For some people, moving to the country is synonymous with building a log home. Today's log homes are far from small, cold, dark wooden boxes of many years ago. Log construction is now a nice mix of old log and new technology. The natural wood of log construction is attractive, but also extremely practical. In log construction, all open cells in the thermal mass are in the logs themselves, making the home cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Imagination is one of the few substantive limitations on log home design.
No matter how it is designed, it is critical to plan ahead when building a log structure. It is vital for the contractor to know where plumbing and electrical fixtures are to be located prior to actual construction, since a large portion of the infrastructure is placed within the log walls. For many people, a post and beam home presents an appealing alternative to stick-frame or log homes. Post and beam construction has the wood-rich look and feel of a log home. It offers greater design flexibility than a stick-frame structure.