Are you thinking about purchasing a new living space? Would you like to build a cosy, modern, warm house which wouldn’t cost a fortune? Then you need to think about a log house. Our modern life and everyday stress sometimes encourages us to look back to our ancestors who lived in log cabins, and to talk about long living old men and women who did not suffer from asthma and allergies.
In many European countries, particularly Scandinavian ones, 80%-90% of houses are wooden. Nowadays, in Norway, wooden kindergartens are becoming more and more popular and in Western Europe a log house is associated with prestige, ecology, a healthy way of life, and is considered to be a cost-effective and stable structure.
Germans, Danes and French all tend to build houses from profiled machine processed logs, while Norwegian mostly value the cabins made of logs which have been processed by hands. Timber is a natural ecological building material which does not have any negative effects on one's health. On the contrary, research has confirmed that the natural colour of spruce and pine has a positive effect on one's psyche as it calms the neural system and consequently creates good conditions for relaxation. Electrostatic timber qualities ensure that no static electricity accumulates inside the log house meaning dust does not move, and usually it is movement of dust which aggravates allergies. So, a timber cabin is perfect to as a permanent living space, not only as a summer residence.
Building A Log House
It can be equipped in the same way as a brick/block building: with high quality windows and doors, long-lasting roof covering, modern finish, plumbing and heating system, and all the other advantages of modern life. The building and taking care of a log cabin seems to be expensive when you first hear all the numbers, however, the building of a log cabin is no more expensive than the building of a brick house. Besides, a log house will be built much faster, so the building expenses will be less.
No Need for An Additional Heating System
In fact, you do not need a complicated heating system in a log house as the timber itself provides good thermo insulation. If the timber has been well processed and dried, it will provide good thermo insulation even in the depths of winter. A log wall of 20-26cm diameter features a very low warmth circulation; as a result, it preserves the warmth in the same way as 1.2m thick brick wall does. Timber walls accumulate warmth and distribute it evenly in the inside space. Another advantage of log houses is that they get warm quickly while it takes a relatively long time for them to cool down.
Log House Ventilation System
There is no need to install an expensive ventilation or conditioning system in a log cabin. A log cabin 'breathes', i.e. ventilation occurs naturally through the timber walls. You will never get the feeling that the air is too dry and stuffy in the cabin, which is usually the case in brick houses during winter. Nor will you be bothered by excess of moisture in a log house atmosphere when it rains heavily. Timber establishes a perfect moisture balance in a log house. If the level of moisture increases, timber absorbs its excess. When the air becomes too dry, the moisture is given back.
Long-Lasting Qualities
Log houses (Residential Cabins) which is looked after properly can be used for 150 or even 200 years while the process of looking after it is even more simple that that of a brick house (all those grinding processes, wallpaper removal, painting etc. can turn into a real headache). It is natural that logs are affected by sun rays, rain, and temperature fluctuation. That's why at least once per 2-3 years it is recommended that the log walls are repainted from the outside while the inner walls would require repair only after 10-12 years.
It is good news is that natural materials have come back into modern building processes. A simple pine log becomes a wonderful building material once it is in the hands of an experienced carpenter. So, to build a good log cabin it is important to use high quality materials as well as to employ experienced professionals to build it.
