Does anyone have experience with any of the log cabin kit manufacturers? I'm looking for a small cabin to use as a place for my parents and inlaws to stay when they visit. As they get older one or the other is at my place almost all summer. I have a small wooded lot at far side of the farm that has easy access to a road and utilities and I'd like to put up a small cabin that they can stay in. It needs to be code compliant and I plan to put it on a crawlspace foundation. Im looking for something small with a bedroom and small kitchen on the first floor. I also looked at a few of the modular cabins but the cost is ridiculous if you want a code compliant version.

Talk to someone who has owned one. Very labor intensive keeping them water tight. I would look at a SIP- structural insulated panel. Easily assembled by home owner.

No, but I have seen some what look to be nice prebuilt cabins.

The kit is the cheap part of the finished product

Following.
I purchased an acre and half in mountains and have been researching cabin ideas.
I am leaning more to the container cabin.
Maybe the building codes don’t work.
https://www.customcontainerliving.com/backyard-bedroom.html

I'm a licensed engineer, including PA and have engineered hundreds of log structures from giant sign towers, to $18million + lodges, to tiny cabins. Log anything is not anymore labor intensive than any other wood structure. I live in a log house so that's coming from personal and professional experience. If you are willing to do a crawl space foundation, you're more than half way there to code compliance. The rest is electrical, plumbing, egress windows and doors, and roof insulation. Conestoga Log Cabins (PA based) has a lot of options and the "logs" are precut on a CNC machine. Super exact. Their logs are actually glu-lam beams shaped like logs so much stronger and no settling issues. If you want more traditional logs, I have contacts for those as well. Feel free to PM or message me.

When I was in high school, new homes we still being built in our small Iowa town.

The outer shell would spring up fast. After that cars, and pickups would be parked there for many weeks.
All the inside work. Wiring, ductwork, plumbing, insulation, drywall, cabinets, ect.
That is where most of cost is.

I'll take a look at Conestoga.

I did most of the work on my own home aside from the envelope (foundation, stick frame and brick), so I'm comfortable with code compliance and for plumbing, electric, HVAC, etc. I just need to make sure the kit complies for egress, insulation, etc. Thanks for the offer on the PM. I'm sure I will be taking you up on it after I look at Conestoga.

When I was a newlywed, the wife and I considered building a log house. I had a day off from work and drove to a log building company to look at their HQ which was their demo. It was early morning when I got there and it was easy to see sunlight between the butt joints on the eastern wall. Decided then and there that a log kit was a no go.

My observation is that most log homes are built by stick builders who have no concept of how log building is different. I had a lady at work who had a log house built. The house had a cathedral ceiling and soon the walls were being forced outward because the builder had not tied the opposing walls together. The builder's fix was to run a threaded rod through the top run of logs and torque the walls back into plumb. The builder also did not build any settlement space into the walls. Soon the sliding glass door was jammed shut and several windows were bound up by the pressure.

I had a builder who focuses on log cabins build one for me about 3-4 years ago and so far it's been nearly flawless. I had a bit of an issue with chinking pulling apart after the first year, but there had also been a massive wildfire that went about 100 yards from the cabin and that apparently was the cause of the chinking failure (just in a few spots facing the fire). Otherwise, I've had to stain the logs and do some pest control for termites and beetles and that's it. The cabin is really solid, keeps the wind and elements out and is exactly what I had hoped for. It's also totally off grid, so perhaps the absence of plumbing and electrical has made it a lot less susceptible to problems.

log homes...

i have an opinion from living in one currently

personally i'd take an efficient, well insulated timber frame home over logs.

They are good houses if they are built well, like my house. And if not built right they are bad news. An 8 foot high section of log wall will shrink about 2 inches. This must be compensated for, or your doors and windows will be busted up. Also if you have a bathroom on the second floor, you have to allow for settling for the plumbing pipes.
Run your pipe vertically into the bathroom, and then a horizontal section for several feet if copper or PVC. If you use Pex, no problem in the first place.

Most electricians won't wire a log cabin. So I wired mine by myself and I must say, I enjoy doing wiring in a log cabin. It is a lot of work, though.

