Building a Log Home
May 28th, 2008Occasionally I have an opportunity to write for Cottage Magazine. Not only is the editor, Desiree Daniels, a delightful person to work with, I enjoy contributing to the cottage world at large.
My most recent article involved looking into what goes into building a log home. I must confess I jumped at the opportunity to research this story. Not because it’s my dream to build a log home, but Bill’s. Why? I have no idea. Here’s a man who didn’t realize the bathroom had been painted until weeks later.
Let’s just say when it comes to anything to do with the home, Bill is content to let me play house - with one exception.
He wants things to look good. When we first bought our cabin, see above photo, the exterior was in pretty rough shape. Bill took on the entire renovation. I tend to shy away from big projects, especially ones involving recreation property. I just want to play - building a log home could take years.
What I discovered writing this article is the exact opposite. A log home can be built in just under three weeks - to the lock-up stage which includes doors, windows and roof. It also assumes the basement or foundation is in place.
According to Mike Leduc, who works in business development for Calico Log Homes, the logs which are all precut and measured to exact specifications, can be snapped together like LEGO - something even I could manage.
I took the opportunity to visit Calico’s plant in Maple Ridge, B.C. to see first hand how the homes are built. It’s pretty amazing to think they build the home and then take it apart. That’s why it’s so easy for people to assemble them. The mistakes have already been made - you’re getting the finished product.
Later this summer I plan on visiting Mike’s home - his third log home that he built himself, located in Nanaimo, B.C. I want to see for myself what a machined log home really looks like.
Who knows maybe we’ll end up building one.
Cheers,
Julie
P.S. The article is slated to appear in Cottage Magazine’s November issue.
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May 29th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I have heard that in building a log home, the logs must be well dried or one gets shrinkage and filling the spaces between the logs can be a long term project. Using squared logs eliminates some of the problems.
May 30th, 2008 at 3:11 am
We just finished building a log home in northern Michigan. We chose a “log cabin kit” (milled) as it was affordable and we were still able to customize the options. It was interesting to see them build it - just like stacking lincoln logs! Check out our project: www.logcabininmichigan.blogspot.com .
June 3rd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Hi Shelley,
Thank you for your note and will def. check out the link.
Cheers,
Julie
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Thanks for the great article Julie. We at Calico are all delighted and I know Desiree at Cottage is very happy with it too, as, she says, she always is with your articles. I was interested in your comment that you became more interested in log homes after meeting with Mike Leduc, one of your quoted resources and an employee of Calico Log Homes. Indeed, Mike had told me after your interview with him how animated you had become about personal possibilities. I hope they come someday come true for you.
You might be interested to know, Calico is currently developing a series of Log Homes that have all the benefits of living in a log home (and there are some many of them) except one. From the outside they will bearly look like a log home, and will fit in with the other homes on any city street. We’re calling it the CityLine Log Home Series and it’s very exciting. It’s going to be a unique log making and profiling technology that is brand new to Canada, though it is being used in Europe by some of the biggest log home manufacturers in the world. So, along with another plug for Calico, there’s a tip for a new story.
Thanks again,
Richard Shatto, Director of Marketing at www.calicologhomes.com
P.S. I’ve already put a story-bug in Desiree’s ear as well.
P.P.S. The CityLine Log Home Series is so new, we don’t even have it up on the website yet. Stay tuned.
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
[…] the author of the recent article in Cottage Magazine regarding a couple building a Calico Log Home, Julie Nelson, has a blog in which she talks a bit about the article she was writing even before it was published (back in […]
September 4th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Hi Richard,
I really enjoyed writing this article. Mike was just great and a wealth of experience. When we’re ready to build, you’ll be hearing from us.
cheers,
Julie