Log Home Myths
Log Home Myths: Debunked!
These are log home myths and misconceptions that we’re happy to clear up and debunk for you.
Not Energy Efficient
FALSE
“Homes built with solid log walls are typically 5% to 15% more energy efficient than standard stick frame construction, according to studies conducted by The National Bureau of Standards, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Research Center of the National Association of Home Builders.”1
Lots of Maintenance
FALSE
Our log homes have no more maintenance than a conventional home.
True North Log Homes offers the world’s only ZERO air infiltration warranty requiring no caulking or chinking and the world’s first machine coated pre-finished logs called Stain Lock®. The Stain Lock Infusion System® is the combination of the rustication process and True North’s proprietary machine coated stain process. Factory applied stain saves the time, labour, and hassle of doing it later when the conditions may not be conducive to finishing (i.e. available time, winter, or in black fly/mosquito season!). It also means that the stain lasts much longer because the rustication process removes the outer layer of soft wood fibers, exposing the most durable veins of the wood, and protecting the softer fibers beneath. True North is under accelerated testing and hoping to double the life of our current stain warranty.
Expensive
FALSE
Log homes are in the same range as a quality built custom conventional home.
True North log homes range from cost effective small cabins in the woods to 14,000 square feet plus and everywhere in between!
Not Environmentally Friendly
FALSE
A log home is the most environmentally friendly home you can build.
The logs are sustainably harvested in the prime of their lifestyle from FSC certified mills. Sustainable logging reduces carbon released into the atmosphere and allows smaller trees to flourish. This along with planting new trees increases the number of trees in the environment.
Wood is a recyclable natural insulator and the environmental benefits from using them by eliminating the need for harmful chemical insulating products. These chemical products will most likely end up in a land fill as they are not recyclable and there are studies that show the amount of energy used to manufacture them will far outweigh any energy savings.1
Highly Flammable
FALSE
If you’re camping and trying to start a fire, do you start with a solid log or kindling?
When considering the construction of a conventional home using 2x materials with cavities in between. These cavities allow the fire to transfer rapidly between walls and floors and will burn at a faster rate than solid log construction. The large dense log home does not have these cavities to allow this transfer and require an extremely hot fire to actually burn. The burn times on a log structure are much longer than a conventional home and in a fire situation every second counts.
Limited in Design and Function
FALSE
The Key Spline® System, one of True North Log Homes’ ground-breaking innovations in the log home industry, allows construction of a log wall at any angle. The possibilities for architectural style and detail are endless. If you think your design isn’t possible in log please send your plans to us as we would welcome the opportunity to show you how it’s possible!
Difficult to Build
FALSE
Building a True North log home isn’t complicated. The cut drawings of your home label each individual log by wall, course, location, and direction. If you are building it yourself or have a local crew that is not familiar with our construction methods, we would suggest hiring a Technical Advisor to assist in the log and timber frame portions. If you would like an experienced crew to assemble the foundation, logs, shell, or even services please don’t hesitate to contact our sister company Log Project Management.
Come and learn exactly how we build our homes? Visit us at our upcoming Model Home & Factory Tour for a hands-on experience.
Dark and Gloomy
FALSE
The interior “lightness” of a log home will differ depending on 4 things:
- The interior wall stain colour
- The tone and warmth of your home are strongly influenced by the interior and exterior colour choices you make. Rooms with lighter colder colours will feel larger and brighter. Rooms with darker warmer colours will feel cozier and smaller.
- The light fixtures and bulbs within:
- LED bulbs will emit more light than incandescent bulbs.
- The more fixtures or bulbs on a fixture in a room, the brighter that room will be.
- The colours of appliances, cabinets, trim, decorations, and furniture also influence the ambience:
- Strong-coloured and dark fixtures, from the couch in the living room to the finish of the kitchen cabinets, may create cozier spaces. Lighten things up and make them feel larger with an airier palette. The choices are unlimited to suit your desires.
- The size and direction of your windows:
- A wall with larger windows will let in more outside light. It’s as simple as that.
Tighter Dovetails Mean a Better Dovetail
FALSE
Some log home companies brag about having their dovetails perfectly tight and touching on the top and bottom of their dovetails as they do not fully understand capillary action. True North’s dovetails are designed to have a slight space on top of them and are engineered to compress the foam pad to 50%. A properly designed military dovetail should have a space on top of it to allow the water to wick away from the corner system to prevent capillary action.
About the Key Lock Air Seal Corner®
A Log Home Kit Has Everything You Need to Build Your Home
FALSE
All home packages are not created equally and as a future home buyer you need to be fully educated on what is included and what you will need to purchase to finish your home. Refer to our What’s Included page for more information on the shell package.
We can assist you as little or as much as you require. Talk to your True North Log Homes sales representative about options available.
Pre-Cutting and Pre-Staining Will Save Time, Labour and Money
This last one is TRUE!
Time, labour, and money are three very important factors to consider when choosing a log home manufacturer and builder. A True North log home is cut so they fit perfectly together. Pre-staining the building saves significant labour costs on site.
Want more information about True North log homes?
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