Every step of a Sitka Log Home is meticulously and artfully handcrafted

Our log homes are all handcrafted.
We do not mill our logs but instead each log is hand-peeled with a drawknife, hand scribed, chiselled and cut with chain saws to form a perfect fit to the log below.

The process begins with the careful selection of each log.

Our typical house logs are an average of 12 to 14 inches in diameter, although larger is available. The logs are hand peeled using a draw knife, and then carefully scribed their entire length by transferring the natural contour of the lower log with a pencil line to the log above it.

        

The line is then chiseled by hand and then accurately cut with a chainsaw. Each log is fit with insulation within a V groove, and a Norwegian shrink fit saddle notch is used for the corners.
We also build using other corner styles if you desire an alternate notch.

Wood Species offered by Sitka Log Homes

Engelmann Spruce logs tend to be whiter than the other species available. It is very uniform, has a limited amount of knots and is very clean looking. However, it also tends to have larger "checks" (cracks) in the logs when the logs finish settling and drying. This is not a structural issue, but an aesthetic one.

Lodgepole Pine logs tend to have many knots, more "natural" scarring such as cat faces and crevices, and has some blue and grey streaks in it. It is generally referred to as more "rustic" looking with more "character", however, that should be qualified by saying that we have had pine log work in some of the most contemporary homes we have built.

Douglas Fir logs are very uniform, have very few knots and a light "orange" hue to the cambium (outside) layer of the wood with a deep orange/red heartwood color. It is the strongest of the species available, but really does not offer anything extraordinarily above the others.

The fourth species we offer is Western Red Cedar. Cedar is more expensive but it does have its value in being naturally more resistant to moisture, but if a log home is properly finished and maintained, it will last just as long as a cedar log home. Cedar is darker in colour and is also softer tending to dent more easily. Cedar has that amazing scent (think of a cedar chest) that will also accompany it. We often use cedar for large feature posts and leave some of the flared trunk on the bottom. It is a beautiful and often stunning feature in many homes.

Occasionally homes have a variety of wood used. The main walls may be pine, the ridges may be fir and then they may have a cedar post as a feature accent log.

What is included in your handcrafted log home package?

Your log home package is customized to include the materials specific to your home. We manufacture and specialize in the log work itself. The package we offer you includes the log shell and the insulation and hardware needed to complete the log shell portion of your log home. The following list is typical of what you could expect in your package:

• accurate production dates and scheduling
• exact log work costing
• dependable and ongoing construction consultation
• on-site re-assembly supervisor
• hand-peeled log walls of 12" - 14" diameter (larger is available)
• all logs will be full length with no wall log breaks
• all lateral grooves and corner notches scribed, fitted and insulated
• log walls with window and door openings cut out and key-ways pre-cut and supplied
• all log ridge poles, and log roof purlins cut to accept roof framing
• log posts for porches, decks, entrance, breezeway etc., including steel settling jacks
• log trusses, structural or decorative
• mortise and tenon log stairs including log support posts
• hand-peeled mortise and tenon log handrails where required
• all rough openings cut-out, notched back, flared and sanded
• 6" foam sill gasket supplied for log to sub-floor seal
• plated steel ½" through-bolts drilled and installed for all corners and doorway openings
• steel ½" X 18" drift pins supplied and installed during re-erection where required
• all log components sprayed with non-toxic mildewcide to minimize moisture damage during shipping and erection