The Stone City Log Homes Difference

Because of the many years in the log home industry I feel we've learned a lot about what it takes to build a good-great log home in Iowa. With all those years there have been some growing pains. Learning from those has helped us come up with a list of 5 things that will help you have the best log home possible.

1. Become a Knowledgeable Consumer
2. Build with Tongue and Groove Logs
3. Logs should be as dry as possible (Below 15-17%)
4. Use Cedar Logs
5. Use an Experienced Builder

1. Become a Knowledgeable Consumer

The first thing is people need to become knowledgeable consumers. Knowledge is power and it could save you a lot of heartache and money. Because the industry is kind of free spirited, just like log homes, it will help you to separate good companies from the not so good ones. Understanding different profiles, wood species, moisture content and how wood functions in a home helps you narrow down your choices.

2. Build with Tongue and Groove Logs

Tongue and Groove logs are tighter, they are designed to keep water and air out of the home. With a T&G system we use 2 strips of gasket material on top of the tongues. We also use a bead of adhesive sealant between the logs for a tight seal. All log systems should be secured with lag screws.

3. Logs should be as dry as possible (Below 15-17%)

All the woods used in log homes started out as a live tree. When the tree is harvested there is a large amount of water stored in the fibers of the wood. It is critical you build the home out of wood that has stabilized its moisture content. Once wood reaches that point it becomes quite stable with only minor changes happening every season. If wood is too "green" it may shrink, twist, crack or bow. Most problems seen in log homes could be traced back to building with a product that was too "green".

4. Use Cedar Logs

Most any wood could be used to build a log home, but not all woods are created equal. If you're going to invest all your time and money building a new home don't you want it the best? In our opinion cedar logs are a notch above the rest. Cedar has great natural characteristics. They're high in decay resistance, very low in shrinkage and have natural resistance to insects. If you asked industry wide what is the best wood to build with the answer would be cedar. If that's true why does the majority of the industry use pine? The answer is pure economics. Pine is more available and costs less. Some companies try to discourage you by saying cedar is much more expensive. That simply isn't true!

5. Use an Experienced Builder

The last item on our list is the builder you choose. The builder is critical because they give you the finished product, your home. If they do a great job you'll love your home and if they do a poor job you'll forever be unhappy and have problems. Craftsmanship is more visible in a log home. Finding a builder that has good building knowledge isn't enough. They also need to be patient, have good common sense and an attitude that craftsmanship is more important than getting it done in a hurry. Because of our many years building log homes we have names of experienced builders all over the state.