The Effect of Location

Whether you’re building a full-time family residence or a cabin by the lake, location can have a significant impact on building and designing your custom log home or log cabin. We’ve complied a number of factors to consider when constructing your home in four major location types: mountains, prairies, desert and lakeside.
 
Mountains:
Mountain environments provide pristine views and absolute privacy; however, they come with a few challenges. Aggressive slopes can cause problems (and rising prices) for foundations; ensure you and your contractor are aware of any potential issues before the project starts. Window placement is also crucial if you are hoping to maximize passive solar gain; windows with southern exposure will provide more light and warmth than those with northern exposure. Capturing the breathtaking views of mountainous landscapes should also be considered when deciding upon window placements. Roof slope is a crucial component of building a custom log home or log cabin on a mountain side. Consider historic snow fall and ensure that both the slope and materials used in roofing are sufficient. Hobbies and enjoyed activities will also play a role in your home design; you may need an equipment room for ski-in/ski-out capabilities, or an extra garage for snowmobiles.
 
Prairies:
Due to the extreme nature of weather in most prairie locations, rancher style log homes are a popular design choice. Landscaping windbreaks such as trees and fences create ultimate protection from the elements in prairie surroundings. Pets could easily be accommodated with a separate pet entrance, or a post and beam barn.
 
Desert:
The sun is one of the most challenging factors when building a luxury log home or cabin in a desert climate. Ultra Violet rays cause colour damage, and cause extreme, quick drying. Pioneer Log Homes of BC’s pre-construction log drying will help to eliminate the settling and movement that would occur with green logs. Windows on the south side of the log home, longer roof overhangs and effective stain products can all help to combat damage caused by powerful UV rays. In addition, covered porches will create another line of defence for protection against harmful rays, as well as an excellent location for entertaining or relaxing.
 
Lakeside:
The lake is the perfect location for a custom log cabin: understandably, Western Red Cedar is the best choice for your lakeside abode. Special attention should be paid to the number of windows used on load bearing walls; consult with your engineer to ensure that you’ll get the view you love without compromising structural integrity. Lakeside is not only appealing to those of us who love the outdoors, but to insects as well; screened porches can help to mitigate the presence of critters, allowing full enjoyment of your lakeside log cabin or log home.
 
Wood species is an important factor in all climates, and in all cases Western Red Cedar is the superior choice. Regardless of where you’re building your custom log home or log cabin, doing your research is of the utmost importance.