How to build a log house
2.6.2017 by Sanna Huovinen
Building a house is an exhilarating experience. When you see your home rise up to its rooftop height you really feel like you are building a nest for yourself – the kind of place that truly feels like home, where your dreams come true. You already fall in love with your house at the construction stage.
Building a house is a terrific but demanding and long process in which an experienced partner can be extremely useful and helpful. When the requirements imposed on construction are already taken into account in the planning phase, there will be no surprises down the line. Everything hinges on open co-operation.
From building to contracting
It is more and more common these days that people do not build their own houses, but the process is more akin to contracting. People do not do much work on-site themselves but let professionals handle the actual building side of things. However, the responsibility for the house project remains with the owner, which is a good thing to keep in mind. Many people in the process of building their log home have no previous experience in house building, so they are not familiar with all the required permits and other pertinent matters.
All of these will become clear step by step as the process progresses, so this is not a problem. Your log house manufacturer is an expert in building-related matters who you can turn to whenever you have something on your mind. This is why you should choose responsible and renowned partners who truly know their trade for your building project. For example, Honka’s building partners are trained specifically for building Honka log houses. They know all the best practices and neatest tricks.
Complete delivery
It is an exciting moment to see a large load of logs and building materials arrive on the site. It makes the project real in an entirely new way. When the logs are delivered, you will also receive windows, doors and other crucial elements of the house according to how comprehensive the agreed upon delivery is. The period of delivery is only about 8 weeks from the day the order is placed, despite the fact that each house is custom made.
Read more about the journey from wood to a house.
The many steps prior to delivery
Before bringing the logs to the site, one must lay the foundations for the house.
The earthworks take their own time. If there is need for rock excavation, time must also be reserved for transporting the rock waste away from the site. Of course, some of the rock can be used for landscaping. Genuine, large boulders look terrific in the yard next to a natural log house.
After levelling the base and diligent ramming of the soil, it is time to lay the foundations. Ask your builders to recommend good partners for these tasks.
Find ideas and inspiration by reading how other people have realised their dream house. View Case Studies
Quickly rising log frame
Once the earthworks have been completed and the foundations have been laid, the log house can be erected very quickly.
The numbered and cut-to-specs logs easily find their rightful place and erecting the house goes quickly – quicker than with many other building methods. Getting a log house weather-proof usually only takes a couple of weeks, no longer than that.
Hoisting the roof structures onto the ridge of the house is one of the most important milestones. It is then that you will see what the building will look like and how it is dimensioned in relation to its immediate surroundings. Then all you need is roofing and the interior spaces are safe from rain.
Traditionally, when a community got together to build a house, this moment was celebrated. It meant the hardest work was done and the builders could move inside, away from the elements. Indeed, these are good causes for celebration!
From the outdoors to interior work
After the installation of doors and windows, the house can be heated, which enables pouring the floor even in cold weather, after which other interior work can begin. As the floor is poured, it covers up possible heating pipes and other such structures. Different building services equipment is installed and electrical wires are showing here and there.
When partition walls are installed on top of the poured floor, you get a significantly clearer picture of the interior spaces and the sizes of the different rooms. You can move from one space to another and think about how the kitchen is going to be here and a bedroom here… And you can already take in the homely scent of the logs.
The selected surface solutions finish the interior spaces – the carefully chosen tiles and wallpapers go up on the walls and the logs are also given the desired tone or glaze. The floor also gets its surface. When the fixtures are installed in the kitchens and bathrooms, and the rooms receive their cabinets, the process is almost complete and everything is in place.
Inspections for your benefit
Before the house can be inhabited, the inspectors take their turn to go through everything about it. Different countries have different building codes and regulations that must be met before people can move in. For more information on these, contact your local Honka representative. The inspections are conducted by experts for your benefit to ensure that the house is built correctly and it is right for you and your family.
Moving in – the most anticipated and exhilarating phase
The house is complete, only the move remains. This day has been eagerly anticipated as the enthusiasm has only grown as the house project neared its completion.
Plans for decoration have been made many times over but only now is it possible to actually realise them and see what they really look like.
It is time to enjoy your own unique log home that allows you to breathe and be at ease. Now it is time to invite your friends over to celebrate your new home!