ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, August 18, 1996 TAG: 9608190124
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTOPHER L. BOYD STAFF WRITER
Log homes have come a long way from when pioneers built one-room huts with dirt floors and adjacent outhouses. Today's models feature hardwood floors, multiple rooms and at least two regular potties.
People often envision log homes today similar to those in television programs like "Little House on the Prairie." That's no longer the case. In fact modern homes vary in size, shape and color and save on heating and cooling costs.
Early log homes consisted of stacked logs still in their bark, piled on top of one another and sealed with a soft, whitish, gum-like "chinking" made from animal hair, hay and mud between each log. "That was pretty much it," said Debbie Porterfield, a dealer at Heritage Log Homes in Blacksburg.
The bark created gaps for cold air in the winter and hot air in the summer. The gaps were plugged with more chinking, but the substance stayed soft and the cracks got bigger.
Interest in modern log homes grew partly because gapping isn't a problem anymore. New methods of wall locking exist that lend more stability and ensure that no air seeps through the cracks.
There are two primary interlocking techniques.
The through-bolt system takes a threaded rod that looks like a very long screw and slips it vertically through predrilled holes in each log that fasten at the top and bottom by adjustable nuts. The wall is locked together and works as one unit to maintain a uniform setting with the other walls. A screw jack, much like a car jack, relieves the tension from each wall simultaneously to keep the house level as it settles.
Another technique is the single and double tongue-and-groove systems that allow precut grooves on the top and bottom of each log to lock, creating an air-tight space between the logs. The single has only one groove; the double, two grooves with a space between where a sealant much like chinking is placed for added security.
Log walls and heavy beams used in construction not only give strength but also a "grandness" to the home's appearance, said Jeff Arnold, marketing associate at Heritage. "Take a look around. The oldest homes you see that are still standing, and even in use, are log homes."
"A log home owner will never have to worry about nails popping out of drywall, or cracks, or accidental holes in a wall. That is an impossibility with logs," said Arnold.
A lot of people today purchase log homes as the fulfillment of a dream. In fact Allen Dahl of Appalachian Log Structures estimated that 40 to 50 log homes were built in the Roanoke Valley last year. "Log home companies are seeing more and more 'mainstream' home buyers who want to build their dream with logs for the life-style statement they provide," said Arnold.
Thomas Litton and his wife built their log home in Bland County in 1987. Litton's great-uncle built one a few years before in Blacksburg. When Litton saw his uncle's house he craved one, too. "It was just like something out of a magazine. It had the whole nine yards. I just really, really liked it." So he got one.
Litton didn't perform any special modifications on his house aside from putting some rock around the base of the house and along the chimney. He pretty much stuck to the log home company's floor plan. His great-uncle, however, went around the countryside collecting logs for his home and added the base rock and numerous other features that make his house stand out. "I wanted to do that [go out and collect the logs], but I didn't have the time nor the money," said Litton.
Most log-home dreamers, like Litton's great-uncle, want their home to be exactly what they conceived. They usually select everything from the type of logs, the shape of the wood, the stain color and the interlocking method used and decide to whether to have cathedral ceilings, log rafters or custom log staircases.
But, "you get what you pay for," said Porterfield.
New "stick-built houses," homes with a 2-by-4 frame, cost about the same as new log homes. For example, a 1,500 square foot, two-floor furnished log home - a medium-size house - would cost upwards of $95,000. The same size custom-built brick home costs roughly $93,900, according to Ricky Dove of Nationwide Homes in Roanoke. Andie Kelderhouse, a representative at Fralin and Waldron builders also in Roanoke agrees - the lot price is not included.
Because of the disproportionate number of log homes vs. conventional homes, log homes have had to face two major hurdles: financing and energy efficiency, said Arnold. As more and more log homes are built, however, lending institutions are becoming more familiar with their resale values, which solves one problem.
The later problem was solved in 1981-82, according to the National Bureau of Standards and the Department of Energy, when it conducted a study of the energy efficiency of log homes. The study concluded that log homes are an average of 30 percent more energy efficient than other insulated stick-built homes. Which means log-home owners can save hundreds of dollars in heating and cooling costs over the course of a year.
Thomas Mills, Virginia Tech professor of building and construction, said he agrees that log homes do use less energy. He is not sure, however, if they are 30 percent more energy efficient than stick-built homes. "It's a much tighter home due to the nature of its construction. Being tighter reduces energy consumption," he said.
Porterfield said the best move a potential log home owner can make before purchasing a log home is, "research, research, research. Research the home you're thinking about buying, and most importantly research the contractor." Log-home owners who have problems can usually attribute it to the contractor trying to do a fast job because the shell or external walls and roof of a home can be assembled in one week, she said.
"Log homes take you back to the 'Little House on the Prairie,' without having to tend the farm," said Porterfield. "When you come home from a hard day of work - whether your home is in an urban or rural area - it's a peaceful home."
From the traditional look of a country house, to the elaborate modern appeal, you can have it your way in a log home. If it's a cathedral ceiling you want or if you're tired of paying high heating and cooling bills, a log home could be the answer.
Log-home interiors can be rustic, yet have all the comfort and conveniences of conventional homes.
The feel of a log home helps people relax after a long day. "When you come home from a hard day of work - whether your home is in an urban or rural area - it's a peaceful home," says Debbie Porterfield, a dealer at Heritage Log Homes.
LENGTH: Long : 125 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. From the traditional look of a country house, to theby CNBelaborate modern appeal, you can have it your way in a log home. 2.
If it's a cathedral ceiling you want or if you're tired of paying
high heating and cooling bills, a log home could be the answer. 3.
Log-homes interriors can be rustic, yet have all the comfort and
conveniences of conventional homes. 4. The feel of a log home helps
people relax after a long day. "When you come home from a hard day
of work - whether your home is in an urban or rural area - it's a
peaceful home," says Debbie Porterfield, a dealer at Heritage Log
Homes. color.