.
We don't have red cedar up here, just simple white pine.
IF you have big roof overhangs at the gable ends, 4 feet for my house, and if you have porches on the long sides, mine has porches with 14 foot roofs, the wall logs cannot rot.
Of course you keep the house at least 2 feet off the ground. Keep bushes away from the logs, that is common sense.

I have seen log cabins that are 200 years old and still are in good shape.
Like I said above there is no annual maintanence on one of my houses, I have stained it one time in 20 years and it is no where near needing re staining.



Here is the addition that I just built onto my house last year.

Sorry y'all boys had a bad experience with log cabins but, it is like someone saying "I bought a used Yugo and it blew up in 6 months. Cars are not good, get a horse and buggy or else a bicycle."

There are good log cabins and there are, evidently, bad log cabins.

if you look around at really old log cabins most were built out in the open,not in the woods where most people today like to build them. if they don't get good light to dry them out they rot.i have seen lots of old ones that have long fallen down that were built in the woods.

there were 3 log home builders in my area 20 years ago. they all are gone,put out of business due to major problems with log homes.all of them were building top of the line log homes.

Stone houses can look just as rustic. Wont burn or rot. Little to maintain. Power wash every once and a while. You want something on a slab. If done correctly, it will be there forever.

the LAST thing I want is something on a slab......

I wouldn't mind seeing Hildog on a slab but other than that I agree...

Love that floor!

Teal, thanks for sharing. Interesting story and beautiful home.

All this talk about rotting logs made me chuckle. While in college I worked summers and weekends for a local log home builder and there were a couple of competitors that would out bid the owner on several buildings.

Several of the buildings the competitors put up developed problems immediately and long term. The four main reasons:

1) They did not allow sufficient room for the movement of the logs in the door and window openings.

2) Sill logs were laid directly on concrete.

3) Log wall corners and window and door openings were pinned with steel drift pins (large nails or rebar).

4) The exterior of the logs were sealed.

I have owned two log homes and two cabins built the correct way and encountered no evidence of rotting. The only complaint I have with log buildings is all the vacuuming that needs to be done on the inside, plus removal of the dust that collects on the outside walls.

DIY

http://www.buildloghomes.org/student-homes/