Log House Framing Techniques

Walls

• The sill log, cut to lie flat on the foundation, lies at the base of the log wall. You fasten it with 12-inch spikes at the corners. The wall logs then go on top of the sill logs and connect each other through notches cut into each log at the corners. The logs dry out and shrink over time, creating an even tighter fit. You can increase the rustic feel of a log home by letting the ends of a random number of logs extend past the notch, or you can cut them to the same length for a more polished look.

Filling Spaces

• Logs do not naturally lie perfectly against each other, and the resulting spaces allow for air and moisture to enter the home unless you close the openings. Builders have the choice of two methods to fill the spaces between the wall logs: chinking or scribing. In scribing, an experienced craftsman fashions the logs to fit closely together. Chinking involves filling openings with a caulking material. Scribing involves more expense but creates an attractive, mortarless look. Chinking allows the framing to proceed more quickly, thereby reducing the cost.

Roof

• The main choice facing anyone framing a log home roof involves whether to use purlins or rafters. Purlins, logs placed on the roof parallel to the ridge pole, tolerate the inevitable settling of log homes better than rafters. Rafters, logs placed perpendicular to the ridge pole, don't need to be as long as purlins, which makes getting them up on the roof and in place an easier task. Purlins also require more support from posts or interior walls than rafters.

Interior Walls

• Although most log homes in the past were framed without finished interior walls, many of today's structures have wooden lumber framing attached to the logs to support finished walls. Because construction lumber does not shrink at the same rate as logs, you must take care to leave sufficient room for the logs to shrink when framing interior walls. For example, when framing a typical interior door opening, leaving a space of about 1 inch for the logs to settle should suffice in most cases.