Patent Publication Number: US-2005126084-A1

Title: System of building modular log homes

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to modular log homes and more particularly to a log home that is made from real wood logs and is substantially prefabricated and pre-assembled in a factory and then delivered to a building site.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
       
      Log homes have been in existence and common use for centuries. Originally, log cabins were built in wooded areas where there was a large supply of wooden logs from trees. Because log homes are still considered versatile, energy efficient structures, many modern improvements have been made to the log home. The majority of the improvements attempt to minimize the amount of labor involved in erecting a log home while improving the overall integrity of the structure. The following patent documents provide examples of some modern log homes.  
      Japanese Patent No. 2003-119930 published on Apr. 23, 2003 discloses a log cabin. The log cabin is a common log cabin made from stacked wooden logs. The wooden logs provide notches in the ends of the logs for securely fitting the stacked logs together.  
      Japanese Patent No. 8049321 published on Feb. 2, 1996 discloses an assembly type log house. The log house provides a flat base panel with a plurality of holes for receiving support rods. Walls are erected on the flat base plate. The walls are made from a laminated material.  
      Japanese Patent No. 5079097 published on Mar. 30, 1993 discloses a log house-type building formed with a supporting framework structure. The framework includes a roof and is made by stretching a back plate across a number of columns of the framework. Log members are then stacked to form wall members. The log members are stacked on top of a foundation.  
      French Patent No. 2 588 584 published on Apr. 17, 1987 discloses timber houses made from prefabricated frames. Novel shaped boards are then secured to the frames to create the exterior walls of the houses.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,680 issued to Calkins discloses a log panel system for constructing buildings using prefabricated panels made of full sized logs. The log panels are made at a factory and assembled at the building site using fasteners. The logs have a tongue on the top surface and a groove on the bottom surface so that the logs can fit securely on top of each other. Fasteners are then driven down through adjoining logs. A sealant is disposed between the connecting logs.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,672 issued to Baker discloses a plurality of horizontal logs extending between vertical log posts. The horizontal logs are secured to the vertical posts by a spline. Fasteners may be driven into the tops of the logs for a more secure attachment.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,778 issued to Burt discloses a modular building comprised of a plurality of horizontally oriented, extruded wall members stacked to form wall panels. The panels are connected by fasteners. The building may also include a banding support, a roof and an interior wall.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,583 issued to Papke discloses a building structure made from a one piece, extruded, cut-to-length structure. The structure has integral side walls, roof and floor. The exterior of the structure is designed to simulate the appearance of a wood frame construction.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,515 issued to George discloses a plurality of modular log members for creating concatenated structures. The modular members may be parallel, offset, overlapping, or interconnected in relation to each other. Each modular member has a plurality of holes extending through their planar top and bottom surfaces. The holes receive connectors and may have different diameters. Varying types of connectors may be used.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,091 issued to Sellers et al. discloses a log cabin made from prefabricated, tapered logs. Each log has a large notch that fits over the large end of another log, and a small notch that fits over the small end of the other log. The logs are stacked so that the large end of any given log lies between the small end of a log immediately above the log and the small end of the log immediately below the given log.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,997 issued to Mahowich discloses a vertical log cabin. A foundation is provided having a floor plate disposed thereon. Vertically oriented logs are stacked next to one another on top of the floor plate. Each log has slots on two opposing side portions. Each log has a L-shaped notch on both the top and the bottom end. The L-shaped notches connect to the floor plate and the ceiling plate. A plurality of plates is positioned in the slots of the vertical logs to form wall structures.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,343 issued to Nipko discloses a modular structure having an outer wall framing of horizontal logs. The logs are interlocking and bolted to a rigid floor assembly. The logs are glued and lag-bolted together. Logs may be spliced end to end to make longer logs. A number of the logs provide a tension and shear support means, in the form of steel strapping, to permit lifting of the modules.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,615 issued to Peacock discloses a modular building having a frame for supporting panels on the uprights of the frame.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,724 issued to Magnuson discloses a building structure made from alternatingly stacked, tapered timbers having a notching system for corner joinder of the stacked timbers.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,532 issued to Faw discloses a prefabricated log wall unit made from stacked logs. The logs are secured to one another by lag bolts. Vertical studs are secured to the ends of the stacked logs and insulation is sprayed between the studs. A plurality of wall units are vertically arranged in abutting relationship on a conventional building foundation to produce a log structure. Wall units are connected by lag bolts.  
