There once was an old log cabin that sat close to the road on which lived on. I would drive by that cabin daily on my way to work.
I always enjoyed seeing it there, it made me feel good that there was an original, mid-1800’s log home so close to me (the log cabin man 🙂
I would stop in on occasion and give the old gal a quick inspection. I was greeted more often by the wildlife that lived in her (and under her) than by the cabin’s human owner (who lived in a nice farmhouse nearby).
There were a few conversations over the years between us about whether I’d be interested in buying the neglected building and moving her elsewhere.
But, I wasn’t interested in that offer… for two reasons…
For one, I liked her being right where she was. I got more enjoyment in driving by her every day than I ever would by moving her somewhere else. I guess that was rather selfish of me. hmmm I’ll have to work on that.
The other reason for my lack of interest is that from every indication that I could see, and feel, that behind her siding and under her plastered walls, she was already lost.
Maybe “lost”, is too strong of a word.
Let’s just say that I felt that she had reached a level of decay and insect infestation that it would soon become extremely visible to everyone else, and then shortly after that, there would be a total loss of the structure… a collapse.
That would take time of course… ten years, maybe twenty… but her best years were clearly behind her. There was simply nothing anyone could do at this point to give her a new life.
I would always encourage this gentle neighbor to hire me to come in and give her “a tune up”. We might not be able to give her another century, but we could possibly keep her standing as long as we were vertical.
But, not everyone shares my love of old buildings. And even fewer, are willing to “write the checks” to make things happen.
Originally posted 2015-03-31 16:22:37.
We want to build a log cabin (not pine because of its vulnerability to insects, rot) in Waynesville, NC. We took a month to rent a cottage in August to see if we really liked the ara, our lot in a gated community that we have owned since 2005 (we paid too much for it, like so many folks) and the community resistance to log cabins…but…we seemed to over come that, but, finding a builder that is fairly priced, could handle the log construction is a problem. We spoke to 3 and all felt strongly that logs were not energy efficient, cold, drafty, “maybe we could build a stick frame house and use log planks as the siding to look like a log home, use chinking, and use conventional insulation, etc”….
Do you know of a fair priced builder in the Waynesville area?
How energy efficient is log vs. stick built with log plank siding?
We love the log homes. Would also like to use logs and vintage would from my wife’s grandparents’ house and smoke house and barn to have some ” history” in our home..
Hi Gary and Jane!
I do not know of any builders that I would recommend in your area… sorry about that.
If you want a log cabin and you are speaking with someone who is recommending something different you are likely speaking to the wrong builder for you. Don’t let someone talk you out of your dreams and into something they want to build (with your money).
Log cabins are a bit less energy efficient than other options… but not enough to cancel one’s dreams. If energy efficiency is your number one priority consider something else… like a timber-frame with SIP panels on it. Or, as a great option, consider having one room, one part, of your home being log. The last two homes that I have built for myself, and many homes that I have built for others, are part log and part “something else”.
Log planks are fake… and they look it. I like stick-built construction and there are many excellent ways of covering it… plank siding… board and batten… and stone.
An option for you… you could design a home that is part log, part new construction. You could hire one of the builders you have spoken to. You could sign up for the Log Cabin Academy, or the complete Handmade House Guild/Academy package and learn all about this topic. And I could recommend an area builder here in Virginia who could come down there as a subcontractor and put up your logs in a week or two and your builder could do the rest.
Noah