Also, you can see massive roof overhangs on my house. Four feet on the gable ends. You need to keep the sunshine and rain off of the logs. Don't grow any bushes near the logs, they will trap moisture and can rot a log out.

I have vast experience in framing and building a custom log cabin like mine is easily twice the work of building frame. Maybe three times the work.

Wife and I looked into the kits once.

They told us kit price was about 1/3 total cost of home.
Not including land or site prep.

For me, maintaine free as possible outside. wood inside.

My sentiments exactly, after taking a class in log home building, building a log home and an office, as well as taking a class in timber framing. Two pieces of advice if you build a log building. 1.) Build the overhangs twice as long as you think you need (like 4') and 2.) get it at least 18 in. off the ground.

I'd rather have a cabin built from perfect block ICFs and interior timber framing. Don't forget the masonry heater. ;-{>8

A frame house can be finished out with wood inside. Myself, and Paul, new299s in our cabin.

I have to reply as a form of a “tag” but I’ll be interested in opinions of those with firsthand experience.

To the guys that have posted pictures and the input of engineers, thanks. 👍

The bank my son works at won't even finance a log structure.

+1

The list of negatives and expenses is huge.
You have to build two roofs if you care to insulate the ceiling.
You can't insulate the exterior walls, logs aren't too great when it comes to R values, heat one in the Northwest for a winter and you'll see.
Settling? Completely dependant on the moisture content of the logs used at the time, I've seen 6 inches of settling resulting in the backs of cabinets torn out, broken windows and electrical and plumbing shredded.

Log homes are a thing most men get beyond in life, especially after owning one.

All that said, for the OPs needs, he just has to look at it.
They can be rather picturesque in the right setting.
A small one that isn't a permanent residence could be perfect for his needs.

Lived in a nice custom built log home for almost 16 years. It was very well built ( according to a few inspectors that looked at it and knew a lot more than me) and the builder put log jacks in the inside to accommodate settling. Oversized large logs were used in the construction

I would never own another log home. Insurance got to very expensive and difficult to fin. Especially after the California fires a few years ago. If you live more than 10 miles from a FD, which I did it was even more difficult and expensive to find insurance. Getting a mortgage now on one is difficult. And a lot of extra maintenance. All my neighbors had log homes and had the same sentiment. Looking at possible lower resale values too.

Id definitely do heated floors if you decide to build one.The extra large overhangs on the roof are a good idea especially if you live in a high snow fall area.

Built on a concrete foundation with a four feet crawl space.



You can see the large screw jacks on bottoms of supporting logs for settling









They look nice but personally would not recommend. The novelty was fun the first few years and it was cool to have elk, mule deer feeding under your second story upper bedroom deck, but too much work.

Lots of romance, lots of problems.

Hiding wiring, pluming, air ducts can't be done.

I can be, but its a lot of extra costs.

In most places legally/code speaking there’s no such thing as a cabin. Meaning it has to be built to the same standards as any full time house. The walls are the cheap part and generally makes sense to go bigger for best bang for the buck. What will cost you is putting in a well and septic or connecting to city water, foundation work, electrical, plumbing, insulation to code, windows ect. Those are some of the places where the money is at and it will all need to be done to the same code as if it were a full time home.

I need a new house built out in the sticks 2400 to 2800 ft.². Them timber frame have an advantage over a log cabin?

In my experience absolutely

In my book by far.

If you're into lots of custom work, I can do a lot more with posts and beams than I can with a stack of logs.

It's in the eye of the beholder and what they are willing to live with to own their dream.

after caring for one for 18 years I found your second sentence questionable at best and would add that the expense is greater.
7800 ft in altitude built from lodgepole from montana.
I would never sign on the line for anything log again. YMMV

What a gorgeous home in such a beautiful setting!

Stunning!

You can see the larger trim around the windows in ribka's photos.

There are key ways behind them that allow the logs to slide up and mostly down.

On 14 and 16 foot tall walls I've seen 10 inch trim boards over doors where they have had to cut the headers quite high to compensate for the setting of the logs. The doors are also mounted on floating keyways. Those tall walls are heavy the settling will be strong.

Everything has to float.

None of that has to be a bad thing, it just more log home related....
things.

Averaged 150 to 200 inches of snow a year. Not fun in winter!!!

