Over the past few years, the log and timber home industry has taken a new turn. Today the industry sees more and more homes combining log elements with timber frame components and conventional framing.
Employing a combination of materials and building styles is referred to as “hybrid” and is often done to achieve a particular design look. Many clients enjoy the flexibility in design that a hybrid log home allows. Below are a few examples illustrating how a combination of different materials can come together to create a truly amazing home:
- Crested Butte – A hybrid log home design of large stone, milled log walls, and customized timber frame trusses.
- Eagle’s Nest – A custom log & timber design featuring square milled log walls with dovetail corners and custom timber frame trusses.
- Upland Retreat – A handcrafted log & timber home with handcrafted wall logs and timber frame trusses, posts & roof.
Many designers will use timber and log elements in combination with conventional framing. Of course, the log & timber home purist prefers a more authentic log and timber style construction. But, decorative log and timber elements added to conventional framing can achieve a mountain flavor and sometimes save costs. This hybrid method is seen regularly in multi-unit condominiums and resort townhouses. Framing side wings in combination with a timber frame or log great room makes sense and can save in construction costs.
Log home construction, however, can be very difficult to combine with other types of construction if the log home company doesn’t utilize a non-settling system. If your goal is to decrease the cost to build your log home by mixing logs with framing or post & beam construction, remember to check out the company’s non-settling system.
With any home design, the creativity of the designer will dictate the materials to be used. Find a company that is flexible in their manufacturing so as to accommodate the creativity of your design. Providing your designer with a broad palette of materials including handcrafted log, milled log, timber, framing, glass, stone, steel and other materials creates more opportunity for a unique and creative custom home. The design must come first and the materials must then be able to accommodate.
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Timber Frame Homes: Our clients can choose from a variety of timber frame home styles. Whether building full timber frame structures, hybrid log and timber frame homes or just incorporating decorative timber frame elements, timber frame houses are growing in popularity.
Mountain Accent Log & Timber Frame Homes: Get the look and feel of traditional log homes and timber frame homes without the necessity of building a full log or timber structure.
Handcrafted Log Homes: Nothing compares to the beauty and artistry of a handcrafted log home. Our handcrafted log homes are typically designed with full hand hewed log walls, ridges, trusses & purlins. Each log is individually selected, hand cut and intricately placed.
Milled Log Homes: Our choice of milled log home profiles and diverse selection of smooth and hand hewn surfaces provides creative freedom during the design of your unique log home.
Post and Beam Homes: Exposed cross beams. Rustic, handcrafted log posts. Stately yet elegant timber frame. For hundreds of years, post and beam construction has been used to create one-of-a-kind homes. Still today, many prefer the unique look and feel of a post and beam home. Over the past 20 years, PrecisionCraft and Mountain Architects have designed and built an eclectic mix of post and beam homes across the United States.
