Log Homes Kits

In this continuing article on log cabins and log homes kits, I will attempt to cover the more general subjects of what a person should understand about any log cabin and not just log cabin home kits. If you recall in my last article we were discussing what needs to be in place to prevent air infiltration, or in other words; air leaks. I will continue on this subject today as I consider it a very important subject.

Doors and Windows
Before I get into doors and windows of log homes kits, I would like to back track a little bit and discuss the sealing process further, as it is directly related to door and windows. As I had mentioned before, one of the most effective ways to prevent water, air, and vapor leaks when constructing your log cabin home kits is with gaskets because they're efficient and easy to use. Denarco and EmSeal carry foam tapes specially manufactured for log homes and log homes kits. If you’re looking for a very good rubber gasket EPDM makes a higher quality gasket, but it is a bit more expensive than rods and foam tape.
The openings for windows and doors require quite a bit of attention. If you are installing your own windows in log homes kits, the groves the windows and doors fit into extend slightly beyond their casing. These should be filled with fiberglass which has been placed into plastic bags and then should be then placed into the grove. Do not force these into the spaces, because if the log cabin kits settles, the fiberglass bolsters can expand and fill the created space. These fiberglass cushions can also help eliminate the air movement in the corner notches as well.
After log homes kits settle, which takes about three to four years, the door and window trim around the log openings should be caulked with a high grade material. This maintenance should be kept up over time.

There are two other places in log homes kits that must be tightly sealed, and these are the ceiling plate logs and the floor sill logs. This should be done very carefully. If the log cabins kits have a vaulted ceiling, the ceiling polyethylene film vapor retarder should be caulked to the ceiling plate logs. The product that would be used for this is an acoustical sealant, this is used to correctly install the vapor, and just stapling is not adequate. Proper tape must be used in the seams where the vapor barrier sheets join the ceiling, do not use duct tape. Foam tape, ripple foam sill sealer, or rubber building gaskets should be used to seal the floor decking to the sill logs.

Scientific studies sponsored by the United States Government have concluded that the procedures described here will keep log homes kits or any other type of log home tight and energy efficient.

For more information on log cabins and log cabin home kits please follow the links on this website.