      U.S. patent application No. 2003/0054189 published for Morgenstern discloses a building made from stacked structural elements. A cushion layer and an insulating layer are disposed between each stacked element. The exterior layers of the structural elements are a fabricated cast concrete material and have an exterior surface that simulates the appearance of a log cabin.  
      U.S. patent application No. 2002/0088200 published to Chambers discloses a building having stacked, tapered logs. Notches are cut into the ends of logs for fitting the logs to one another.  
      U.S. patent application No. 2002/0046519 to Houseal discloses a log structure comprising a stack of logs with a support column extending vertically through the logs for preventing the logs from moving downward due to shrinkage. Each support column comprises a vertical stack of log support pipes having a plate at each end of the support element.  
      A problem with the structures disclosed above is that most of them require a great deal of on-site construction and labor. In the areas where log homes are very popular, the weather tends to limit the amount of building time available in a given year. Another disadvantage is that many of those structures do not use real wood logs, but instead use building panels that simulate the appearance of a log home. Therefore, what is needed is a log home that may be substantially prefabricated and pre-assembled prior to arrival at the building site, while still using real wood logs.  
      None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a system of building modular log homes solving the aforementioned problems is desired.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The system of building modular log homes provides a modular log home that is prefabricated and substantially pre-assembled prior to being delivered to the building location. The log homes are assembled in the controlled environment of a factory so that they are built in a more timely and cost effective manner. The log homes are approximately eighty-five percent complete when delivered to the building location. The log homes are created using real wood logs that are stacked to form the walls of the home.  
      According to one aspect of the present invention a modular log home comprises a generally rectangular banding support defined by a front support member, a rear support member, a pair of side support members, and a plurality of floor joists. Each floor joist has a front end secured to the front support member and a rear end secured to the rear support member. A sub-floor panel is disposed on top of the banding support. The main structure of the log home is made from a plurality of structural members that are horizontally oriented in vertical stacks. The stacks of structural members form a front wall, a rear wall and a pair of side walls that are each aligned with and secured to a side of the sub-floor panel.  
      Each of the structural members has a generally rectangular elongate body with a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, a rear surface, a first end and a second end. A pair of projections are disposed along the entire length of the top surface of each structural member. A pair of grooves extend along the entire length of the bottom surface of each structural member. The pair of grooves on a lower structural member engage the pair of projections of a vertically adjacent structural member to align two structural members in the stack. A plurality of fasteners are spaced at even intervals along each of the structural members for securing the structural members together in a stack. Additionally, a solid rod is placed through the stack of logs and bolted at the top and bottom of the rod for additional support. Each fastener is driven into a structural member and extends down through the member and into the vertically adjacent structural member directly below in the given stack.  
      A roof assembly is transported to the building site and secured to the top of the building using a crane. The roof assembly comprises a plurality of roof joists disposed on top of the stacked structural members. Each joist has a front end extending outwardly from the front wall and a rear end extending outwardly from the rear wall, at least two rafters, and a roof cover disposed on top of the rafters. Each of the rafters has a front member and a rear member. The front member and the rear member each have a lower portion and an upper portion that is hingedly connected to the lower portion. The lower portion of the front member and the rear member are secured to one of the roof joists. The upper portion of the front member and the rear member are secured to one another to form the peak of the roof. The roof assembly provides at least two rafters, one at each end of the building. The roof cover is then lifted and secured over the rafters.  
      Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a modular log home made from real wood logs.  
      It is another object of the invention to provide a modular log home that may be substantially prefabricated and pre-assembled in the controlled environment of a factory and then delivered to a building site.  
      It is a further object of the invention to provide a roof assembly that may be easily transported to the building site and secured to the top of the log cabin.  