No need for excessive overhangs if you put on eave trough, down spouts, and a good preservative with UV protection.

Mind is I ask what it cost to heat a pad like that through a good winter?

Those high ceilings had make it a little spendy.

That is one of the more picturesque homes I've ever seen.

I cut 8 to 10 cords a year and about 1200 to 1400 gal of propane a year. Propane heat too, propane cooking stove, dryer, water heater.. It was a bish to heat because ceilings were 50 feet high. Going up on the roof was a big pucker factor cleaning off any accumulated ice, replacing screws and cleaning chimney . Too much work.

Plus side It was surrounded by thousands of acres of public which was a plus.

Fires are always a big concern end of August and September.

How many wood burning stoves were in there?
Sounds like enough wood for a couple anyway.

That roof over the living room looks like a 10/12, my azz wouldn't be on it. Always had plenty of young bucks around for working on that steep a pitch.

Here is 4' frost wall crawl space foundation for a single floor cabin. Pre-plan ingress electric and water and egress sewer. Electric wiring was strung underneath the floor and up into the living space. Wire races were routed into door buck and thru logs to exit on top of interior ceiling, then strung to ceiling openings for lights and ceiling fans.

I am a log building slut, build them, live in them, sell them, build another, live in them, repeat, etc. Is their a lot of upkeep, sure, but not as much as you would think if they were put together correctly.

Ribka, beautiful home and setting.

I'd never try that where it is wet. Eastern Montana is one thing, but western Washington quite another.. Sorry, disagreement here. Too many thirty year follow up with rot to try this. ;-{>8

Correct.

Proper site grade for a home can be a key factor as well but what I've seen to be lost on many DIY'ers is the use of insulation baffles to create air flow and prevent ice dams in heavy snow country.

Improperly constructed and insulated eaves can cause massive wet rot to walls and roofs.

As pretty as icecicles hanging from a roofs edge my appear to some, they are a disaster and a indication of poor construction.





Some spray foam guys are really bad about this, it's all but impossible to correct once it's been done.



It's simple to do correctly but one has to understand what airflow is all about and how to create it.



I think some build extended eaves in attempt to run away from their past problems and just create a bigger problem.

There have been many threads on this site on the topic of metal buildings and how they all condensate and leak, it's the same problem, they don't understand airflow, how much is needed and how to create it.

When I built our house, I decided to build a timber frame with log infill walls. This way, settling wouldn't be an issue as far as windows and doors were concerned. In addition, because I was using shorter lengths, I would be able to handle the logs myself, by hand; although the twelve foot lengths on one wall pushed my limits near the top. I purchased short logs from a builder who turned logs for kits they sold. The logs were all cut from dead standing timber and turned to eight inches. In addition to being cut from dead timber, I let the logs sit for two year until I started putting up the walls. During this two years, we lived in the basement which I built of treated timbers and framing and treated plywood and wrapped in poly.
I dug the basement with a rented Bobcat. mixed and poured the concrete to set the posts and poured the floor. Put in the septic system. I built the main floor and put a roof on top. of it and insulated the floor. We lived in this for two years while I spent my spare time hunting and fishing. After two years, I was feeling a little pressured. I waited for what looked like the beginning of a stretch of dry weather then I built a deck on the front of the house, so I would have a place to work, and started construction. The house was to be a smallish (24x40) two bedroom with a loft. The upright timbers were cut from the logs I had. I cut two sides flat with a chainsaw and smoothed them with a hand plane. I then attached a strip to each side. These strips would fit into a slot cut into the logs which filled in between the timbers. The ridge beam consisted of some spruce 4x12" which were notched into the tops of four upright logs which were sixteen feet long. I started on the walls around the 7th of August and I was putting on the roofing by the 10th of September. The 10th of September signaled the start of elk season and the end of construction for the fall. I got back to work and put in the windows and doors in late October. I finally got it to where we could move upstairs the following Christmas. A more industrious fellow could have done it all in three months, I figure. In the end, we had a house which has served us well for 25 years (plus three in the basement). I dug the hole, I built the house. I did the plumbing and the wiring. I shoveled the gravel and mixed and poured the concrete. I didn't borrow a penny. If I did it again, I would do some things a little differently but not too much. GD

A man's gotta have priorities and yours are admirable.

