When talking about handcrafted log cabins there are two sizes that both play important roles. The first is the size of the logs and the second is the total square footage of the log home plan. So let’s take a look at each and see just what size handcrafted log homes are.
For a handcrafted log home the log sizes are usually over ten inches in diameter. With hand peeled surfaces the natural taper of the log is preserved. Sometimes log home companies advertize a mean diameter. This measurement is the size of the logs at the mid point. For example a 13 inch mean diameter logs range between about 12 and 15 inches. If the mean diameter is 15 inches the logs will be about 13 inches at the crowns and 17 at the butt ends. Larger logs can also be used. Wood species such as Douglas Fir has less taper from one end to the other. Western Red Cedar has lots of taper. So exploring log species is also important when you are considering what to purchase.
Now for the square footage of the handcrafted log cabins. Before the early 1980′s cabins were generally considered a small structure of less than 1,000 square feet. Most cabins were considered low quality, rustic, and primitive. Today that stigma has been totally revolutionized. Log cabins today have the connotation of ‘getting away from it all’, tastefully expensive, and anything but cheap. The term cabin can refer to small cabins or large. One customer actually referred to a 30,000 square foot log mansion as a ‘cabin’. So overall square footage does not dictate if it is a ‘cabin’ or a ‘log home’.
Handcrafted log cabins simply have more charm than their milled cousins. The used of Scandinavian Full Scribing means that each log is custom fit into the superstructure. With a random length milled log home one log can fit anywhere into the shell. With a handcraft there is one place– and only one— where each log resides. Many times customers begin to examine log homes more in depth and come to the realization that a handcrafted log home can never be copied. Each one is an individual. Instead of a cookie cutter home, an original master piece is made each and every time. Even three cabins built from the exact same blueprints are not identical, and never could be. So if you have pride in your own personally individually then a handcrafted log cabin might be just for you.