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Ontario has some of the best waterfront locations for setting up log and timber homes. Reputable companies here help build a dream wood or log cottage anywhere in Ontario. Beautiful areas that make this dream possible include Lake of the Woods, Muskoka, and Thunder Bay.

No Restriction on Nature of Design

Designs of log homes in Ontario are not restricted, with the customer and the design professional’s creativity being the limit. The customer decides the ultimate design decision, keeping in mind a general framework. For example, sloping roofs on forest log homes ensure that rain and snow can roll off easily. How these cottages can serve the customer will require ideas from both the above parties.

Customers can expect log homes to be costlier than regular homes, but for a reason. They provide more muscular walls in comparison to traditional houses. A regular home has a bit more than insulation, a thin drywall layer, and supporting beams. Shingles on the outside protect regular homes from the environment. In contrast, log homes get walls made from sturdy, dense, and excellent logs. These walls are capable of giving log homes immense strength. Due to flooding, even log homes removed from their foundations have been found intact. 

Lost the Roof? No Problem

High winds from hurricanes or tornadoes can cause a roof to be dismantled. However, well-built log homes are can stand on their own, even without roofs. This is made possible due to the exceptionally solid walls and heavy logs used in their construction, as mentioned above. Even if doors, roofs, and windows are lost, there is little danger of the superstructure collapsing. Additional reinforcements are available as hurricane straps, which can secure the roof to the walls. 

Log Homes Can Handle Earthquakes

Log homes are far better than traditional homes at withstanding earthquakes, with the same reasons benefiting them here as in cases of wind and water. Because each wall can support its weight and that of the roof, the home will remain safe in an earthquake. However, the same walls may not hold ground in highly violent earthquakes. Log homes close to the epi-center of earthquakes measuring under 6 on the Richter scale have received minimal damages in the past.

Resistant to Fires

Hurricanes are fully capable of igniting fires in forests and other open areas. Fires may either be caused due to high winds crossing electric systems or wildfires, often resulting from lightning strikes. Irrespective of the source, log homes can handle fires better than their traditional counterparts. As the logs are massive, too dense, and heavy, they cannot be heated enough as fuel to support house fires.

Staying Warm in Winters

Logs are highly effective as a method of home insulation. They have their insulating element that saves energy. It works because timbers absorb warm air during the daytime and release it when the night cools. Rock walls do the same thing when retaining and releasing heat. Logs have all the properties that make them ideal for making beautiful properties in exotic locations across the world, especially in Canada. 

Tips to Limit the Cost of a Log Home

1. Customers can expect log homes to be roughly 20-30% costlier than regular homes. Here are some of the key methods to keep the cost within budget
2. Ensure that the roof structure is simple and meets the requirements of the location
3. Instead of the entire home, only a portion should be made using logs. Front porches and great rooms are ideal for log use. You can make the remaining home in a traditional style.
4. Keep the log structure on the outside as rectangular as feasible. Extra corners add to the project’s expenses, as it does with any construction. This is particularly true in the case of log homes. Homes that are simple rectangle, “T,” or “L” shaped perform well.
5. Plumbing features should be installed on the internal walls. It is extremely difficult and not advisable to create space for plumbing lines within a timber structure. Water lines can readily freeze if they are not properly insulated.
6. Install kitchen cabinets on a level inside wall or create a wall in front of the kitchen’s log wall.
7. Cabinets can be put on a log wall, but it is a time-consuming and expensive process.
8. Traditional frame should be used for the most, if not all, of the interior walls. This enables for the installation of drywall, which breaks up the wood and brightens the space.
9. As few electrical fittings as possible should be installed in the log construction. Installing plug boxes in the floor rather than the log structure’s wall is a straightforward way to accomplish this.

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Conclusion

Log homes have more advantages than disadvantages, especially in adverse climate conditions. They also allow individuals to stay in secluded areas like forests and indulge in relaxation.