The logs used in our homes will have some settling. We have done two things to minimize this.
The first is because all of our logs are harvested “dead-standing” in our logging and mill’s high desert forest regions. Nevertheless, there will be some settling as the logs are compressed by the weight of the total building, as the wood is seasonally heated and cooled.
We mitigate this through decades of experience teaching us how to engineer the structure to work with nature, rather than fight it.
Every buyer must first understand that all log homes will eventually shrink.
It is important to note that this shrinkage is only measurable across the wood grain and not along its length. A living tree has a high moisture content, and after being cut it immediately starts releasing this moisture into the dryer ambient air, causing shrinkage. It takes about 9-12 months for a log to lose its excess water and become stabilized (become seasoned). U.S. Log & Timber uses seasoned logs for its heavy timber log homes.
U.S. Log & Timber takes all of the guess work out of shrinkage. The stacked log walls are typically load bearing walls supporting the upper floor and roof system. As the log walls shrink, the upper floor and roof will settle downwards naturally by themselves. We provide the blueprints and technical details to accommodate each unique settling situation of the structure.