I subscribe to a bunch of different log home magazines. And, I’m given quite a few, as well. (Since we are still quite early in the log home building process, magazines are especially helpful at this stage of the game.)
If I hadn’t read it for myself, I would have never known that there were so many different types of log homes these days. I mean, I may have heard some of these terms tossed about among those in the industry here & there, but I never really knew what they meant… until now.
I’ll talk more about the others soon, but first I’ll start with concrete log homes.
In the November 2006 issue of Log Homes Illustrated, they mentioned that "there’s a company in Montana [Cultured Log Systems] that sells concrete log homes. What’s more, people are buying them. And liking living in them."
Who knew?…
I guess, if you’re comparing the characteristics between concrete log homes and traditional log homes, it’s fair to say that with log homes made of wood, you have to worry about mold, rot, insects, and fire — over time. But with concrete log homes you do not. Nor do you have to apply stain to the home’s exterior every few years.
And, since you don’t have to chop down any trees for concrete log homes, they are also considered to be environmentally-friendly. And, believe it or not, there are actually knots, growth rings, and grain marks in concrete "logs".
With 30 concrete log homes on the market, Hansen said the company [Concrete Logs LLC] is now developing between 10 and 15 new concrete log homes each year. They sell just the exterior wall system, not the entire house, and charge between $70 and $80 per square foot. Finished turnkey costs can run anywhere from $130 to $500 per square foot depending on the customer’s preferences. Source
More About Concrete Log Homes:
Way less extreme are accent-log homes. Sometimes called hybrid or natural-element homes, they combine conventional construction with non-structural log posts, beams, trusses, stairs and railings. More upright than stacked, accent-log homes are popular in the West and, architects and builders tell us, gaining ground elsewhere, particularly in mountain settings. Accent homes moderate the logs. Some people like having logs without having just logs. Their rustic exteriors likely feature as much stone as they do wood, and the wood is rarely log, outside of a few posts and maybe a truss at the entry. Inside, they feature full logs, selectively and strategically positioned to add character. — Log Homes Illustrated
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