How to Build a Log House

The depth of foundation placement depends on the regional climate and the depth of soil freezing in that area.

On the downside, full foundation installation significantly increases costs due to greater earthwork volumes and higher concrete consumption. Some builders experiment with block foundations under the log structure. This is allowed by technology — a well-built log house stands securely on any base.

Log House Settlement

A key feature of wooden homes built from raw timber is settlement. While any material may shrink, this effect is most visible in log cabins made from logs or timber.

Wood exhibits significant linear expansion under temperature changes and uneven drying. Shrinkage leads to wall airtightness loss, formation of so-called cavities in walls, and eventually requires re-chinking the log structure.

Complete prevention of wood shrinkage is impossible. However, proper two-stage chinking can mitigate most negative effects. Initial chinking is done during log assembly; the second is performed after the house has settled over a season. This second chinking restores wall airtightness after the house has settled into place.

Log House Finishing

After assembly, the house can be finished with almost any modern construction material. Yet, considering wood’s natural warmth and aesthetic appeal, such finishing may not always be necessary. The main point to remember: treat logs both inside and out with a wood preservative, sand the structure, and apply a protective layer of varnish.

Do not compromise on lacquer and paint materials. Use proven impregnating and lacquering solutions, as their quality directly affects structural integrity and long-term appearance. Preservative treatment is applied once at the start of use; varnish coating can be refreshed every 5–7 years, depending on product quality and durability.

The most common interior finishing materials for log cabins are blockhouse and tongue-and-groove boards. These are popular because they maintain the natural wooden aesthetic, avoiding contrast between the home’s eco-style and modern design trends.

Roofing a Log House

Log houses typically feature traditional pitched roofs, often covered with handmade clay or bitumen shingles. Both materials suit the building’s exterior and offer solid performance.

For example, roofing must dampen rain noise and reduce heat absorption under direct sunlight. Clearly, bitumen with slate coating and ceramic tiles perform better than common, cheap metal roofing, which is noisy in rain and can heat up so much in summer (in central Russia) that you could fry an egg on it.