Homeowners were often first attracted by the dynamic, modern roof profile, then fell in love with the open plan floor layout. The home turns a graceful 45 degree angle, making it perfect for a view site. That angle is also reflected in the raked prow roof gables which point towards the horizon on both ends of the home.

The great room features a wide bayed-prow front and a full height fireplace, all overlooked by a cantilevered upper walkway. Vaulted ceilings abound throughout the home, including the master bedroom and ensuite bathroom. The master suite also enjoys french doors which give convenient access to the large deck.

Your Log Home vs Mother Nature

A beautiful, natural material like wood requires protection from the environment. Achieving this requires both thoughtful design before the house is built, as well as diligent maintenance in the years afterward.

The first practical requirement of your log home design is to protect against moisture from above. This means a well designed and well maintained roof, ideally one that features deep overhangs to protect the logs from above. Plus, a well thought-out roof layout that sheds rain and snow will avoid other problems. In snow country, the issue of "snow dump" is a major one: snow falling from the roof can damage your property and landscaping, and even be dangerous.

But the design should also protect the logs from moisture coming from below, keeping the logs elevated above winter's snow as well as away from the splash-back from driving rain. And in many areas of the world, this extra elevation will also help protect against wood-damaging insects such as termites or ants.

As soon as possible after the log shell has been set up on your site, it must be given a protective coat against the weather. A semi transparent penetrating stain is probably the most popular finish, since the pigments in the stain protect against the sun while still allowing the beauty of the natural wood grain to shine through.

A solid color, or opaque stain, will provide even more sun protection but will largely conceal the knots and grain. These types of finish may (depending on location, weather, sun exposure, and the quality of the stain) last 5 or more years before requiring refinishing.

Some homeowners would prefer a clear finish, so as to hide the features of the wood as little as possible. However such a finish generally requires much more frequent recoating...perhaps as often as every year in some climates.