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Modern Log Homes Embrace 21st Century Convenience and Style

Log cabins started out as basic shelter, built from the most plentiful building material around — trees. Though we think of them as being uniquely American, they originated in Scandinavia and Russia — underneath the stucco, for example, the Kremlin is a log building.

Regardless of their roots, the appeal of log cabins — or more appropriately “log homes” — has endured for centuries. Their continuing popularity stems from the warmth and security of living in a house made of solid wood. They have even gone mainstream with more than 50 manufacturers of log homes belonging to the National Association of Home Builders under the banner “Log Homes Council.” This organization sets standards for log construction and provides advice to consumers at www.loghomes.org.

At least three log home consumer magazines appear on newsstands, covering everything from buying and building to landscaping and decor. Scores of books have been written on the subject that can be found at an online bookstore run by Log Home Living.

“In addition to online resources,” Tony Gacek, Executive Director of the Building Systems Council, points out, “members participate in regional home shows, consumer seminars and host open houses and factory tours for anyone who is considering a log home.”

From Log Home to Log Cabin

Modern log homes originated 80 years ago, when Bruce Ward, a Houlton, Maine, telegraph pole dealer, built a log cabin kit for himself from surplus cedar poles. Friends and neighbors started asking him for cabin kits too. The advent of cheaper cars and better roads during the 1920s made it possible for ordinary Americans to own a cabin in the woods. Ward’s business took off. The company he founded, Ward Cedar Log Homes, still manufactures log homes and cabins in the same northern Maine town.

“Surprisingly more than 95 percent of all log homes are year ‘round homes,” says Horn, who is an executive with Northeastern Log Homes, in Kenduskeag, Maine. He adds, “Dirt floors and meager windows made of oiled hides have been replaced with today’s necessities — home offices, media rooms, spas, even Wi-Fi for internet access.”

Designed by professionals, log homes now include brand name double-paned, low-e windows and patio doors, fiberglass roofing shingles, contemporary kitchens, baths, lighting and energy-efficient heating systems. Most log homes are built by general contractors who take care of everything from building permits to handing the homeowner the key to the front door.

Economic Impact

Log Home companies are part of Maine’s forest products manufacturing industry that includes lumber companies and suppliers and component manufacturers. Forest products manufacturing contributes $5.6 billion to the economy and 40.5% of manufacturing sales in the state, says the Northeast State Foresters Association.

With 30,000 workers and a $1 billion payroll, this is Maine’s largest manufacturing sector.

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