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At Lodge Log Homes of New England we only provide the
log components for your home. We do not sell lumberyard
materials in our packages such as studs, insulation,
windows, doors, sheathing, etc. You choose to purchase
the materials you need as you need them from your local lumberyard.
This gives you more control over your building
project and cost savings.
Things
to Consider When Purchasing A Log Home
Look for
companies that have been in business for 10 years or
more. Not only does this give
you a chance to check on the reputation of the
company within the industry, but they will more than
likely have model homes for you to visit to check
the quality of the product first hand.
Lodge Logs has been in business since
1975.
Check to
see if the company has its own manufacturing
facility. If a problem arises,
the chances are much greater that this type of
organization will be able to fix the problem
quicker, and a customer would find that working with
a manufacturing facility based in the United States
would be easier to deal with. They are generally in
a better financial situation to work through the
problem. Lodge Logs has a
brand new, state of the art manufacturing facility.
A
warranty is a must! Look for at
least a 5-year warranty due to the fact that most
problems with a log home will occur within the first
5 years. Additionally, working with a U.S. based
company will be less complicated to deal with.
Other countries' courts don’t necessarily have your
interests at heart. Lodge
Logs offers a limited lifetime warranty.
Make
sure you are comparing apples to apples.
Each company has it’s own definition of what’s
included in their “complete” package. Ask the right
questions: is the house pre-cut or will you get
random lengths - is the necessary hardware included
to assemble the walls - are floor joists, roof
members, stairs, railing and vertical post included
– are the gables and dormers full log or siding, if
siding, is it ½ log or dimensional. For example,
the savings one may get by purchasing a random
length package can be offset by the time and labor
involved in stacking the package, not to mention all
the hardware necessary to assemble it (lags, oly
screws, spikes, etc.).
Lodge Logs will include as much or as little log
material into every log package, meeting each home
owners specific design and budgetary needs.
What
type of fastening system does the log package use.
Log homes can be assembled several ways – lags,
spikes, oly screws, and the use of a thru-bolt
system. We feel the best method is a thru-bolt
system anchored into the foundation, topped off with
a 1000 lb tension spring countersunk into the top
course of the log wall. This type of system allows
the entire wall to be tightened at once, with the
springs keeping the log courses tight when (not
if) the logs move; expanding when the logs
settle, compressing if the logs take on moisture and
grow (coastal and humid areas). This eliminates the
need to chink or caulk most homes. It is also a
huge benefit in earthquake and hurricane areas where
additional engineering is necessary.
Lodge Logs pioneered the thru-bolt
system. We utilize the same techniques today that
we did when we started in 1975.
The use
of kiln or air-dried green cut logs,
dried to 15% moisture content.
Problems that might arise
when using dead standing material are that the
moisture content (MC) in dead standing is very
inconsistent. Within one log, the top could read
15% moisture content while the bottom reads 25%
moisture content. This occurs because when the tree
dies, the water gradually moves down to the base of
the tree, drying it inconsistently. Another issue
with dead standing material is insect
infestation. Insects will move in after a forest
fire. They will also infest a depressed stand of
green trees, and kill them. Inconsistently dried
logs leads to problems of uneven settling and
excessive checking. Lodge Logs uses a
combination of air and kiln drying to bring the
moisture content of our wall logs down to 15% or
less overall, well below
the industry standard of 19% moisture. Due to our
drying methods and the fact we use a thru-bolt
system, a Lodge Logs home will settle between ¼” and
¾” for every 8’-0” of stacked wall logs. This means
no jack screws or large openings over doors and
windows to allow for settling. We purchase our
inventory from the U.S. Forest Service, State of
Idaho Lands Department, and from local private
landowners. Additionally, we utilize the entire
tree in our manufacturing process, making Lodge Logs
an ecologically friendly company.
Drying
Kerf applied to log before initiating drying
process. Look for companies that
put a saw cut into the log before
drying. This reduces random cracking, twisting, and
checking while drying and allows the log to dry in
an even and controlled environment.
At Lodge Logs, we put the saw cut
near the center of the log when it is green to
stress relieve it during the drying phase. This
greatly reduces cracking, and allows the air to dry
the log all the way through.
ROUND LOG CORNER
"D" LOG CORNER
A "D" LOG IS CREATED BY CUTTING
OR SLABBING OF THE INSIDE WALL.
NOTE: SPRINGS AND BOLTS DESIGNED TO CONNECT TO A
J-BOLT IN THE FOUNDATION EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY UP
THROUGH THE LOG WALL WITH A 1000 POUND COMPRESSION
SPRING AT TOP OF
WALL.
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