Log Homes Pennsylvania



Builders who build log homes in Pennsylvania are generally not fly by night contractors who perform shoddy work, never to be seen again. Many log homes are built in the style of the timber frame (half-frame) home, which is different from traditional stick frame homes. While the stick frame house uses smaller timber that is between 4" and 10", and is connected by nails, the timber frame home uses larger pieces of wood that are joined with pegged mortise and tenon joints, as well as a number of other non-nailed means. These pieces of large timber form the frame around which the rest of the house is built.



The frame can be visible from the outside and inside. Sometimes the frame is hidden on the outside and made visible only on the inside by selecting the appropriate architecture. Many will agree that the timber frame home is more beautiful than the traditional stick frame house, but it is also more expensive. That's because of the work requires the skills of specialized craftsmen who build them. The beams that frame the house serve both decorative and functional purposes. Large overhead trusses soar through the top of the house without any attic, giving a cathedral like quality. Indeed, the visual perception of the construction is not much different than many of the churches in western Europe. In fact the style is so universal that it is been used in building construction throughout most parts of the world.

Each piece of timber has it's own name, according to the specific purpose. Height is gained from the use of posts and wall studs that span the vertical dimensions of the single floor or multi-floor structure. Horizontal spans are attained through the use of sill-beams, wall-plates and noggin-pieces. Sloping pieces, such as trusses, braces, and herringbone bracing form some of the balance of construction pieces.

Pennsylvania, home to the Mormons under William Penn, must have had many log homes fashioned from timber in the 17th century. Nails were not a hot commodity, and settlers and frontiersmen of the new continent naturally had to use what ever means was available for construction. Boards as we know them today were not available at a Home Depot in Philadelphia, where many of the European newcomers settled. But trees cut down and trimmed into logs by hand with an ax, then lifted into a stacked position, pinned, and supplemented with sod to fill in the cracks, must have dotted the Pennsylvania landscape when artists depicted their countryside.