Within every industry and with every product, there are certain myths that arise over time. Largely, these myths arise not from any bad intentions, but simply from not taking enough interest in the topic. And it’s quite normal, as not everyone is interested in owning glulam log homes. However, in some cases, these prevalent myths can discourage people from every taking interest in owning a log house. To mitigate this, we at Eurodita have decided to compile a short list of the most common myths about log cabins and address them by dispelling and shedding more light on the topic.
Bespoke log cabins are only for weekends
This couldn’t be further from the truth. All timber structures can be used as permanent living spaces. This is especially true for glulam log cabins and glulam log houses, as the material design used to construct them strengthens the building immensely. With good interior planning, quality doors and windows, timber structures can be turned into perfect permanent residences.
Log cabins are a fire hazard
This myth is very common, and very understandable. Wood, after all, is associated with fireplaces and bonfires. However, contemporary log cabins are treated with a lot of fire resistant materials that reduce this issue to almost nothing. If in the most dire case (and we don’t wish this upon anyone) someone sets fire to your house, it won’t matter whether it’s made from wood or bricks.
A log house will not last for long
This cannot be further from the truth. Especially with the advent of modern technologies and advanced in material design. Glue laminated house could end up serving you for 100-200 years. And besides that, even now in places like Norway and Sweden, log houses of 600 years old are still in use. With proper care and a bit of dedication, your glue laminated log cabin can end up outliving any modern brick building. Not to mention the historic timber buildings from more than 1000 ago, still being found in the Nordic and Scandinavian countries. Granted, they are found in parts, yet the very fact that timber can still be recognised to have belonged to a housing structure says a lot.
There are a lot of disadvantages in building with timber
This particular myth can be applied to any building material. There are advantages and disadvantages to building with everything, and whether the disadvantages can be mitigated depends on many factors. But let’s take the most common issues that arise while building with timber and take a better look at them.
Most common disadvantage of timber as a building material stems from the fact that it’s natural in origin. The most important thing is the homogeneity of the timber, which is achieved based on the health and strength of the tree it’s made from. The less homogenous the timber is, the more issues like moulding, splitting, unwanted moving occurs. Usually, this is mitigated by drying and processing timber before construction can begin. In glulam log houses case, this issue is further mitigated by the process of laminating with glue. That way, the logs are made homogenous by trimming them down to desired level and applied glue. Once the planks are attached together, they become a strong piece if timber that is homogenous in its entirety.
The glue lamination process also mitigates another commonly touted disadvantage: rot and pests. It’s true that poorly dried and processed timber is susceptible to these issues. However, the modern approach to glue lamination mitigates this issue with extra drying and homogenising of the planks. There will be significantly fewer cracks for beetles and other pests to set in, and the drying process reduces the risk of moulding.
Final thoughts
While these myths might have been born out of genuine troubles people faced while building log cabins, each one of these myths can be addressed with proper research. We encourage all of our partners to educate their clients more about log cabins and the joy they can bring.