Question is, was the freezer full by late October?

I helped build a 8" log kit home back in the '90's. My friend poured a regular foundation with the plumbing ran in pipe thru pipe. That way if anything happened, he could pull the pipe and replace it if necessary. He sent his rough drawn plans to the company that cut the logs and they drew it to scale. When the logs arrived, they were double tongue and grove, all numbered, had some weird locking joints cut into the corners, and had a set of plans for laying them out. The company sent a rep out to help lay the first layer to make sure it was done properly. After that, it was just look at the plans, pick the right numbered log, apply the sealant, and screw it down (20" screws every 3'). One of the strongest houses I've ever seen. Wiring was a little tricky, but by running it in the window frames, door frames, and baseboard, you couldn't tell it was any different from any other house. You did have to router out for the elect. boxes and drill holes thru a log or two for the wires. The inside walls were regulars stud walls, so when you got the wires to them, it was no problem. Windows and doors were like any other construction. He had front and back porches that ran the length of the house so wiring and the ac/heating ducts was run thru the attic above them.

Termites are bad in south Ms., so he hired a company with a warranty to control them. He used some kind of stain that was sprayed on the house. Not sure what it was, but it looked really good. IIRC, he said it would have to be stained again every 8-10 years.

About 2 yrs after we built this house, my friend died of cancer and the house was sold. We lived there until '08 (another 9 years) and the house still looked good and had no problems that I know of.

Thats a nice one.

Log cabin siding would give you most of the look without the hassle. I have done four timber frame homes, three of which had to be fully code compliant. Two had wood walls inside and all had exposed beams. If you have the time, designing and cutting the timber framing is interesting. Very few hassles with electric and plumbing, compared to a log building, and way less maintenance.

View of my living room from the loft.
I have built 4 custom log cabins turn key, by myself. White pine logs 6 inches thick. You do need massive roof overhangs and big porches. You want to keep the rain and sunshine off of the walls.
Overhangs and porches are not difficult to build and big porches are great living space, and cheap.

I have been living in my cabin for 24 years. Maintenance has not been bad, I put one coat of latex stain on the outside and it has held up well.
I have had a problem with carpenter bees making holes in the wood and woodpeckers pecking out holes. This has happened to two logs, one hole is 6 inches long and 3 inches high and the other hole is smaller.

Six inches of wood is, in fact, quite good insulation. You have to do a good job with the chinking and install good ceiling insulation. I am on top of a mountain in NC and the wind will blow 40 mph all night on a 20 degree winter day. My cabin is snug and warm even with a 22 foot cathedral ceiling.


My big porch. Log cabins look cool. I did all that hewing with an adze. Lots of hard work to build a log cabin.


We get a lot of snow.



I built this cabin on Lake Sinclair, Georgia in 1988. Cypress logs. I did all the masonry as well.
I was just down there at Christmas and the cabin is holding up well. No holes from carpenter bees.

They make for dandy little summer and hunting camps.
This one is remote in Alaska and we obviously use it for a trappers shack.





Those milled logs really simplifies the process, they typically arrive really dry so shrinkage and settling can be a non issue.

They come in all shapes and sizes.



I prefer doing my own Swedish Cope cut and with big logs.





It rids you of all the chinking which is another life log maintenance issue. You can just run a bead of silicone caulk along the tight fitting joints between the logs.

I'll over cut the concave bottom of a run of logs to create a raceway for electrical wiring and cut in boxes along that run. I'll then run it up in the window and door keyways or slip joints.



The settling issue has to be one of the bigger PIA's to deal with.
Interior walls can't go to the ceiling.



There are ways to hide the screwjacks required for vertical support logs, you just have to be creative.

JeffA, great work, planning and photos!

JeffA: You are doing Swedish cope and cut. My hat is off to you that is the most difficult type of cabin construction. I have a $108 scriber but never got around to building in that style. I have done 2 round log cabins with saddle notch, but about 7 with the dovetail notch and chinking.

The chinking, by the way, is not a maintenance problem if done properly. My chinking is R16 and snug and tight.
I have seen some chinking jobs that were badly botched.
A lot of people who do work on log cabins don't know what they are doing.

