Many people are convinced bricks, masonry, or block-built homes offer the most durability when it comes to building their home. These methods of building involve rocks, which many believe to be secure in construction. Despite these common beliefs, immense force can easily cause these materials to crumble or crack. However, using thick, flexible logs to build your home ensures optimal durability against mother nature.
Long Lifespan
Due to a log homes durability and the right maintenance methods, they can stay standing for years to come. Some log homes across the world are still standing hundreds of years after they were built! Now, technology has improved and log homes are ready to last a lifetime.
Fires
Despite being the most common fuel for a fire, the full round logs of a log home have proven to have a much higher fire rating than conventional framed homes.
A wall of solid wood keeps the fuel to oxygen ratio at lower levels and eliminates pathways for the fire to spread from one place to another. Also, because of the solidity of a log home wall, the structure itself is stronger and more secure. This helps keep logs from collapsing during a fire.
Earthquakes
A log homes durability is proven when tested against earthquakes. When used in construction, other home materials when exposed to the type of stress an earthquake can produce will break or shatter. Because full round logs are wood, they are more willing to bend and mold to the earth as it moves.
Other Natural Disasters
Log homes have been known to be the last structures standing after many different natural disasters and storms. Many times, people have seen steel or stone crumble under the force of a hurricane or tornado, but the nearby log homes stand strong.
Insects
Like any home, log homes are victims of many different insects. However, with a log home, you have the ability to specially treat and stain your home’s logs to keep carpenter bees, termites, and other pesky insects at bay.
Make sure your log home is built right!
Without proper construction, proper log species, and properly seasoned logs, a log home can go from being durable and attractive, to brittle and rotting in no time.
When using logs that are the wrong species or have not been seasoned correctly, the logs in your walls and roof will shrink in diameter (not properly seasoned), causing damage and loosing the air-tight seal you need for energy efficiency. Logs of the wrong species will settle and compress at a much higher rate, resulting in doors that do not open or shut, drywall breaking and cracking, floors swaying, and many other problems. Poor log selection, faulty construction methods, poor design, and improper maintenance are the 4 killers of log home quality and durability.
Ensure your log home is built to stay durable by using Frontier Log Homes! We know how to build your log home right so you don’t have to worry about a dysfunctional structure for your home.
