Old Chum is looking to take his family to a new house. I found a place with just about everything I'm looking for except it is a log cabin. It's modern, air forced heat, special grooves to seal the logs together, etc. What I'm looking for advice on is how the insulation properties of logs compare to a convention home. I've talked to a number of people now that sell these things and of course they say great things. I'm looking to hear from someone that has actually lived in one and has had possibly some bad experiences. Please give me any advice you all have. One plus is that it is very near a lake. Thanks. -Old Chum

find out if it has insulation board on the roof, if it dont then you could lose alot of heat.

Swedish full scribe or chinked design? The full scribe if done properly is as good as most stick built houses...maybe better. Rockfish nailed the important concern regarding loss of heat thru the roof. How old is this cabin?

The cabin is about 20 years old and approximately 1600 square feet. I think the original kit was through the company Real Log Homes. The logs looked to be put together sing single tonge and groove with some type of insulation strip built between the logs. No chinking. I asked about the roof and was told that it was some sort of "spray foam" between the ceiling and roofing material. I guess I'm wondering how to compare the value of a lincoln log home vs. a convention home, i.e. how do I know that I'm not paying say 10-20K over the value of what it is worth? It seems to be like trying to value an antique, it all depends what someone is willing to pay for it. With a conventional house you can pretty much see what the going price is of other homes in the area. Like I said before, it's near a lake and has a good place to park a boat. That's more than I have now. Thanks for any other advice. One other thing. I can't get a straight answer from anyone regarding how well the walls insulate. I hear R7 for 8" logs as compared to R-21 for a regular house. Then the log home guy tells me that you can't compare R ratings. Why not? Do these log homes tend to be either really cold in the winter or hot in the summer? I'd really like to hear some first hand experience.

OldChum
Here's the web address for Consumer Energy Information: EREC Reference Briefs on "Log Homes and Energy Efficiency" from the U.S. Department of Energy;
http://www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/ca8.html

As far as log homes in Washington State go, if you have good Southern exposure to the sun you should be in good shape. Logs store the heat from the sun like a "Thermal Battery" during the day and release the heat during the night when you most want it; During the evening they cool after the heat has been released keeping afternoon temps cooler inside the home.
The R-Value of a log is generally pretty poor and log homes fair differently depending on climate zones and Southern exposure. Generally they fair pretty well here in Washington.

How badly have the logs checked "cracked" in the home your looking at and have you checked it for air leakage? Easy to do "checking for air leakage", take a lighter, especially around the inside corners, and watch the flame.

E-Mail me if you'd like, with any other questions. I am currently building a log home of my own and have done tons of research on the subject.

Check with your local building inspector. He/She will have the latest figures on the r-value of log diameters. Washington State has done some extensive figurging and calculations to obtain these values. Check with the local light company for electricial use in this structure and compare to others in the same area of stick built. Check the logs for severe checking and dryness. How much have they settled? Pick a windy day and stand next to a wall and light a cigarette or punk if you dont smoke and look for drafts. Check the windows for breezes coming through. Again what area and who built it. Check with your local insurance agent for any records of these builders and previous claims. Good luck.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll be sure to take a look for drafts. One last question. What are the implications from a lot of "checking"? Do the large cracks just lead to already marginal insulation from the logs or are there also structural/strength considerations? Thanks. -Neil

Old Chum..I built and live in a log house. My best advise, if it is your dream home, go for it, but be prepared for a lot of extra maintenance. You need to treat the logs every 3-4 years, there is always shrinking and swelling going on due to the weather. Doors don't always close just right. Since you are looking at a kit home, you should't have all those quirks. Mine is built out of hand peeled and scribed logdge pole pine.
As far as R-factor for insulation, as long as the log joints are tight, the log will far exceed the insulation in a stick home wall. You'll just be hard pressed to find anything on paper. There are a lot of log home books and magazines out there whith some pretty good information. Read all you can, then make your decision
Good Luck.