Types of Log Homes we Build: Which One is Best for You? - October 19th 2021

Nicola LogWorks is a Custom Log Home Builder in the Nicola Valley. We build for customers all over the planet and our residential services include dovetail log construction, post and beam log work, piece-en-piece structures, timber-frame, spiral stairs (a specialty),details and custom structures, and scribed log homes as well.

There are a few considerations your log or timber home plans should involve from the beginning: budget, size and quality, siting of the building on the land, and how you plan to live in your home. Keeping those considerations in mind, we want to help you familiarize yourself with each, so you can make the best decision for you and your family. For more details about each of our residential services as well as project examples, visit Residential Log and Timber Products.

Dove-Tail Log Work

Dovetail log work evokes a vintage appeal, but also adapts well to more formal and contemporary designs, accommodating complex floor plans more readily than scribed log work.

Post and Beam

There are essentially no limits to the design possibilities of post and beam construction, which allows for design versatility in both in layout as well as to a variety of wood surface treatments. So the question is, what suits you best? Rustic? Contemporary? Modern? Traditional? Piece-en-piece? Dimensional? Natural? Post and beam construction is adaptable to a wide range of budgets, can feature very simple or complex joinery, and adapts well as a hybrid when incorporating several rounds of scribe-fit or chinked dovetail logwork at the base of the structure.

Piece-en-Piece Log Construction

A piece-en-piece log structure is basically a load bearing post and beam frame using horizontal log in-fill panels for the walls. When hand-crafted, piece-en-piece is the most expensive option as it is so labour intensive, but now that we are implementing our robot assisted log building techniques we are not only able to produce our piece-en-piece buildings at lower production costs than all of our other log construction styles, but we are achieving tolerances and fits that we could only dream of before using this technology.

Timber Frame

At Nicola LogWorks we cut both simple and complex work, both by hand and on the CNC machine. Joinery options range from complex wood to wood mortise and tenon joints or more simple connections that can involve hidden bolting hardware. We specialize in generating shop drawings and providing timber and roof packages for hybrid structures and timber work for other contractors and architects.

Hand-Crafted Log Homes – Scribed

Handcrafted scribed log work experienced a revival in the 80s and 90s and is a far cry from the humble log cabin of yester-year. Today’s log homes fill the pages of glossy magazines and express the epitome of the “American Dream.”

We strive to deliver a log package that anticipates and facilitates both your preparation for the logs and where other construction materials will interface with the log work once it has been erected on your foundation.

Now how to decide which style suits your needs the best? Most of us can't have everything we want and so must define our priorities. For example, if size is your priority – but your budget is modest – you may have to compromise quality. If quality is your primary concern and you are working with a modest budget – you will likely have to size down – and so on.

Here at Nicola LogWorks, we feel that your perfect log home is the one that you can afford. Our hand-crafted log homes are typically custom designed to suit the client's tastes and the land on which it will be situated. Once we have a good idea of the level of design assistance our customers want, we will recommend log home designers or architects to help them bring their conceptual plans to completion.

Whichever style of log construction you choose, check in with your local building inspector regarding permit requirements in your jurisdiction prior to commencing construction or entering into working agreements with your log builder and general contractor.

Contact Us today to talk about your plans and ask us about our Design and Planning Questionnaire.