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The Log Building Details section of our web site has always been hugely popular; in fact for years now it has been ranked #1 by Google and other search sites. We re-organized the web site last month and moved the details into their appropriate sections...so if you haven't seen them, take a look!: Post and Beam   |    Stacked Log   |    Timber Frame
Another real highlight is our Log Building Videos page. Because if a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video must be worth...a whole book!

 

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Home of the Month: the Rockwood Our home of the month (below, and right) is a brand new prow-style post and beam design. The ease of one-level living combines with a large open-plan living area to make this home a winner. A two-sided fireplace soars the full height of the vaulted ceiling, flanked by a log staircase leading to a huge open loft. ... ...view the Plans.

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Log stairs are one of the design elements that help complete your log home. Log stairs are usually quite large, open, and unique. The log stairs are most appreciated when exposed to the living areas and not contained within log or framed walls. This means that they become a focal point and add a sculptural element to the home.
 
There are several different styles that you can choose from. There are housed log stairs that use half-log stringers with half-log treads mortised into them. You can have scribed log stairs where the half-log treads are scribed to fit onto full log stringers. Curved log stairs are possible and they could be housed or scribed. Log spiral stairs are an expressive choice, but you do want to be sure that you can get your furniture up and down them.
 

Housed The most common style we see are housed log stairs. The stringers are made from a single log that has been sawn in half. The treads are made from logs that have been sawn in half and the ends are shaped to fit into a mortise in the half-log stringers. If there is sufficient room you could have a single straight run or the stairs could turn at a timber landing.	Scribed Another option for straight stairs is scribed log stairs. This is where the half-log tread is scribe fit to the solid log stringers that are under the treads. This method can look less bulky than the housed style and fit into a narrower area. The scribed log stairs can also be a single straight run or turn at a timber landing.
Curved One of the most complicated styles of log stairs of either type is the curved log stair. This would involve either having an existing curved log that can be sawn into two stringers or laminating several layers of a sawn log together to make the stringers. The laminated log stringer would then be draw knifed and sanded into the proper shape.	Spiral The last log stair style can also be the most dramatic, the log spiral stair. Using a big log center post and mortise and tenon joinery to connect the log slab treads into the post you can create a stunning center piece to your home. If you are going to use the log spiral stairs in a stack log home, care will need to be taken in allowing for the settling of the log walls.

 
Whichever style you choose, housed or scribed, curved or spiral, you will enjoy the view for a very long time.

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