The matters of fact differences however are as follows:

• Greater Strength
  The Handcrafted Log Home is structurally stronger than the Manufactured Log Home. This is due to the post and beam structure and the fact that the Handcrafted Log Home has no butt joints; instead the logs span their full distance. Also the log beams that form the ceiling and second floors systems tie the top of the log walls together stabilizing the entire structure. The log roofing system of log beams and purlins is again a much sturdier structure that is also tied into the wall system.
  
  The round wood of the Handcrafted Log Home is also structurally stronger than wood that has been cut into dimensional lumber, as is the case of the manufactured log home.
  
  
• Little waste
  There is less embodied energy in the Handcrafted Log Home. Only the wood that is necessary to cut the V groves, the notches and cut the logs to length is removed so there is very little waste of energy or materials in producing the Handcrafted Log Home.
  
  
• Natural Air-drying
  The logs of a Handcrafted Log Home have been naturally air dried as opposed to being dried quickly under the high heat of a kiln. The heat of the kiln causes the air entrapped in the cellular structure of the wood to expand rapidly damaging the cell wall and thus compromising the strength and insulating capacity of the wood.
  
  
• The Best Logs Make the Best Homes
  We personally select, harvest and air-dry the logs for our Handcrafted Homes, but the wood for manufactured log homes is typically bought from a broker.
  
  
• Passionate Workmanship
  The fact that it is handcrafted means it has been lovingly crafted by an artisan who is proud of his profession and dedicated to providing you with a home of the finest workmanship. Machines on the other hand are exact but they just don't care.
  
  

There are of course advantages to the Manufactured Log Home hence its place in the market. These advantages include the following facts:

• Less Expensive
  Manufactured Log Homes are less expensive to build than handcrafted homes.
  
  
• More Shapes to Choose From
  There are several different profiles available for the walls Double D, D and Square; natural logs are only found in one basic shape: round. If you need or desire a square log you would be very hard pressed to find a square tree so manufactured is the only way to go.
  
  
• Similar Benefits
  With a Manufactured Log Home you gain many of the same benefits of solid wood construction but at a lower cost.
  
  

Our Manufactured Log Homes minimize the shortcomings of the "milled log" and maximize advantages of mass production.

First off we have eliminated the problem of butt joints by completely eliminating the butt joints themselves. Each of our "milled logs" has a finger joint so that it interlaces with the next log. The result is a structure that performs like a single full length spanning log. This is such a simple solution that it is surprising to me that every milled log home manufacturer doesn't do it, but the reality is you would be very hard pressed to find another. If it were not for this one single innovation we would not be offering Manufactured Log Homes at all; a sentiment that is shared by the Japanese people. In Japan the building codes are very stringent due to the fact that they are subject to both Typhoons (Pacific Ocean based Hurricanes) and earthquakes. As a result, in Japan, you must either build a Handcrafted Log Home or your Manufactured Log Home must have finger joints so that the structure can withstand Typhoons and earthquakes.

Our Log milling process also takes advantage of a state of the art computerized milling and manufacturing facility. This allows for the maximum efficiencies of mass production and allows for the economies of scale. Our milled log yard is capable of producing 1000 homes a year; our Handcrafted Log yard can only produce around 100 homes a year. Now you know why the vast majority of log homes are run of the mill.

Because we come from the Handcrafted Log Home Tradition we employ certain standards that only a Handcrafter would think of. First we hand sand and erect your wall assemblies in our log yard prior to shipping your Log Home Package to your site. This ensures that your log wall assemblies are complete and that they fit together properly prior to your receiving them. From experience I can tell you this is a vast improvement over the normal operating procedures of a standard Manufactured Log Home operation.

The other thing we do differently, which I am sure makes any purest cringe, is we have developed a hybrid. We manufacture a milled log home and then add Handcrafted features to it. We do this to enhance the aesthetics and to improve the overall integrity of the structure. By adding log beams and purlins (along with the finger joints) we strengthen the structure, eliminating the inherent weaknesses of the milled product. The result is a superior performing structure that has Handcrafted features where they are appreciated the most. This represents the best value in Manufactured Log Homes today.