Featured Log Home Floor Plan Northwoods

The Northwoods ll offers comfortable living with well-designed separation of space. The first floor includes an open living/dining/kitchen area that makes entertaining simple. The master bedroom is located on the main floor as well, including an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. A generously sized utility room can also serve as a mudroom with backyard access. The second story has two more bedroom, another bathroom and a bonus loft area for a reading nook, entertainment center, computer area or library. Go to the floor plan tab to see the layouts for all of our homes.

Log & Timber Home Shows

CNW Log & Timber Homes has recently participated in four Log Home and Timber Frame shows across the West. They included shows in Dallas Texas, Denver Colorado, Portland Oregon and Spokane Washington. We enjoyed meeting with very interested and motivated people looking to design and build their dream log home!
We are gearing up and looking forward to the 2010 show season. Our first show begins in Atlanta, Georgia on January 22-24 at the Georgia International Convention Center. The CNW corporate staff and veteran dealers Helen and Peter Schultze of Blue Ridge View Homes Inc. (E-mail info@blueridgeviewhomes.com , 706-745-9171) will be in attendance.

During the same weekend, January 22-24 in Birch Run Michigan, Jim Coyle and Brad Karikomi of The Leelanau Log Home Company LLC (www.leelanauloghomes.com, 231-275-5647) will be participating in the Great Lakes Log Home Show.

For more information about locations, show times, tickets and more for the Atlanta and Birch Run shows, please visit us at:

www.cnwloghomes.com

If you are planning to attend either show, we encourage you to contact our participating dealers and schedule an appointment during the show to discuss your log home dreams.
Log on to our web site http://www.cnwloghomes.com/ to find more upcoming log home & timber frame shows in your area.
See you at the show!

For dealership oppotunities log on to http://www.cnwloghomes.com or call 530-906-3170

Thermal Mass – Benefits Recognized

The Tahoe model

One of the first questions we are asked when someone visits us at a show is “what’s the 'R' value of your logs?" We then spend many minutes explaining the method by which the energy of the log is measured in thermal mass and not 'R' values per say. I would like to share some of this information and give you references that you can delve deeper into the subject with.

' R' value measures a material’s resistance to the transfer of heat from one side to the other. Logs have a relatively low resistance to heat transfer, and they actually absorb and store heat in their cellular structure. Thus taking a longer period of time to transfer through the material.
Thermal Mass is a material’s capacity to absorb, store and slowly release heat over time.

Back in the early 90’s the Log Home Council (LHC) set out to prove two things. First, logs have a thermal mass because of their cellular structure, bulk and thickness. Second, this thermal mass provides significant energy saving benefits because it releases heat back into the house when temperatures drop. The first study focused on heat loss through the log wall compared to a conventional framed wall. The finding was that leakage occurred in the same places as a framed house, at peak of cathedral ceilings, around window door frames and at tops of walls. It concluded that the leakage was not due to the log walls. The second study concluded that the thermal mass of log walls does significantly reduce energy use for heating in cold climates.

Therefore after 13 years the Nation’s Model Energy Code finally recognized the energy conservation benefits of thermal mass. The recognition was the goal of the LHC a part of the Building Systems Councils of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
The above is a summary of the studies carried out as interpreted by CNW Log Homes Inc; more information is available on the Internet or the NAHB’s research center.

For dealership opportunities go to www.cnwloghomes.com for more information.

Creating a Log Home Budget.

Let's briefly cover the estimated costs associated with construction of your custom home and how to manage the budget:

The first question is "How much to build my dream home?" The response to that question is as varied as the types of log profiles and home styles available to you. A good rule of thumb for an average 'turn-key' construction cost varies throughout the country but here in the West it currently ranges from $140 to $165 per square foot for the popular 'D' log profile to $200 plus for the Swedish Cope log, depending on the size of log used. However, these figures can change depending on many factors.

• Location - remote locations will typically cost more both in getting materials to the site and in construction labour costs.


• The log profile you use - CNW Log Homes of America offers many from the popular 'D' log, Swedish Cope and Hand Crafted.


• The way you are going to finish your home - Wood floors, Granite, and a lot of rock work will add to your costs.


• Your involvement in the project.


• Log Interior/exterior additional accents - gable trusses and log porches.


• Foundation type - crawl space, enclosed basement or daylight (walkout) basement. Are you using poured concrete or an ICF block poured wall? These choices are major factors, and while basements may be very inexpensive square footage, it also may take you out of your budget.

You can control your costs. Depending on your budget, you choose the items to finish your home. Often if your budget is tight it may be best to use standard grade materials now and plan to upgrade them in the future. For instance, install laminate counter tops instead of granite, vinyl floor covering instead of tile. The choice is completely yours. It is important to realize that it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of building your home. This is a trap that many fall in to. We all have our dream of what we want in our home. Often our dream and our budget are not the same, so you must make careful choices. It is recommended to get the home's shell built to the look/level you require because changes here down line can be very costly; you can always upgrade the interior at a later date.

Join the CNW Log Homes of America Inc dealership network, for more information log on to http://www.cnwloghomes.com/