log home

About a dozen years ago I considered buying a log home--and I seem to remember that log homes generally don't use insulation in the walls, and the ceilings are thick EPS foam panels.

Now, if one were to buy a log home kit with small 4" logs, insulation might be recommended, but if one went with more substancial logs, it was not necessary.

Now, if the chinking (not a reference to Chinese people) were not done correctly, or is old, you may experience thermal loss that way.

General Tsao
PS: Not an expert in this. Just some knowledge from years back.

Sorry I can't help, but just wanted to welcome you to A2K :-D

I love log homes and hope to have one some day.

We looked into a permanent home in Maine a number of years ago also. That fact stuck with me that log homes are built "inside out" because you want the outer log wall, which would be a frame wall in any other construction, to show, the use of a vapor barrier TYVEC covering will not be a good idea because it will trap moisture on the inside walls, one shouldthink about a stud wall inside o f the log facade. id seen that logs have a natural bernoulli where 2 logs meet and can cause wind to whip inside the building.
I dont know what the answer is but I think its a dirty little secret of the log industry thats never been answered to anyones satisfaction.

It may be a process of slowing air leakage by layers of permeable insulation, but having done that, youd lose the inner log wall look entirely. If you look at the old log homes with chinking, they usually had horsehair plaster walls set on a board lath framework that was attached to the inner log face.
Dry wall doesnt cut it because it too allows air at the seams unless you can tape up both sides of the seams.Also,in log homes with dry wall on certain sides , the wind comes shooting out o f the sockets and light standards
Its a bitch cuz log homes look neat but they are soo inefficient.
Many Federalist new england log homes have clapboard attached to the outside. Im sure that was a heat saver.

Yup. A true log home (aka "Full Log") has no insulation in it's walls other than what the log itself provides (not much). As they settle (and they ALL settle) you have to chase around and repair and chinking that seperates from the logs, windows and doors to keep the drafts down.

Provided the structure is properly sealed the thermal mass of the logs structure is supposed to keep the heat balanced throughout the building over the day.

The care of a log home is very different than that of a framed house. If you haven't already you need to get some log home books and read up on how to maintain it.

I have a "thermal mass" house also , except its stone. So, in the summer we dont start using AC until mid July. Good news. Bad news is that once the stones get heated up, they stay hot till October. We can sleep with windows wide open and its still warm. Of course, in winter , when the stones cool in late December, were burning oil like a freight train

Never thought about the settlement causing the openings
Sounds a little bleak sybil.
I think fishin probably has more stories of "log life" than could be used in a decent log home ad campaign.