The cut is easy if you can follow the line, I use a little tree trimmer chainsaw that I find most controllable for me.

The bigger the log, the shallower the cut, the thicker the wall.

You get just a fraction over 1R per inch with softwood logs for insulation value.

My building of log structures has been limited to NW Montana and Alaska where sub-zero winter winds blow and log homes are cold and have proven to be rather inefficient.

I know the charts give that low R factor for wood. However I believe that is not accurate, at least when you get up to a log that is 6 inches thick.
I have been in frame houses in this same environment with 2x4 stud walls and R 13 and my house is at least as snug and warm, if not more so.

However if I were building in NW Montana, [which is my home state] I would certainly go with thicker logs.

My houses are all in N. Carolina and Georgia.

very cool Jeff. That takes skills.

Id have to agree log homes, especially large ones say over 1800 sq feet are inefficient in northern climates. If the temps are in the teens and lower and you're away from your home a few days, its takes a long time to get a log home heated up

Interesting - got any pictures?

Well God sure didn't make all logs alike, R values will vary with species and it's my personal belief the region the log comes from can make a substantial difference.

Hardwoods have half the R value that softwoods do and the reason isn't a mystery.

It's the density of the wood.

Softwood logs are very 'fibrous' and are known to store heat.
I dug up this image to illustrate what I'll attempt to explain.



This is a cross section of a pine viewed through a microscope.
Each growth ring is made up of cells that deliver water and nutrients up the tree.
They are like tubes or straws, the wood that develops later in the season (dark red areas) is somewhat void of these cells or 'tubes'.

The center, or heart of the tree is pretty much dead too, this process no longer occurs, the core is hardened off.

When a log is properly dried these tubes in the outer growth rings (sap wood) are left hollow and hold air.
All this air is what gives softwood a higher R value than dense hardwoods.

The air retains heat and gives the log a warm feeling that you don't get from a sheetrock wall in a stick framed house.

Of course this works the opposite if the log is to become cold, it takes forever to warm all that air deep inside a log.

My theory for obtaing a better R value log has been to buy coastal timber from Oregan. The growing season is crazy long in the coastal areas and there is way more precipitation, this results in the growth rings being twice the size of the growth rings in logs I am able to buy in Montana.

More fibers, more air, more insulation?

The coastal logs are also much lighter weight with these less dense growth rings compared to other logs I've had to deal with. That's alway a nice feature when you have to move them and roll them and adjust them endlessly while building a log home.

Is there any fact to my feelings about R value with coastal logs?
WTF knows, it's how I see it and I'm stickin' to it.

A couple down sides to the coastal logs I've found is they aren't as strong when used in a horizontal application such as ridge beams or purlins, I use dense Montana logs in those situations.

The big ones are spendy.
The big lumber companies basically own all the logs.
They desire these prime home building logs too. They spin them to cut veneer for making plywood.

Its costly to buy something from a company that has as much or more need for it than you do.

What is the best species of wood for a log home? Let's not kid about about, there are homes we are talking about.

I'd go with white cedar.

I can do a lot of things but posting pics ain't one of them. GD

Lincoln Logs........

Depends. Personally I'd pick western red cedar for the wall logs. I like the look of the massive logs and they have a better than average R value. Trade off is they are typically the most expensive option. If I was building in a humid place, I'd go with cypress or another naturally decay resistant wood. For strength, doug-fir is generally the preferred species. Southern yellow pine is strong, with some grades stronger than doug-fir, but tends to twist and warp as it dries. Some species are prone to sap drips, like white pine, some spruces, while not a structural issue, sticky walls are not appreciated by owners.

Some great info in this thread, with some knowledgable people. Good to see as log homes usually get bashed with false narratives by people who never built or lived in one.

For all the drawbacks, a log home sure has pizza's!

FYI, spraying cypress and southern pine with a 50-50 mixture of diesel and transmission fluid yearly will eliminate rot. And if you add Tempo you won't have any bugs either.

I built one from cypress and the other 8 from white pine. Very good wood for log cabins. I haven't had much trouble with sap running down the logs, a few minor spots no problem.

I'll say this about a log home, they look better in a setting alone. Between other regular style homes they tend to look odd. Just me.