Log cabins are a symbol of humble origins and have come to represent hard work and patriotism in America.

Seven different presidents were either born in, or lived in a log cabin, including Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, James Buchanan and Adlai Stevenson. The symbol of a log cabin was also used in William Henry Harrison’s campaign, to show he was a man of the people.

Today, the log cabin is a symbol of the American frontier, but believe it or not, the first log cabins were actually built in Scandanavia and Eastern Europe! Given that they can be made during any weather, and don’t require any chemical reaction (such as hardening of mortar), they were the perfect home for the area.

The first log homes in the United Stated were actually made by Swedish settlers in the colony of New Sweden. From there, they were adopted and spread and became the symbol of the American frontier we know today.

Make sure you inspect the outside of your cabin regularly – rotting wood is an all-time favorite for lots of insects to either nest in or to eat.

Bugs love crevices and cracks in your logs. Use a flexible sealant to block all possible entries including roofs, joints and individual logs, to stop them from moving in.

Sand, paint, or varnish your logs. This makes it less attractive for insects to eat or live in.

It’s probably not a good idea to use ground feed near your cabin to feed local wildlife as it will also invite some that you don’t want to stay around!

Many people worry about how easily their log homes might burn down in the event of a forest fire, or some other disaster. Believe it or not though, a properly built log home is actually less likely to catch fire than your average suburban home!
This is because of the size of the logs used to build your home. Think of it like building a campfire. Holding a match to a tree trunk won’t get you far! Normally, you’d use twigs and smaller branches to get a fire going. So it is with your home.
In a typical home built with 2×4’s and stud walls, fire has more fuel and more gaps to burn through. It’s often actually much harder for a log home to be damaged in that way than you might think! The size of the logs used and the way they’re stacked doesn’t give much fuel for the fire to catch on to.

Here are some photos from a recently completed log cabin home on Oseetah Lake, NY!

• Do not plant shrubs near your log walls. This helps minimize the chance of water splashing off the leaves and onto your log wall.
• Stack firewood well away from the house.  Stacking firewood near your home can attract wood boring insects like termites.
• Install gutters on your log home.  This can help prevent splash back from hitting your lower logs and causing water damage.  This is especially important if you have short overhangs.
• Spray borate on logs periodically (as per manufacturers instructions).  Borate is a safe and effective wood preservative, you can find out more at the National Pesticide Information Center.
• If you don’t install gutters, avoid deck splash back by building a splash guard, or grate, or bench that blocks water from splashing off the deck and hitting your log wall.
• Place covers over any exposed log ends, specifically purlins, ridge pole, rafter Splash back from roof run-off can cause rot on your log walls. Installing gutters eliminates rainwater run-off ends.  If you have any log ends that get wet every time it rains, then you’re asking for trouble — so put a ‘hat’ on those unprotected log ends.
• If water tends to collect near your home install drains to draw it away.  This will help reduce the moisture level right near your home.
• Extend your gutter drains so water is deposited about 10′ away from your home.  Again, this helps reduce moisture levels near your home.
• Clean off pollen, dust and dirt that accumulates on the exterior of your log walls.  Over time such things can form a thin film on the logs, which can contribute to mildew and mold growth.

A common question we receive from potential customers here at Cedar Knoll involves the differences between buying a modular versus a log home.

I tend to say that a modular house is a short-term solution to a long-term issue. I often say that nobody has ever come here and told us that all their life they wanted to buy a modular. What they do say is that they’ve wanted a log home their entire life.

Lately I discuss the value of a log home as an investment. It strikes me that 99% of what can be purchased decreases in value the minute you buy it. For example: cars, computers, clothing, toys, and yes, modular houses.

On the other hand, log homes increase in value. They not only increase in value, but you get to enjoy a great home while its value increases. Let us go through the numbers with you. Our staff will help design your dream within your budget.