Log homes are a very popular option among American house owners because of their attractive appearance and homely ambiance. Log houses, often known as log cabins, are usually made from wood that has not been lumbered, or those that have only been lumbered very little.

Though log homes can have quite a rustic and ‘hand-made’ appearance, they can equal any kind of house in terms of comfort, ease of fabrication and longevity. If the logs are of excellent quality and completely dried before construction, a well-constructed log dwelling can provide a safe and comfortable house for many, many years.

There are hundreds of companies across the US that construct authentic, hand-crafted log homes. They use logs with the bark removed, but besides from that the timber is totally natural. While sought-after for their authentic look, these log houses are a good deal more labor-intensive and pricey.

The alternative is to build the log house with logs that have been machined so all the logs are of the same size and are more convenient to work with. This method is much cheaper and the majority of the log homes you see around the country will be of this variety.

Planning and building a log house is no small job and it requires a large amount of research, preparation and commitment. It is vitally important to have a clear idea of what you require, as indecision and bad planning can be very expensive.

The materials that are used to build your log house will have a large bearing on the price. You have three major options:

Green logs – Green refers to the sizeable moisture content of timber that has been freshly cut. Depending on the type of wood, moisture levels in freshly cut timber can reach 90%. It is possible to build log houses with green timber and then allow them dry after they are built. This could take up to four years and it is possible that the timber will shrink as it dries out.

Air-dried logs – Air-dried logs are let dry naturally before they are used to build homes. Good air-drying can take a few years and the wood is more costly than green logs. That said, it is also very strong and durable.

Kiln-dried wood – A lot of lumber yards have kilns which are utilized to speed up the drying process. That said, this needs to be monitored very carefully as there is a danger of the logs bending and/or cracking during the process.

There are many different kinds of log houses and the type that suits you the best will depend on your preferences, budget, where you live and many other factors.

Log homes are not cheap. You will want to budget somewhere around $150 to $250 per square foot, depending on your location and what variety of log house you want. As mentioned, some good research and forward planning can help keep the price down significantly when you build the house of your dreams.