A log home can be a wonderful primary or second home for you and your family. Before you begin your search for a quality log home builder, here are some important facts and tips to know:

• Research Your Builder/Dealer Carefully: This is the most important decision you will make in the entire process. Be sure your dealer has a long and established reputation (double-check their references), and has educated you properly about every aspect of the home.
• Handcrafted and Milled Logs: Understand the distinction between these two types of log home packages. "Handcrafted" logs are taken straight from the rough, and can be shaped into house logs relatively quickly. These types of homes usually dry naturally. "Milled" logs have been processed and then cut into specific shapes. They can also be smoothed or hand-hewn to maintain a natural look.
• Know the Construction Styles: There are three main types of log home construction styles:
  
  o Piece-on-piece: The most traditional style, simply stacking and shaping the    logs into walls.
  
  o Dovetail: Logs are carved with notches at the long ends, leaving enough    space to fill in with backer material or "chinking."
  
  o Scribe fit: Each log is rounded and etched precisely to fit the one beneath it.
• Make Sure Roof Overhang is Long Enough: Log homes, when built right, can not only endure rain and moisture, they actually thrive in wet and humid conditions. However, constant water saturation will weaken the structure, and one way to avoid this is to make sure that the roof overhang extends appropriately.

According to the Log Home Living Institute's 2001 Log Home Production & Construction Report:

• The U.S. and Canadian log home industry produced 25,177 log homes.
• Total sales volume for log home packages was $1,373,699,383.
• The average cost of a log home package was $54,562.
• There are more than 520 log home producers and more than 2,600 builder/dealers in the U.S. and Canada.
• U.S. production of log homes represents 7% of custom home construction in the U.S. Nearly 100 log homes are built each day.
• There are more than 500,000 modern log homes in the U.S. and Canada, and more than 90% are used as primary residences.