Log homes

Gordy

Anyone dealt with these natural resource hogs structurally, and conditioning?

kcopp

I supposed ....

that is a relative term. Some are pretty good as energy consumption goes some not so much.

Gordy

Unpredictable

Is what I see.



I guess I see it as enough wood to build three stick built homes as far as the natural resources comment goes. Lots of infiltration points of entry as far as the conditioning goes.



I'm dealing with one now. A friend of mine purchased. Built in late seventies, two story with electric baseboard through out. Codes out the window electrically, and structurally.



Floating partition walls that house jack posts, and beams which were suppose to be let down with the settling of the exterior full logs. That must not have been done. Steel columns sitting on one floor joist, or only sitting on subfloor ready to blow through the sub floor.



Electrical has open splices dangling in the basement. Circuits with three splices which are in a junction box which is not attached to anything.



This guy had a home inspection for 400 bucks the only thing he said was it needs some work, but was never specific as to what.

ChrisJ

Nice

Wonder how many burried junction boxes there are, or worse, burried splices not done in a box.

Gordy

Tip of the iceberg

Yeah Chris there is junction boxes on top of partition walls which are about 3" lower than the beams covered by cedar trim boards . Boxed splices with no covers Romex laying on the top plate easy to penetrate with a nail.





220v base board loops with a clipped wire dangling to a live 30 amp circuit. Another 30 amp circuit with wire leaving the main only to stop hanging from a joist with duct tape covering only one of the hot wires.





One 110 outlet was wired 220.



Starting to think home inspectors can be scams.





Rim joist had been replaced due to water penetration on the half log trim from the outside.



Copper domestic has acid flux corrosion everywhere even the hangers which were soldered.



I would expect a professional inspector to list the issues in detail. Buy at your risk knowing the issues, or talk asking price. For 400 dollars.

Mark Eatherton

Contractual caveats...

1. Infiltration is estimated to be XX changes per hour. If NACH exceed this rate, heating contractor will not be held responsible.



2. R value of log walls was determined by manufacturer and is calculated at R xx.



3. R value of log ceilings was determined by manufacturer and is calculated at R xx.



4. Overall R value of the floor is calculated as Rxx and this information was provided by homeowner/architect/inferior decorator.



Other than that, and trying to keep all mechanicals well hidden, no problem...



If the owner is unwilling to maintain air tightness, it will degrade over time due to shrinkage, and they WILL be pointing the finger of discomfort at you. Cover yourself with caveats.



Merry Christmas,



ME

Gordy

Merry Xmas ME

Understood, and as you have written I have suspected. A building with a changing envelope over time.



HO optioned for forced air do to wanting ac. Lowest bid prevailed by half the top guy. As the Harman pellet stove guys say "we build to a standard not a price" love that one.



Bottom line no heat loss done. Exposed ductwork on second floor where ever is assets for the installer, and conventional from the basement for main floor. Pretty open floor plan may have some advantages for air circulation.



Log homes are beautiful as long as someone else owns it in my opinion unless half log construction. Thanks ME, and merry Christmas

icesailor

Log Homes:

You couldn't give me a log home, nor could you pay me enough unless the price woould cover the tear down and I got a new lot with value and profit.

I was watching one of those Discovery Channel reality shows in Alaska where these guys were repairing a log home and they basicly removed the whole front and most of the tin covered roof due to water and rot damage. Houses rot from the inside out.

Zman

Good,Bad,ugly

I see a ton of log homes. The good ones seem to be either fully custom homes with an unlimited budget and a great builder or a simple kiln dried "D style" kit. The custom jobs use SIP panel roofs meticulous chinking techniques and plumbing. heating and electrical contractors that really understand how to deal with the movement that happens in a log home. The simple kits that are kiln dried don't move much and tend to present less issues.

The Bad and Ugly are far too common. I would be reluctant to use the word "manufacture" to describe the folks that put these together. Typically it is a guy with a crane and a few chainsaws. The trades tend to be low bidders that help get the pricepoint where it needs to be. There is no heatloss calc or engineering on most of these. The r values provided are pure fiction. Problems with crushed wires, broken pipes, and settling are the norm.

I would recommend doing your own research on the r-values based on the species and thickness of the walls. The infiltration rate may be best determined with a blower door test.

Best of luck,

Carl