The Handcrafted Method is part of the unbroken Scandinavian tradition of log home building. It employs the same time tested methods that have been passed down from master craftsman to apprentice for hundreds of years. There have been some innovations along the way but those innovations have occurred within the context of the tradition. Only the innovations that are shown to work well over time and in a broad range of geographic and climatic conditions are passed along and become part of the state of the art. Over the years most of the innovations have had to do with procedures that insure a tighter weather seal, extend the life of the log walls or allow ease of adjustment for the natural settling of the log home as it adapts to the structural loads and relative humidity at the site. Otherwise the Log Smiths of today employ the exact same procedures as their forebearers have done for generations in the past.

First off the logs for your Evergreen Home are carefully selected and then sustainably harvested. They are certified by one of the following agencies (view agencies). We harvest our logs in the winter when the sap is down and the the logs are their driest and can be removed from the forest over snow covered frozen ground. This way no damage to the environment results from our logging operation. We also replant three times as many trees as we harvest to ensure that this bounty of Nature is preserved for all time. We do this so that our children and our children's children will be able to continue this tradition and so that you can enjoy your new log home with the knowledge and comfort that it is a gift from Nature and not a theft. FSC- Forest Stewardship Council Certification is available if you require independent documentation of the sustainability of your logs.

Our logs are primarily chosen for their straightness, size, length, tightness of grain, and health of the tree. We select only the finest Engleman Spruce, Douglas Fir, Lodge Pole Pine and Western Red Cedar. As a result of our careful selection of trees in the forest, over 90% of our timber meets the highest or premium grade standard when it is independently inspected in our log yard by the Timber Products Inspection agency (TPI). Our logs are then naturally air dried to the desired moisture content of 20% or less prior to being selected by your Log Smith when he starts to handcraft your home.

The first step in handcrafting your log home is to hand-peel each log according to the handcrafted tradition. Next the logs are selected according to where they will be used to handcraft your home. Each log is hand-scribed utilizing the Scandinavian full scribe method. In this method a V-groove is cut down the full length of each log. This V-groove serves two functions. First off it allows the log to expand and contract from one point, a Kref. This prevents many large and deep cracks from forming as your home dries and settles, which could result in energy loss in your home. The second function of the V-Groove defines the Scandinavian Full Scribe Method. Each log is scribed and then cut to fit exactly on the top of the next. This again makes for a sturdy and airtight structure so that your home will not only last a very long time, but will also provide you with maximum comfort and energy savings. This type of log home is in fact a post and beam structure with log walls. Each log covers its full span. There are no butt joints to weaken the structure or contribute to air and moisture leaks. We also use the Norwegian Saddle Notch or Lock Notch to join the walls together at each corner. This notch shrinks to fit as it dries making the home even stronger as it ages, as the notches dry and shrink to a tighter fit, locking the walls together at the corners. It is the sturdiest method of log home building and results in the finest, most energy efficient log home available today.

The Scandinavian Handcrafted Log Home naturally lends itself to many stunning architectural features such as: carved arches, log beam ceilings, vaulted and cathedral ceilings with decorative log trusses and 'character' posts, Mortise and Tenon log railings and staircases including log spiral staircases, and of course the Log Curls at the Saddle Notched Corners that give this log home its stunning classical look.

First the entire structure is completed in our log yard, with openings for your windows and doors, and the floors are flattened and grooved to accept conventional sub flooring. Next the roof log purlins and any other post & beams, railings and staircases are completed. Then the entire structure is tagged and taken apart and loaded on trucks bound for your home site.

As soon as it arrives, your local crew guided by the Log Smith from the log yard, will reassemble your home. This process usually takes between two to five days depending upon the size and complexity of your home design.

Handcrafted Home Photo Gallery

Overview of Manufactured or "Milled Log" Method