Build Your Own Log House - You Can Do It!

There's just something satisfyingly solid about a log home. In most houses, when you slap the wall you can hear a hollow thunk because that's what the wall is: hollow. Plus, it's made from drywall which, though it's gratifyingly light and easy to work with, isn't much more solid than paper. You can put your fist right through one (mind the studs) and water turns it to mud. With a log house, you don't get much more solid short of building with pure stone. There's no thunk, and only the Hulk would be able to put his fist through a log wall -- and if you're dealing with an angry green guy eight feet tall, you have worse things to worry about than how solid your wall is.

Be that as it may, in the annals of unique house plans, there are few plans as unique as those for log homes. Depending upon your ambitions, you can find plans (mostly online) for anything from a small log cabin suitable for vacations to sprawling two-story manor houses. Log home plans are often offered in conjunction with log home kits, which provide everything you need to put together a log home by yourself. The logs and all the necessary accoutrements will be delivered to your building site on an eighteen-wheeler, and where you go from there's up to you. If you have even a modicum of skill and some assistants to help with the heavy lifting, then you have the ability to piece the place together on your own -- after the necessary prep-work, of course. If, on the other hand, you're the kind of person who doesn't know a ten-penny nail from a ball peen hammer, you might want to consider stepping quietly aside and letting professional homebuilders put together your new palace. Either way, you're likely to save some big bucks over the price of building a traditional brick or wood frame home from the ground up.

Why a log home?

There are many reasons why building a log home is a good idea. First of all, they're aesthetically pleasing. A log home provides a lovely, restful sight to eyes accustomed to the cookie-cutter world we live on. Furthermore, assuming you've chinked the logs correctly, log houses can be extremely energy efficient. You won't have to depend on cheap light bulbs to keep your energy costs down, though they're always a good idea, because who doesn't like saving money? In addition, log houses tend to be less expensive than other homes to build, especially if you're doing the work yourself. Consider, too, the feeling of pride and pleasure you'll have in knowing that you built your home with your own hands. How many people can say that? And then there's the knowledge that you've defied convention and created something completely out of the ordinary. You can pass it down to your kids as an heirloom, or sell it for a nice sum later on if you must. Whatever you decide to do, you'll definitely raise a few eyebrows and get people talking.

Published with permission (FCDMInc)