The Most Economical Way to Build a Log Home

 Each year thousands of Americans dream of building a log home but don’t know how to go about it. They want the benefits of living full-time or part-time in the most iconic home. There are several approaches to constructing a house of logs, including:

• Full round log homes
• Exterior and interior log siding
• Timber- frame houses
• Squared Logs

 Of these four approaches, building with exterior and interior log siding is the most economical. Log siding, whether pine or cedar, is more readily available than the other three types of lumber and can be installed without the use of a crane and an expensive crane operator.

Exterior and Interior Log Siding Advantages

Anyone can have the full log look with log siding without the full log price and drawbacks. Use it on the exterior and interior walls for the fullest effect. You can hardly tell the difference between the two types of construction in this photo.

Using log siding saves money on material and construction costs that make your wallet happy. Use the savings over full log, timber frame, and square logs to purchase the highest quality doors, windows, roofing, and interior furnishings.

Additional savings are realized when homeowners install some or all the log siding and trim. All it takes is some woodworking experiences and the right tools to do the job of helping build your own log home.

Pine Log Siding Is Less Costly Than Full Logs

Full log homes look great, but the same effect can be achieved at lower costs with pine log siding. Here’s why full log homes cost so much more:

• Full logs are more difficult to find and transport which drive up costs.
• A crane and a crane operator are necessary to complete the project.
• Costly builders with specialized skills are needed to tackle the work.
• Construction labor time is much longer than with log siding.

Save a lot of time, money, and headaches by using economical pine or cedar log siding. You’ll be able to move sooner and enjoy cherished log home living.

More Cost-effective Than Timber Frame

 Another construction style for log homes is timber framing that uses heavy timbers throughout the structure. The end result is pleasing but the overall cost is out of most people’s reach: 

• Timber framing is expensive no matter what type of wood is used.
• Specialized joints and joinery drive up costs.
• A crane and crane operator are necessary to lift heavy timbers.
• Straining for craftsmen to put them in place.
• Transportation costs are higher than log siding.
• High-quality wood is scarcer and expensive.

Timber frame homes typically have some arched corners and embellishments that drive up costs compared to homes built with log siding.

Log Siding Is Easier on the Budget Than Squared Logs

Squared log homes are the last type of structure we want to compare to log siding homes and cabins. Square or ‘hewn’ logs take longer to shape and the extra labor drives each log’s cost up. Other reasons to use log siding instead, include:

• Hemlock and oak are sometimes used for squared logs but are very expensive:
• Transportation costs and installation labor costs are quite high.
• There is less insulation R-value in these logs compared to log siding with insulation.
• Like full round logs and timber framing, squared logs require a crane for the higher runs.

For most people, the colonial squared-log look is not worth the extra expense of living in a log home or cabin. Make life easier on yourself and your budget by using log siding.

Parting Thoughts About Log Siding

Let the Log Home Shoppe supply all your log siding, log trim, and corner systems and relieve yourself of the stress and expense of other types of log construction. You can enjoy the heavenly atmosphere of log home living with the highest quality, defect-free wood products available. We also have pine flooring, doors, paneling, mantels, and interior trim to complete your log home or cabin project. Call us today for more information.

References and Resources

Three types of lumber

Timber framing