Just as log homes are varied, so are our customers. Everyday it is so rewarding to talk with people from all sorts of backgrounds, professions, and interests; but one common thread is seen in all of them, their love for logs. This spring it seems the Douglas Fir handcrafted log homes seem to be ranking the most popular. With this in mind I wanted to share with you some of the highlights of this outstanding wood species.

The photo below shows samples of our three our log species. (We also offer Lodge Pole Pine, not pictured here.) The lightest of the woods is Engelmann Spruce seen here in the middle bottom of the photo. Western Red Cedar is the darkest wood, displayed in the top left. And Douglas Fir, the star of our article, is in the top right corner. (Clicking directly on the photo will also enlarge it for you.) Of these three species, Douglas Fir is the strongest. In the construction world in general, this log species is used for everything from train trestles, to bridge parts, and even home built aircraft such as the RJ 03 IBIS Canard . This log species is very well known for these heavy loaded structural uses.

The Douglas Fir logs for our homes are harvested from the British Columbia Forest in Western Canada. Selected from the highest quality trees available, these logs are felled and then left to air dry in the yard at Lake Country until the logs reach approximately 15% – 19% moisture content. Then the logs are hand peeled and the construction process begins.

For log homes Douglas Fir is lovely. The honey colored wood is darker that the white Engelmann Spruce and lighter than Western Red Cedar. If you look closely at the photo you will see circles traveling around and around the log ends. These are the growth rings. Each year the log grows a new growth ring forms. The ring is caused from a level of bark that is covered over as the log grows. The growth rings on the Douglas Fir is very light.

To insure the highest quality homes, each of our logs are TPI graded and come complete with the TPI stamp. TPI stands for Timber Product Inspection. Timber Product Inspection is a national organization that provides standards against which wood building products are judged. So even more assurance is passed on to the customers throught the TPI stamp located on our handcrafted log products.

Another added benefit to handcrafted homes is the low waste they produce. Milled log homes can yield waste of up to approximately 45% of the log, once it is milled down to a uniform 6 or 8 inch diameter. Because handcrafted homes take advantage of the wider bottoms and narrower tops of the logs, only about 5 % – 9% log is wasted. Also more thermal mass (R-value) is gained when more log diameter is incorporated into the home.

Our Douglas Fir handcrafted log homes are crafted by our experts artisans. There are no butt ends on of logs in our homes. They are all full length logs. Log lengths can be up to 50′. Doors and windows are all fully pre cut to make the home assemble in a matter of hours one arrival at the home site. Also the roof system, ridge poles, purlins, and/or log trusses are fully fitted and ready for the roofing material. The log home builder does not have to worry about any of that.

Many of our luxury log homes are constructed of either Doulgas Fir or Western Red Cedar. British Columbia is a prime supplier of both of these log species.

Even custom log homes all begin with a floor plan. Be sure to visit our Log Home Plans page for more details.

Between the logs we use a Scandinavian Full Scribe method. The bottom of each log is grooved and lined with the Sofrod gasket. For added insulation value, mineral based insulation is also inserted into the channel on the log. The over scribe method allows the logs to settle and hug even more closely together as any further minimal shrinkage occurs.

For solid, log lasting log homes, the Douglas Fir is a great choice for your home. The rich color gives the log more character with less expense than the Western Red Cedar. Any of our homes can be produced from this wonderful wood species. Visit our pricing section for sample pricing on our handcrafted log homes.