Beyond Know How

Log homes are lovely and also a very substantial form of building. Through hurricane Katrina in one hard hit area a log home was the only building that survived.

Over the years more and more features with these special homes have been improved. One such design enhancement can be found in the joinery used in the butt ends of the logs. A butt joint is where one log ends and the next begins. Sometimes logs are simply cut and the pushed up together. Then caulking or foam sealant has to be pushed in between the holes.

Another way to seal the butt joints is a spleen system. The logs must be notched and then a 2×4 or vinyl spleen is slid down in the hole. This is fairly good form of joinery, but if one spleen is left out the needed seal is not obtained. Then outside weather elements can penetrate right through the hole.

The best form of joinery is a “finger joint”. This is where the log actually is cut with little fingers. Then the fingers ‘weave’ together to form the joint. This is the tightest in the industry and also there is no chance of forgetting to install the spleen.

Currently there is only one company in the USA or Canada using this top of the line form of joinery, Lake Country Log Homes from British Columbia. For more design ideas and photos take a look at Log Cabin Construction .

photo credit: Nancy Devine

Building a log cabin is quite an ideal endeavor that is far from simple. To make sure there will be no problem in the future when all the logs are already in place and it is close to impossible to make changes or revisions on the log house that is already finished, it is best to plan ahead and consider all the aspects needed before building a log cabin. Be sure not to leave any stone unturned before you even have that first log placed on the construction site. The things that need to be taken in consideration, such as who to choose as the log home producer, which general contractor to get, how much will the construction cost, who will build it, is there a need for a mortgage financing and how much and a lot more other questions need to be addressed before going through it!