"Log cabins and log homes are my passion. I build using live edge logs, traditional log notches, and architecture, with modern comforts and energy efficiently in mind. I was taught to build American style log cabins by a group of men who carried on the craft through the 20th century when it was in danger of being lost. I am a part of a linage of men and women who loved the beauty of log cabins and the appreciation of mixing history into out modern world. We build homes that fill you with the warm feeling of being connected with our history and nature. This style log home make great primary homes in the woods, hunting lodges, or lake homes. As a log home builder nothing brings me more joy than using a mix of chain saws and hand tools to cut large dovetails, that ends with a building that will last through the next two centuries." Owner - Dan Aruta
Live edge logs compared to square logs: The live edge logs are just so much more dynamic looking. While square logs or manufactured d-shaped logs are simplified so that you can get any low skilled worker, pay them a low wage to come in and work with them (or worse a machine), live edge logs require thought, skill, and knowledge. In addition to the live edge logs looking so much better, this is also how historically our log cabin in America we built. This beauty and historical accuracy lead to a building that stands far above the manufactured options available.
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Dovetails and mortise and tenons are how builders traditionally built some of our finest buildings. While I am not opposed to progress and technology, I feel that we have moved away from these forms of construction to increase the speed of construction and eliminate the skill need to execute the work. This is a race to the bottom. I hear from guys in the trades how there are fewer and fewer people who know how to really build good solid houses. It is one of my goals to help preserve this true style of log homes.
Hand hewing is one of these skills. This is a very labor intense process that requires a lot of hard work and skill if it is to be done well. This is generally the first thing I cut out if the budget isn’t large enough. But I feel it is important for any log home builder to be proficient with this skill. Having hewed many logs out of the round, and hewing miles of milled logs helps connect you to the past and to the true cost of what you build.
Using hand tools on wood is a way to time travel. Shaving a log smooth with an ax, or trueing a dovetail with a hand plane or slick is a way to feel a connection to people who have been building this way for over a thousand years. When you work wood with these tools, you have to feel the wood through the tool, and eventually this leads to feeling a connection to the people on who did this in the past.
