Log Home Packages and Prices: Log profiles and corner styles

One of the decisions you are going to have to make will be which log style to go with. Most of the log home companies that offer a milled log usually offer more than one log profile. The three basics are square, "D" log and double round. Square logs are just that. They are flat on all sides and easy to work with. "D" logs are flat on the inside and round on the outside. A "D" log is perfect for the people that want full log but don't want the round look look on the interior. Double round logs are round on both the interior and exterior. Each log home company mills their logs different so some "D" and double round logs may or may not have a flat spot on the top and bottom sides of the log. Some will offer their round profile logs with a peeled option. The peeling gives the log a more rustic look and may be done either by hand or machine depending on which log home company you are working with. Coped logs such as Swedish cope is another log option that would be considered as a double round log. Another feature that you may notice with full logs will be a tongue and groove joining system. Again, this varies from log home company to log home company. A tongue and groove system on the logs is one more barrier between the exterior elements and the interior of the log home. As the logs are stacked, the log home builder will run a bead or two of caulk and foam weather strip between each course of log. One draw back is the tongue and grooves will be visible on the ends of the logs. For the logs that don't have the tongue and groove the builder usually will route a groove on the top of the logs in the field and fill it with foam weather strip and add caulk on either side of that groove. There are several different types of corners available for milled log homes. Saddle notch, Swedish cope, butt and pass, dovetail and vertical log corners are some of the more popular options. The photos below illustrate the different log corners. All of these corner options are excellent choices but all may not be offered from one log home company. Also, one may be more popular than others in a region. In the upper midwest, very few log homes are built using Dovetail corners as an example. Log profiles and corner options are only two of the many differences between log home companies and their differences in log home packages and related pricing.

Photo of a Butt and Pass Log Corner