Log cabin homes are a timeless American tradition from the first homes of the pioneers. Their beauty and comfort have allowed them to remain a desirable style even with more affordable and easier to construct materials being discovered. It’s easy to believe that log homes will be here to stay.
Building your own log cabin home can be an expensive decision. Costs include the site preparation and foundation, the lumber itself, insulation, windows, doors and fixings, and the labor involved. Installing logs around doors and windows adds additional costs, but who doesn’t want windows?
How can you save money on your log cabin home build? The trick is not to use full logs! Build a conventional frame, and then cover it in log siding!
“Isn’t that cheating?” you may ask. It may not be the traditional cabin style, but this approach can save you thousands of dollars. Log siding gives you the outward appearance of a full log cabin, so your visitors won’t even notice the difference.
Another benefit of foregoing full logs for log siding is that you can separately control your exterior style and interior. You aren’t limited to a wood interior like a real cabin. Log siding is also easily installed around doors and windows, since they’re built into the framing.
How Log Siding Looks Like the Real Deal
We start with full logs, sawn into specific sizes, kiln dried, then milled to the pattern we want.
WoodHaven offers four different log siding cuts:
- Half-Log
- Quarter Log
- D-Log (also known as D-Trim)
- Fatboy™
Here’s the secret about our Fatboy™ and Half-Log siding: it looks just like the real deal! Nobody needs to know you took a pass on the expense of full log siding. Half-Log is exactly how it sounds: a log is cut down the middle and each half gets used. This means the siding has one flat face and one rounded face. Fatboy™ comes from larger-sized logs, giving you the appearance of full-log siding. Half-log can be ordered as rough-hewn or smooth depending on your preferences, but Fatboy is only available in rough-hewn.
Quarter log siding doesn’t look as much like full log, but it has its own unique feel that some people love for their home. Because it is from smaller material, the wall looks more flat than rounded. This is a more modern look compared to the traditional log cabin.
D-log (“D” Trim) is made with special flat edges that are cut into the log to create a finishing touch for your home. D-trim is also available with a rough-hewn or smooth finish.
Looks Real Down to the Trim!
But what about the corners and trim on your log cabin? Can you still get the traditional trim and corners with log siding? Yes, you can! We craft our own D-trims, corner posts, and even butt-and-pass corners for the real log cabin look. They work with your log siding just fine and look amazing.
Which Log Siding is Right for You?
With our different cut options, you’ll need to decide which look is best for you. Get inspired by our examples on our Gallery page, where we tell you which products are used. Once you have an idea of what you want, look into our Cost Estimator or Contact Us for more information!
Need more information?
We’ve got you covered!
You know the log cabin style is the look for you. Now find out how you can bring it to your home!
Contact us for a free estimate or for any additional questions.
