Beneath layers of plaster, drywall and other finishes, on some older homes, you may find a log building structure - horizontally laid logs with rounded or axe hewn faces and joinery connections.

LISTEN...

Characteristics of Log Buildings:

• Logs are used horizontally with joints at corners, arranged vertically to act as support posts and even combined to create sturdy, solid wood walls.
• Building techniques include 'notched' corners - dovetails and saddles, scribed log and log infill ("piece sur piece" in New France). Influences came from Nordic countries and were used heavily by French and British colonizers c. 1600 -1700.
• Log buildings were used for centuries by the First Peoples on the northwest Pacific coast, using giant coniferous trees to create all kinds of structures.
• Openings were framed with 'bucks' to outline the hole and support the log ends.
• Insulation and air tightness: A solid log wall has a relatively small R-value, but because of the way trees crack and check when drying, there may be air leaks that negate any thermal resistance the logs may offer.
• The bottom course of logs is usually where deterioration and rot happens, because of exposure to rain, snow and dirt.

ANIMATION OF HALF-DOVETAIL CORNERS ON A LOG BUILDING