Custom Log Homes

Our Process

Built to Last, with Minimum Impact

The notion of “green building” is a hot topic in today’s construction industry. Here at Wiley Log Homes, we believe our methods to be among the “greenest” there is. However, here’s a common question we often get asked: “How can you claim your homes to be ‘green’ when you use so much wood?” With this in mind, we’d like to take the opportunity to show you just how green our homes truly are. To do so, let’s compare how one of our log homes is built versus how a standard stick 2×4-built home is put together.To start off, all the logs for our homes are locally grown and harvested. Sometimes, the materials are even sourced directly from the land upon which the home is being built.

The trees are cut down and the logs are pulled out of the woods most often by horses or sometimes by skidders. Next, the logs are loaded onto diesel trucks and driven a short distance to the build site where we offload them with a diesel machine. From there, after hand-peeling every single log, they are incorporated into building the walls of the log Wiley Log Homes: Website Edit/Re-write home.

Now, let’s follow a 2×4-built home through the construction process, from the forest to the build site. First, the forested area (which is typically a “tree farm” somewhere in the United States) is logged with what the industry calls a “feller buncher,” which is a giant, gas-powered machine that cuts and de-limbs the trees. Those logs are all skidded out of the woods and loaded onto diesel tractor trailers and head for the mill where they are sorted and debarked by machine (that runs on electricity) then fall onto a conveyor (that also runs on electricity) where they travel to the sawmill, which is either diesel (typically) or electric driven. After being rough sawn, the logs are off to the kiln where they are heated with either natural gas or electricity until they are dry. Next, they are off to the electric-powered planer which reduces them down to the nominal size of a 2×4. Once this is complete, they are stacked, bundled and loaded onto another diesel tractor trailer and covered with a one-time use plastic sheet to protect them during transportation. From the harvesting site to mill, from the mille to the nearest big box hardware store, they have traveled an untold amount of miles. When they arrive at the store, they are unloaded by propane forklifts and stacked inside the gigantic conditioned/heated building until a purchaser shows them at which time they are loaded back onto a diesel
truck and off to the job site where they are once again unloaded by a propane or diesel lift. At that point in time, the 2×4’s are on site and ready to be used to build. Another comparative point that is worthwhile mentioning is that when we use logs to construct a wall, it serves as both the finished outside wall and the finished inside wall of the home. On the other hand, the 2×4 is not the finished wall of the stick-built home. Rather, there is still plywood, house-wrap and vinyl siding to finish the outside, and fiberglass, drywall, mud and paint to finish the inside of the stick-built home. We’ve only followed the path of the 2×4, but you can imagine the journey off all of these additional materials and the non-renewable consumption along the way. The average age of the trees we use to build our log homes are between 50-80 years old. Our homes have been inspected by structural engineers and have been estimated to have a 250-300 year life expectancy. If we were to examine the lifecycle of the log homes, the trees we use to build the homes can be replaced 5 times over, whereas most stick-built homes will be torn down and in a landfill within 75 years of completion. In addition, when it comes to heating and cooling methods, log homes typically use half as much energy consumption as stick-built homes. After considering all of the above,

So which one is greener to you?

Harvesting the Logs

At Wiley Log Homes, we believe great homes start with great trees. We use local, sustainable horse loggers and local land owners to select only the best harvest trees that meet our high standards and specifications. Dealing directly with the owners and loggers means that we can cut out any middlemen. The result? We get to pass the savings on to you, our valued customer.

Hand Peeled Logs

Hand-peeled logs means loads of character, and that’s what log homes are all about. Nothing can compare to natural beauty, so why ruin what Mother Nature spent so long creating? Once you machine-peel a log, you may end up with a perfect, cylindrical pole, but it has absolutely no character. However, when you peel the bark off by hand you get to see the amazing and unique story that has taken many years for nature to write.

Our Homes Dont Settle!

Other handcrafted homes on the market are filled with screw-jacks, and you are required to spend the first 3 years re-leveling the roof and trying to close gaps as your house literally settles, or worse, falls down around you. Why don’t our log homes settle? Our homes don’t settle because we use Rebar…and lots of it! What’s Rebar, you ask? Rebar is a steel rod that is typically used to reinforce concrete. It’s the extra support that allows you to drive your car across a bridge and not have it completely collapse. We use a 1/2″ piece of rebar every two feet in every log in order to pin it to the log beneath. Would you believe that one of our average-sized log homes has over half a mile of rebar in it? As the logs shrink, the rebar keeps the logs from settling, which gives the sturdiness and longevity that your log home needs, giving you the peace of mind that you deserve.

Massive Logs

The logs we use to build our homes are big, and when we say big, we mean big. When it comes to the size of our logs, we stand out. The industry competition typically uses a 6″ kit “log” as their standard, whereas we opt for logs that are 20” or more. As a result, many kit homes piece together multiple logs in order to extend the length of a wall, but with our homes, there is not a single join in any of our walls. In addition, most kit homes have an insulation value around R-9.6. Residential Code is R-19 but our log homes, on average, have an R-Value of 27! This saves you money on energy consumption and keeps your home comfortable to enjoy.

Massive Roof Overhangs

The number one enemy to log homes is water. That’s why we protect our homes with roof overhangs that start at 5ft. As a result, the log walls don’t get wet when it rains. If they don’t get wet, they don’t rot and if they don’t rot, there’s no maintenance. On the other hand, kit log homes are built for speed and profit and they always skimp on the most important feature of the home: the roof overhang. We’ve heard countless horror stories from kit log homeowners, and they all come back to the poor design. The kits may be easy to assemble, but due to sub-par standards (such as reduced roof overhang) these kit homes are highly susceptible to rotting and other structural problems.

Hand Crafted Details

We handcraft many of the stunning elements of our homes on site, to take your log home to the next level. From making log stairs, to hand peeling railings and hand building doors, we create the details that let Mother Nature’s beauty shine in your home. Just for the Love of it…

As you can see, we love what we do!