The Sawtooth handcrafted log home is a full-scribe round log home made from Caribou Creek. Full scribe is also known by Swedish Cope and Scandinavian fully scribe. Craftsmen use a scribing instrument to painstakingly transfer contours of the lower and upper logs onto the upper logs. Finally, the upper log is cut to fit snugly on the top. To keep bugs out, a layer containing gasket material is placed between the lateral joints when the logs are assembled at your log house construction site. This style is very tight and doesn’t require any chinking. Logs will settle to adjust to their final environment. This is normal and makes the log homes even tighter. These construction techniques consider settling and work with the natural wood tendencies to allow for this movement. Your log house contractor works with the builders to help them understand best practices in finishing log homes built with live building materials.

Preparation and wood selection are the first steps in building a log home. Each of the Caribou Creek custom log homes, timber frame home, dovetail home, log cabins, log cabins, post and beam homes starts in the same way. They hand-select each log for the log house structure. The next step is to debark the logs and then they are put into the kilns where they will dry completely. They have greater control over the final quality and moisture content of the logs thanks to their in-house kiln drying capabilities. The craftsmen choose logs that match the design of the log members they are making to minimize waste.

The logs are then brought to the construction yard where they are hand-peeled to remove bark and create a clean surface. You have the option to hand-hew or hand-score the timbers if your home is a timber frame or dovetail home constructed with squared timbers. This texture is very popular, as it gives the timbers an aged look and adds unique character.

There are many different log surface textures, including skip peeled and hand-peeled. Cedar Creek’s standard for all-around log projects is Hand Peeled. Each log is hand-peeled using a drawknife to achieve a traditional texture. Skip peeled logs can be hand peeled with the drawknife to leave streaks of the darker inner bark for a rustic look. This rustic look is reminiscent of old, rustic cabins. Rough Sawn is the standard for all timber projects. Timbers are rough sawn using band sawmills, leaving behind straight saw marks (this option is the most popular).

Circle Sawn timbers have curved saw marks and are rough sawn using circular blades. Hand Hewn timbers can be hand-hewn to give them a rustic finish. Axe Hewn Timbers are hand-hewn to resemble a log, with a broadaxe giving them a heavy, rustic look. An antique timber is rough-hewn and then media blasted to raise its grain. This gives it a weathered texture. For a smooth finish, smooth timbers are planed on all surfaces.