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Our Products
Log Homes disappeared from the radar for many years. In the late 60's and early 70's a major resurgence of interest in log home living began. From then until today the industry has grown to over 300 companies. In most cases it seems simple enough:
Select a tree, cut it down, remove the bark, profile it into a house log where it will be stacked with 10-15 other logs (depending on the stack height) to make your exterior walls. The problem is that when these logs are cut off the stump they are 1/3 water (sap). When these logs begin to dry out, there is one thing that you can bank on, they will shrink in diameter. This single, simple fact is the root cause of most of the maintenance issues associated with owning a log home.(Settling, twisting, warping, checking) Over the last 30 years there have been many approaches to dealing with this issue. Air drying, kiln drying, using dead standing timber, slotting, screw jacks, thru- bolting, spring loading have all been created for one purpose; to try and minimize the effects of log shrinkage. The trick is, how much will it shrink? The truth is, no one but God knows for absolute certainty. How can you design a system to deal with shrinkage in a log if you cannot know exactly how much the log is going to shrink?
At Deep Creek Log Homes we take a completely different approach. We feel it is better to create a log that doesn't shrink then to try and create a system that allows a log to shrink. With our Structure Logs® your log home dream can become a reality without any maintenance nightmares.
Structure Logs®, is the term we give to the Deep Creek Log Homes "family of logs" that are all made from the inside-out. Take a trip to Europe and look at some of the most beautiful wooden structures ever built and you will notice something. While in many cases these structures are 70 years old and older, the wooden beams that span the superstructure have not shrunk, have very few checks or cracks and look beautiful even after all these years. If you look closer you will see why. They are actually made of small pieces of wood that are 3/4" to 2" thick that were dried individually and laminated together as one. Unlike other "certified" logs, the testing required to produce a laminated wood beam is much more stringent. While kiln drying a whole log is a step in the right direction, no kiln is going to thoroughly dry a 6"-8" piece of wood all the way to the core. No matter what anyone tells you, it's just not possible. However when you dry timbers that have been cut down to these small dimensions you can get moisture contents down to levels that are actually drier than a conventionally built home! Then, by creating a laminated beam, you have a stable, straight piece of wood that can be profiled into a log that will allow your log home to be consistent, straight and true and twice the strength of a conventional log.
Custom Profiles
The profile of a log describes the shape the log will be planed into. At Deep Creek Log Homes we feel that you deserve as many options as you would have in a conventional log and we do everything we can to make that happen. Here is a sampling of what we offer you as it relates to your profile selection:
**Roll over the samples of wood below to view more information about each.
12" by 10" round on round
This log creates the same beauty and feel found in a lodge or large resort, but provides the benefits of engineered wood.
8" by 8" round on round
For a slightly less rounded look than the 12" x 10" log, the 8" x 8" round on round profile gives your home a sleek look.
6" by 8" D log
This is our most popular profile. With the traditional D log, your interior walls are flat and you stil gain the benefits of engineered wood.
6" by 9" flat on flat
The old "Appalachian" style profile creates a rustic look in your home.
8" by 8" Double Shiplap
This engineered log is a unique combination of a double exterior shiplap and a round interior.
8" by 8" Handcrafted D
This log is similar to our 6"x8" D log, but with a much larger radius on the round exterior with a rustic hand peeled finish.
6" by 8" Single Shiplap
This log brings back the old clap board farm house with the benefits of an engineered log.
8" by 12" Thermal Log D
This log is for those who want the big log look with the benefits of both engineered wood and enhanced insulation value.
8" by 12" Thermal Log Flat on Flat
This log provides the same thermal log benefits, but has the "Appalachian" style finish.
        
Species of Wood
OK. Wood is wood, right? Well, that depends on what you are wanting out of your finished product. Ask a framing contractor if he would rather build a home out of northern whitewoods (engleman spruce, lodgepole pine, northern white pine) or yellow pine. The northern whitewoods grow in brutal climates in the northern US states and into Canada where the growing season is short. This makes for a much more dense wood and that is the key.
At Deep Creek Log Homes all we use are northern whitewoods. Again, speaking from hands-on experience, it makes a huge difference. When you combine the quality of the wood, the stringent requirements of the laminating process, and our unwavering commitment to quality, the finished product you will have is exceptional!
We also have access to some of the finest select western red cedar and northern white cedar and can combine these premium species upon request. You could even put the cedar on just one side! |
