Handcrafted log homes transcend the usual and capitalize on the absolutely unique, but the issue of shrinkage is always a concern. Homeowners should be aware of this fact and be educated on how to deal with it before the home is ever ordered. Once in awhile there is a very sad story that comes across my deck, of a homeowner who is facing troubles because their home settled. It should be noted that with high building standards by both the log supplier and the contractor this can be avoided, but if not dealt with properly it can become a living nightmare for an owner. Here is the story of one such couple…
A few years ago a couple, let’s just call them the Millers, decided to move to Idaho and have a log home built. They selected a piece of property. Then they followed the recommendation of their realtor in regards to a log home builder. The couple met the builder on a few occasions and then contracted with them to build their house. The home was to be a ranch with a log roof system. The home was a total of about 2500 square feet.
The first mistake that the homeowners made was they did not tour finished homes by this builder. This builder was not only going to handcrafted the log home shell, but also finish the home for the customers. This builder had been in business for several years so the customers decided that sufficed for any further research into the company.
The second mistake the Millers made was not to research any other log home companies. They didn’t do any comparison of log style, price, craftsmanship, or anything else. They solely placed their trust in the builder. Had they researched further and spoken with more log representatives and companies they would have realized that their contract was too expensive. The log species was the cheapest available. The method of scribing was inferior. And key features for shrinkage were not properly addressed and subsequently built into the home.
As soon as the doors and windows were installed some of them stuck. They did not open freely. The homeowner confronted the builder, but he kept brushing her off. Other small problems came to light.
Then once the couple moved in the home had been under construction for almost a year. The builder was still on site finishing some closet shelving and other small details. The homeowners began noticing cracking in the drywall of the bedroom ceilings. Two exterior doors would not even open. And three window were also inoperable, one was even cracked.
After approaching the builder, writing him a letter, and making the final payment the builder still would not come back to the property and fix the issues. After several months the home owners filed suit against the builder listing the defects in the home. They also had another log home builder visit the home and review the problems. It came to light that simple screw jacks were not installed. Shrinkage channels over doors and windows were not large enough, thus the opening and closing problems. Also the builder just sketched out his own diagram for the house. No formal blueprints or engineered drawings were ever made. So this left the homeowners even more at the builder’s ‘mercy’.
If the owners had researched more, asked more questions, and visited model homes or completed homes of this builder and others, then they would have realized that this builder was not doing things properly. Most handcrafted log homes are just fine, standing for years and years, but when integral necessary parts are not used, then disaster can occur. This is a heart breaking story of a luxury log home that eventually was repaired, but still was a very hard situation for the owners. So be sure to do your research, ask questions, and listen carefully for high quality educated answers from your builder.