This is a subject of great debate and high emotion within the log home industry. The truth is that while it is very possible to build a log home for less than a framed home, in most cases the cost to complete a log home for the average log home buyer will be more than a basic framed home. That said, many contend that comparing a modern day log home with a basic framed home is not a fair comparison and argue that when compared to a custom framed or brick home, the cost of a log home is very competitive. See the rest of this article at http://www.avalonloghomes.com/log-homes-cabins-myths

1. Log Homes Myths
Log homes are less expensive than a conventional home
This is a subject of great debate and high emotion within the log home
industry. The truth is that while it is very possible to build a log home for less
than a framed home, in most cases the cost to complete a log home for the
average log home buyer will be more than a basic framed home. That said,
many contend that comparing a modern day log home with a basic framed
home is not a fair comparison and argue that when compared to a custom
framed or brick home, the cost of a log home is very competitive. In support of
this position, The Log Home Council reported that the average price of a log
home in 1996 ($158,989 not including land) was in line with the average price
of custom homes during the same period .
A log home materials package includes all materials required build
and finish a log home
Though many companies including Avalon Log Homes offer complete
materials packages, most standard packages contain anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2
of the materials required to complete a finished log home. When calculating a
total construction budget, prospective log homeowners should not mistake the
cost of a material package for the total cost to complete, but rather should
assemble a total turnkey construction cost estimate. Avalon Log Homes
provides this service free of charge to our prospective customers.
Log homes require excessive maintenance to protect them against the
elements
The truth is that log homes do require regular maintenance to protect them
from such things as decay, insects, sun damage, etc., but this burden is no
more or less taxing than any other full wood or wood sided home. There are an
abundance of wood preservatives and finishes that, when applied correctly,
will protect your log home from just about anything. Finally, adhering to a
simple maintenance program, as with any home style, is your first line of
defense against such threats.

2. Log homes do not shrink, check or settle
All wood when cut experiences some degree of shrinkage. Shrinkage in wood
occurs when its moisture content reduces to match the humidity of the
surrounding environment.
Although Avalon Log Homes goes to great lengths to eliminate as much
moisture content from our logs as possible, additional shrinkage is likely to
occur following the construction of a log home. Because shrinkage causes logs
to compress in size, cracking or checking and settling of log walls are common
byproducts. However, with proper construction techniques and maintenance,
these issues are easily remedied and pose no serious threat to the structural
integrity or functionally of the home.
Log homes are a greater fire hazard than framed homes
An Avalon Log Homes authorized dealer and veteran fireman submits this
challenge to those who support this falsehood. Light a match under and 8 inch
log and time how long it takes for the log to ignite. Then, take another match
to a pile of drywall, insulation, wood studs and trim material and see how log
it takes to burst into flames. If you need more convincing, consider this story
Margaret Lowe relays in her Myths & Truths of Log Home Ownership:
"26 forest firefighters who, trapped by a raging fire in the California hills, took
refuge in a log home and waited out the firestorm as it passed them by. They'll
laugh and tell you log homes are not a fire hazard, especially when they have a
metal roof, as did this house. Yes, this actually happened in Topanga Canyon
in 1993, and it demonstrates that log homes don't burn easily."
A Log home is easy to build
This misunderstanding exists on two levels; the first is that anyone with a
good dose of ambition and some self-study can build a log home; the second is
that log homes are easier to construct than a framed home. Both are
fundamentally flawed. For the layman, log homes require just as much
technical building expertise as a conventional home. Anything short of a
playhouse or small shed will likely pose serious problems for the average
weekend warrior. That said, with the proper training and supervision, several
aspects of the log home construction process can be tackled by a qualified

3. owner builder. In fact, many suggest that there are more owner builders in the
log home market than in any other area of home building.
Regarding whether a log home is more difficult to build than a framed home,
the truth is that the issue is not one of difficulty but rather experience.
Provided that qualified, experienced log home builders and tradesman are
chosen, your log home should be no more or less challenging to construct that
any other type of home.
Log homes are difficult to finance
Fortunately, the significant increase in log home popularity over the past 20
years has caused even mainstream lenders to warm to the prospects of log
home financing. As demand for log homes continue to soar and myths such as
these are dispelled, even conservative lenders are realizing that there is money
to be made on log home financing. Margaret Lowe explains further in her
Myths and Truths of Log Home Ownership:
In November 1992, Fannie Mae eased its comparable appraisals requirement in
favor of unique and special homes, a classification that includes log homes.
The old rule required basing a log home's appraisal on the sales prices of
comparable log homes sold in the same market in the preceding six months.
Finding such comparables was next to impossible in markets where a log
home hadn't been built or sold in the previous six months. Under the 1992
directive, when direct comparables aren't available Fannie Mae accepts
appraisals based on three other types of unique, special, or rustic homes in
that or a neighboring market area.
Log homes are less energy efficient than framed homes
The reality is that log homes, if manufactured and built correctly, offer
comparable to superior energy efficiency versus conventional framed homes.
Numerous independent studies have proven that log walls possess especially
high thermal mass which makes them as energy-efficient as any well insulated
frame wall and superior to most. Unlike R-value, the traditional measure of
energy efficiency, thermal mass is a material's capacity to conduct, store and
release heat over time given significant variances in temperature. Most notable
of these studies was a decade long study conducted by The Log Home Council
(a division of the National Association of Home Builders). This and other

4. comparable studies have confirmed what many log home owners have known
for years; log homes stay cooler in the summer and warmer in winter.