Which Wood is the best for Log House Construction?
Much continues to be discussed which wood species is the best for log house construction. In the following paragraphs I’ll use 15 years experience to describe the benefits and drawbacks of a few of the common wood species used commercially for vacation cabin construction.
Lodge pole pine is most likely probably the most common and broadly used wood species for log wall construction. It is commonly straight with low taper because of the slow growth connected using the dry climate where it’s found. It’s moderately strong and it has low to moderate shrinkage throughout the seasoning process. Lodge pole Pine offers only moderate to low bug and decay resistance and great care should be take to make sure that the logs are treated for insects and decay.
Brighten is yet another species that’s generally utilized in log construction. Brighten is broadly utilized in the Interior of Bc when a lot of North America’s log homes originate from. Brighten usually grows straight with hardly any taper which makes it a great candidate for log construction. However, it’s quite common for Brighten to develop having a spiral grain. Spiral grain logs shouldn’t be utilized in construction and doing this might have disastrous results. Brighten, like Pine is moderately strong and it has moderate shrinkage throughout the seasoning process and like Pine it provides only low insect and decay resistance. Brighten logs have a tendency to require more maintenance than a few of the other species especially Douglas fir and Western Red Cedar plank.
Douglas fir is a superb option for log covering construction because it grows straight with low taper and it is quite strong. However, Douglas fir, like Brighten, can grow having a spiral grain. Spiral grain logs shouldn’t be utilized in log wall construction if at all possible. Douglas fir logs are extremely strong and therefore are perfect for beams and purlins. Douglas fir has moderate shrinkage and moderate to high insect and decay resistance. Douglas fir log home have a tendency to look more uniform than the others due to the low taper.
Western Red Cedar plank (WRC) may be the final and for me the best option for log house construction. Quality WRC logs have low to moderate taper and occasional moisture content. WRC logs will shrink minimal of types of wood throughout the seasoning process. WRC is nearly always straight grained while offering high natural insect and decay resistance. WRC is moderately strong and therefore well suited for log wall construction. WRC can also be the only real species that grows using the “butt flares” which are becoming growing famous log homes. The flares provide the customer a means of making their house unique and provide it a far more rustic and “hands-crafted” look that differentiates it in the cookie-cutter type of log homes present in many areas.