Jesse Ware handcrafted the first REAL™ log home in Hartland, Vermont, in 1963.  The model log home that he constructed became a local landmark and in 45 years REAL LOG HOMES® has been the leading pre-cut log home brand in North America.   Today, strategically located facilities allow manufacturing close to the supply point using the very latest technology.

Your Real Log Home®

The highly tooled facilities insure that each log in your home is milled to exacting standards that can not be approached by an on site crew using a chain saw.   It allows us to manufacture logs in many sizes & profiles as shown below.   You can feel secure knowing that even years later we can go back to make matching additions or supply repair logs.   Your logs will fit tightly, your windows and doors will not bind, and you will not have to chink your home when it is built.

The log sealing system is designed to allow settling as the house dries and helps keep you warm on those cold winter nights.   We know that logs keep shrinking as they dry, and that's why we have a system designed to accommodate this.   Our tongue is a full  3/4 " high and 2" wide for the fullest engagement in the industry.   The Norton log home foam™ seal is so resilient that even after years of compression it springs back in minutes so you know the seal in your wall stays intact as the logs slowly adjust to the ambient conditions.   And the PVC Lockspline™ fasteners, between log butt ends and in the corners, each provide 13 distinct seal points to prevent air infiltration.

You can see this system at our model, at a log raising, or even put the components together at one of our hands on seminars.

Real Log Homes® Products

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Your Real Log Structural Package

Well you have seen the floor plans, bought the land, arranged for financing, and now you are ready to go.   The choice of the Log Home Structural Package is the most important one you will make.   When you compare packages don't let the others fool you with their claims.  

Here are some questions to ask:

• Are all wall logs cut to the final length, are the log ends notched for butt joint seals, are the corners tenon cut and mortise notched for a tight fit, do they have a 3/4" high tongue and matching groove for full engagement ?

• Do they supply solid gable logs and are the gable angles pre-cut at the factory ?

• Are the window and door openings cut at the factory and do they supply frame stock assemblies to insure the proper fit and seal with the wall opening ?

• Do they provide log floor joists and girders, are there tenons cut on the joist ends to fit the girders, are the girders notched to accept the tenons ?

• Are the roof rafters cut to length, are the roof rafters cut flat on one side to accept the roof decking, are the rafters notched to fit over the ridge beam, are the rafter bottom ends notched to fit on the wall log top course, are the notches in the base of the rafters slotted for the snow blocks ?

• Are the porch rafter ends notched to fit on the porch plates, are the porch plates cut to length ?

• Are the logs Timbor® treated for insects and deterioration ?

• Do they provide OlyLog™ fasteners to pull the logs together & galvanized spiral spikes to hold the rafters and girders down ?

• Do they furnish a resilient Norton Log Home Foam™ V790 gasket that will expand to maintain the seal between logs. (get a sample and test it for 1 week to see if it matches the Norton product we use)  ? This seal is what keeps out the elements and when the logs move and you will have a problem with any gasket that takes a set.

• Do they have PVC Lockspline™ to provide a resilient 13 point seal between log butt joints, in the log corners, and where the window and door frame stock are connected to the walls ? 

• Do they provide foam blocks to seal the ends of the tongue ?

• Do they supply adjusting jacks to compensate for settling ?

• Do they offer log rafters, log floor joists, log posts, and log porch posts ?

• Are log components standard and square timbers a lower priced option ?

• Do they offer a choice of Eastern White Pine, Western Red Cedar, or Western Whitewoods ?

• Do they provide an over 250 page fully illustrated instruction manual to guide you and your builder through the building process ?

• Do they provide a complete set of 1/4 scale major drawings of your home and a separate pack of 8 1/2 x 11 details to show specific points that may apply to your home ?   

If your answer is yes to every one of these questions you will have a Real Log Homes® kit.

The Complete Package Myth

The log home structural package comprises about half the material used in your home.   As can be seen above, a great deal of attention needs to be paid to its design and manufacture.   Also, the scheduling of material to the jobsite can be important as well.   The log structural package is not needed on the construction site until after the foundation is poured, the sub floor is installed, any decks that are connected to the sub floor complete and the foundation is backfilled.   In fact, until then, the log package is just in the way and can not be located as close to the deck as possible.

So if you get a "complete package" you now have a lot of stuff in your way that needs to be dealt with: sorted, counted, moved, stored etc. on the site.   These other materials such as framing, internal doors, drywall, shingles, cabinets, flooring, dimensional lumber, etc. are available locally, can be supported locally, do not have to be shipped cross country at your expense, and do not need to be paid for until used.   So why pay for all the material up front, have it exposed to the elements and possible pilferage, and sacrifice your ability to shop for the best bargains just so you can say its all there.   Or in the case where the company offers staged deliveries you need to be prepared to be unloading maybe 2 extra semi trailer loads in the midst of the building cycle.

Real Log Homes® believes they should concentrate their talents on furnishing structural log packages, where they have the most expertise, and let you the buyer get the other materials when you need them, at the best price, and only pay for them as you need them.   A couple of my clients were able to save over 10% on their other materials and get 0% financing for 6 - 12 months.

Want to see more ?

Before you come to our model for an appointment or open house, you may want to view the hundreds of floor plans and photos on the Real Log Homes® Website.   Rather than try to duplicate that material here we invite you to go to that site.   Anything you see there can be built as is, or customized to meet your specific needs by Pine River Log Homes.