The basis of any log home is the log shell itself. Selecting the right log home style and log size will depend on both you taste and your budget. These two blended together yield what will work for your home. One of our most popular plans is the Bear Creek. This home was originally built in the handcrafted log style (as can be vividly seen in our Videos Page and Projects Page of our website.) While handcrafted logs are lovely, we wanted to show this same log home plan in more economical 8 inch milled log style.  Let’s take a look at log cabin kits for sale but with a focus on the log shell itself.

Montana Log Cabin Kits

The log shell is key to the log home itself, so we want to focus on the log shell detail. First we have a pencil rendering of the log shell details. Through this perspective we can see this log home has two interior log walls, a log king truss over the great room, and cathedral ceilings over the bedroom wings. This plan also has solid log gables. The Swedish Cope log stack with saddle notched corners is very popular for Montana log cabin kits. This is a very round log with solid logs up into the gable ends.

As we look to our next perspective we see that some color has been added. This diagram is from the same angle as the first. Color is always helpful in making things come alive. Notice the log archway through the interior log wall on the right side of the plan.

For our next perspective we are looking form the same angle but now adding a roof. The roof shows the contours of how the porches tie into the man roof lines.

As we rotate this log home design towards the top the back side of the home comes into view. Notice how the roof line of the center section of the home extends out several extra feet on the front and rear gable. This helps to shade the windows of the great room in the summer time and also provides more protection to the logs.

Now rotating the log home to a straight overhead view you can see how symmetrical this plan is drawn. The front of the home with the covered porches is on the bottom of the diagram.

Now we are going to take one more look at the outside elevations with the roof in place. This is the rear view of the Bear Creek Plan. The log detail shows two doors, three windows, and two trapezoid window openings. These renderings also show this home on a crawl space foundation. Notice how the cement work only extends down about 4 feet instead of detailing an larger cement area for a full basement. Overall this plan can be considered a small log cabin kit to mid sized.

Log Roof System

Our next rendering focuses on the log roof system.

This diagram has the exterior and interior log wall removed, leaving the support posts and log roof system members. The vertical log post on the two front corners are the support posts for the covered porches. The logs suspended over the bedroom wings detail the ridge beam and purlins for each side. The log roof system over the great room is more complex with a center king truss, a main log ridge beam, two purlins, and also purlin support posts on each end.

Log Home Floor Plan

Now to introduce the floor plan for the Bear Creek. Log home floor plans detail not only the floor plan but also were the log walls travel. Notice that this floor plan has an interior log wall on each side of the great room.

Cabin Kits For Sale

Cabin kits for sale on the internet are very wide flung in what they include. Things which can be interchanged but change the price are the size of the logs, the grade of the logs (premium verses cabin grade logs), if the log shell is random length or precut, if there is any log roof system included, if you are getting solid log gables or log siding for the exterior of the gable ends, if the logs for a garage are included, and what corner style is coming with your package. These are all items which impact the total price of what you are purchasing.

Log cabin kits in Montana are usually designed with at least some cathedral ceilings throughout the home. Also there is usually a desire for a larger log diameter. The bulk of cabin kits in Montana are built from 8 inch diameter logs, but it usually is not much more costly to upgrade to a 9 or 10 inch diameter log size in log cabin kits for sale.

Cowboy Log Homes