What floor plans are available?

Package price includes the final construction drawings, which consist of a foundation plan, floor plans, elevations, floor and roof framing plans cross sections, typical details and general notes.

Whatever you want!  We can turn your ideas into your dream home.  For your convenience Lodge Logs has developed numerous floor plans, which are illustrated on the web site (WWW.LODGELOGS.COM) or in a catalog available from Your Lodge Log Dealer, Timberwolf Log Homes.  The standard plans are well thought out and often provide a starting point for our customers in deciding what they want in their homes.  Working with Lodge Logs’ design department, whether modifying a standard plan or starting from scratch, we can help you design your dream log home. 

Will my Lodge Logs home require a special foundation?

The foundation required for a Lodge Logs is the same as for any other home.  Your decision to use a slab, crawl space, full or walkout basement of concrete or wood will be based on the location of your lot, soil conditions and your personal preference.

Where do the electrical wires go?

Many of the interior partition walls in a log home are built of 2x4s just like a conventionally built home.  The electrical wiring (and plumbing) is installed the same as any other home.  The wiring in the exterior (log) walls is usually run through the basement after the logs are all up and must be planned in advance.  Before starting to erect the walls, we locate and mark on the sub floor the location of the electrical outlets.  When we have stacked the walls 2 logs high around the perimeter, we drill a 1¼-inch diameter vertical hole through the logs and sub floor to the basement or crawl space.  Then we drill horizontally at each outlet location to meet the vertical hole.  The hole is covered with a decorative wood plate cut out for a standard electrical box.  Light switches in the exterior walls are located near door openings.  The Lodge Logs wall system uses a dado and spline joint in the opening where the doorframe meets the logs.  The dado is cut extra deep allowing electrical wires to run from the basement up beside the doorframe to the light switches.  If the basement can’t be used for the wiring, the wire can be run in the “drying curf” that is cut into every wall log.  In that case, the electrician needs to be on-site walls are being erected.

Is settling a problem?

All log homes settle.  This isn’t the same kind of settling that happens when there is a problem with the soil or foundation and the walls crack.  Log homes settle because logs shrink.  A log wall built out of green logs might shrink or “settle” 4 to 6 inches.  The logs from Lodge Logs are kiln-dried to 15% or less moisture content and you should expect and 8-foot wall to settle less than ½ inch.  If the log walls settle even ½ inch and the rest of the structure doesn’t “settle” with them, a gap will result.  The Lodge Logs construction system with full-length thru-bolts, sliding door and window joints, and other construction details learned from 25 years experience, insure that the entire structure will settle uniformly with the logs creating weather tight home.

What about the roof?

Selecting from the wide range of roof designs may be the most challenging decision you will make while planning your Lodge Logs home.  An economical roof can be built using conventional stick-built framing with flat or vaulted ceilings and finished on the inside with Sheetrock or wood.  With this style roof, insulation is placed inside the space created by the framing members or in the attic.  Log center beams or non-functional half-logs can be used to enhance the rustic atmosphere of the home.

The traditional log home roof used large log beams or log trusses with tongue and groove planking.  The logs and planking on the inside becomes the finished ceiling.  The roof is then built-up on top of the planking creating space for insulation and covered with plywood and shingles or metal roofing.  This is not the lease expensive way to build a roof, but the solid beauty of the large logs overhead makes a magnificent ceiling.

The styles are often combined – for example, conventional framing in bedroom areas and log beams in the great room.  An increasingly popular option is to use a combination of log beams and large foam panels like those made by Eagle.  The panels are a sandwich of 8 or 10 inch foam glued between plywood sheets custom made for each roof.  Superior energy efficiency and significant time and labor savings in the roof construction balance out the higher cost of the panels.  All roof styles may be covered with any of the standard materials:  asphalt shingles, cedar shakes, concrete tile or colored metal.

What’s the R-value?  Are log homes energy efficient?

Walls built of 2x6s with fiberglass insulation in conventional homes have an R-value of about R-19.  Dry pine logs have an R-value of about 1.25 per inch.  Since most log homes are built with logs between 7 and 12 inches in diameter, the log wall R-value is lower.  But the wall R-value rating isn’t the only factor to be considered.  Log homeowners across the country report energy costs at or below those of frame dwellings.  Tests conducted for the U.S. Dept. of Energy and the National Association of Home Builders have established that log homes are as energy efficient as well-insulated frame homes.

First, logs are not vulnerable to the problems of humidity, compaction and air infiltration as insulated frame walls are in real life installations.  These factors affect performance, but are not reflected in the laboratory-rated R-value.  It’s not unusual for frame walls to perform well below their rated R-value.  The walls are only one part of a home’s energy conservation system.  Roof insulation, window efficiency and air tightness are important factors in any home’s energy efficiency.

Second, the “thermal mass” of the logs conserves energy.  Thermal mass is a material’s capacity to absorb, store and slowly release heat over time.  Logs, because of their cellular structure, bulk and thickness do this well.  This thermal mass minimizes the influences of peak temperatures, while a comparable frame structure responds much more immediately to the outside environment.  In the winter thermal mass provides significant energy-saving benefits, because it releases heat back into the house each time outside temperatures drop.

What about maintenance?

Logs are not maintenance free, however modern finish products help.  The exterior of the logs will need to be treated every 3 to 5 years with a spray-on sealer to protect them from ultraviolet light and the weather.  This one-coat process is often done with a simple pump-up garden sprayer.  The initial coating of polyurethane on the interior seals the logs and will maintain their beauty for many years.

How much will my log home cost?

The total cost of a completed log home will be about the same as any other excellent quality, custom-built home.  In the Illinois/Wisconsin area, this starts at around $125 per square foot of finished living space.  Lodge Logs packages are priced competitively and will account for 20 to 30 percent of a log home’s total cost.  The total cost will vary according to size, complexity and special features of the home you design.

Who will build my home?

If you’re building in the Illinois/Wisconsin area, Timberwolf Log Homes is available to build you Lodge Logs home, either as the log builder only or the general contractor for the whole project.

If you already have a contractor in mind, plan to build the home yourself, or live outside the Illinois/Wisconsin area, we’ll be glad to help you with design, cost estimating and the purchase of your Lodge Log package.  Lodge Logs packages are engineered for construction by a local contractor or knowledgeable owner-builder.  The logs are pre-cut, pre-notched, pre-drilled for the thru-bolt system and numbered to show their location in the wall.  All window and door openings are cut for ease of construction.  As part of the log package, we provide experienced on-site technical assistance for your construction crew.

What comes with my log package?

Our log home packages consist of logs and related materials only.  This allows you to select doors, windows, roofing, lumber and finishes of the quality you desire from local contractors and suppliers who specialize in those items.

The Log Wall Package includes everything you need to erect the eight-foot high exterior log walls – premium kiln-dried pre-cut logs, thru-bolts, couplers, nuts, washers, springs, keyblocks and microfoam sealer.  This package will cost approximately $15 to $25 per square foot of finished space.  Options you may want to add include log gable ends, log ridge beam and rafters or trusses, log floor joists for the loft, half-log dormers, log railing and log staircase.

The Log Shell Package includes the basic Log Wall Package above and all the available options for approximately $25 to $40 per square foot of finished space.  The log style and diameter you choose along with the complexity of your design determines the log package price.