Often I am asked, “What are handcrafted log homes?”. Log homes are such a visual product that almost everyone goes to either the photo gallery or the floor plans when they first arrive on a log home website. A log cabin is easy to imagine, but there are numerous more details beyond just a log home. One of these details is the corner styles a handcrafted log home can have.

What are Handcrafted Log Homes?

Handcrafted log homes are log homes which use a larger log diameter. The logs are all hand peeled so the natural taper of the log from the wider butt end to the narrower crown is preserved and built into the walls of the home. The logs are individually cut and fit together by hand. This fitting process is called Scandinavian Full Scribe. The logs are rolled over and the under side of each is cut with a V groove type channel.  All of the logs are full length wall logs. There are no short pieces where one log ends within the wall and the next begins.

A handcrafted log home is fully precut before it arrives at your job site. The logs are hand peeled with a draw knife pattern. The the logs are fit together in our log yard row by row. The door and window openings are cut and keywayed. The log roof system is fully cut and pre assembled, and log trusses are scribed and fit together with mortise and tenon joints (or metal plating if requested), and even the electric box holes and wire holes are precut and predrilled ahead of time. Then the log shell is tagged with an alpha numeric code, disassembled, and loaded onto the waiting semi trucks.

Handcrafted Log Home Corner Styles

Now to turn our attention to the details of the corners. For handcrafted log homes a saddle notched corner is very common. This is where the end of each log is visible on each side of the corner. The log tails extend out past the corner of the log home in order to allow the logs to join together.

The corner style of the log home is how those log ends are left. Log end styles include an Alaskan Wedge, Arch Top, and Staggered Flair, to name the most prevalent.

Western Red Cedar Staggered Flared Corner

A very popular style is a flared staggered end. This flare is accomplished with western red cedar logs and provides even more of a hand hewn log homes look. The wider flared ends are alternated with the narrower crowns.

Arch Top Corner Style

Another style is the arch top corner style where the top rows of the log extend out further than the lower logs. Then the logs are cut on the under side with an arch. The arch top corner on handcrafted log homes is better than a full arch, where the top and bottom both extend out with the center swept in. The reason the arch top is a better choice is then the longer log ends are tucked under the roof of the log home, helping to limit exposure to the elements.

Alaskan Wedge Corner Style

An Alaskan wedge style is where the ends of the logs are cut off in angular ways and left to look very rough. Often the bottom rows of logs are slightly larger diameter than the upper rows. On the corner some ends are left extending out further than others. Sometimes the Alaskan wedge is further enhanced with the use of an ax to provide the final rough finish on the corners. (Please note the below photo is a good example of an Alaskan Wedge corner cut but it is shown on a milled log home.)

Handcrafted log homes are very unique. They are a craftsmen style of home. Hand tools of old with the aid of chain saws and master craftsmen make these home each as individual as the logs they are constructed from. Taking the time to look through various styles insures that you have the style and flair that you desire. Depending on others to make all of the style decisions may mean you miss out on some details, such as in these corners, that you may really have enjoyed incorporating into your log home.  So dream big logs if that is your heart’s desire. Keep photos and copies of things in a file that is marked, “My Handcrafted Log Home”.

Cowboy Log Homes