Milled Log Homes

Milled log homes are manufactured by machines such as planers, lathes and profilers. They come in kits that can include just the wall logs or everything for a weather tight shell. Milled logs are uniform and smooth and are assembled on site, unlike handcrafted homes, which are pre-built at the log-yard. Kit homes typically have many vertical butt joints because most kit makers have a limit to the length of log they can mill. Ten to twelve foot logs would roughly be the industry standard for maximum length of wall log. Some milled kit manufacturers can produce hundreds of kits a year because the work is performed by machines. The majority of the kits they manufacture are for their standard plans or slight deviations of them. Most kit makers do not use real logs as their raw material.

Handcrafted Log Homes

In contrast, handcrafted log homes are authentic and traditional. They are created by experienced logsmiths. These skilled craftsmen use techniques that are centuries old. Many of these log home building methods have been around since the 1st century. The primary tools used in the trade are hand-axes, wood chisels, log scribes, drawknives, and chainsaws. Handcrafters generally do not produce as many homes a year as milled kit companies due to the time and labor demands of the trade.

Handcrafted log homes are typically custom in design, allowing the homeowner to create a floor plan that suits their individual needs and taste. Handcrafted log homes are built with full length logs with no vertical butt joints and much larger diameter logs than milled homes. Architecturally handcrafted log homes seem to offer more latitude than milled homes. Design elements such as scalloped corners, chamfered window and door openings, and interior log walls with decorative archways add to the overall appeal of handcrafted log homes. Handcrafted homes allow each log to exhibit its own personality, rather than making them conform to exact specifications.