      Still another object of the invention is to provide materials and a method of building a log cabin that provides a secure building structure and prevents damage due to the effects of weather.  
      It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.  
      These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a modular log home according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a front plan view of the front wall of the modular log home.  
       FIG. 3  is a top perspective view of the banding support of the modular log home.  
       FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of a joist of the banding support.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of adjacent structural logs.  
       FIG. 6  is a top perspective view of a structural log.  
       FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of overlapping, corner structural logs.  
       FIG. 8  is a top view of connecting structural logs.  
       FIG. 9  is a front plan view of a number of stacked structural logs.  
       FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of the roof assembly of the modular log home.  
       FIG. 11  is a side plan view of the roof assembly.  
       FIG. 12 a  front plan view of a rafter connected to a roof joist.  
       FIG. 13  is a side plan view of a single roof rafter.  
       FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a modular home.  
       FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view of the banding support of the modular log home.  
       FIG. 16  is a front perspective view of the log home according to the present invention. 
    
    
      Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The present invention provides a system for building modular log homes in a more timely and cost-effective manner. According to a certain aspect of the present invention, a system is provided for building a modular log home in the controlled environment of a factory. The materials of the log home are prefabricated and substantially pre-assembled prior to being delivered to a building site. The log homes are approximately 80-85% when they leave the factory.  
       FIG. 1  depicts a modular log home  10  according to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention. The modular log home  10  generally comprises a main building structure built on a banding support  14  and having a roof system  12  disposed along the top of the main building structure. The main building structure is defined by a front wall  16 , a rear wall  20  and a pair of side walls  18 . The front wall  16 , the rear wall  20  and the pair of side walls  18  define a generally rectangular log home  10 . While other configurations of the walls may produce varying sized and shaped log homes, the generally rectangular log home  10  depicted in  FIG. 1  is exemplary of a log home according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  depicts the banding support  14  of the modular log home  10 . The banding support  14  generally comprises an outer, generally rectangular frame and a plurality of floor joists  30  extending across the frame. In particular, the outer frame of the banding support  14  comprises a front support member  28 , a rear support member  27  and two side support members  29  defining the generally rectangular banding support  14  of the log home  10 . Each of the support members is double banded having a first support board  32  and a second support board  34  secured together with a support gusset  36  positioned between the first and second support boards  32 , 34 . Preferably, the support boards  32 , 34  are wood 2×10″s and the support gusset  36  is a plywood gusset that is glued and nailed to each of the support boards  32 , 34 .  
      The floor joists  30  extend across the banding support  14  from the front support member  28  to the rear support member  27  and are oriented parallel to the side support members  29 . The joists  30  are preferably wooden 2×10″s and are spaced 16 inches apart along the length of the log home  10 . Each floor joist  30  has an elongate body with a pair of ends  40 . Each floor joist  30  is secured to the front support member  28  and the rear support member  27 .  FIG. 4  shows the connection of a floor joist  30  to the front support member  28  of the banding support  14 . The connection of the floor joist  30  to the rear support member  27  is identical to the connection to the front support member  28 , therefore discussion of only the connection to the front support member  28  is necessary. The front end  40  of the floor joist  30  is butted against the interior surface  41  of the front support member  28 . The floor joist  30  is then secured to the front support member by a joist hanger  42 . The joist hanger  42  includes a plurality of nail holes  44  for securing the joist hanger  42  to the front support member  28  and the joist  30 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 3 , a sub-floor layer  38  is disposed over the banding support  14  of the log home  10 . The sub-floor layer  38  is preferably a panel of plywood that is secured to the front support member  28 , the rear support member  27  and the side support members  29  by a plurality of fasteners. Once the log home  10  is completely assembled any type of flooring including, but not limited to, carpet, linoleum or tile may be layered on top of the sub-floor  38 .  
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the log home  10  showing the front wall  16 . The front wall  16 , as well as the rear wall  20  and the side walls  18 , comprise a plurality of horizontally oriented structural members  22 . The structural members  22  are positioned on top of one another in a vertical stack that forms each of the walls of the log home  10 . The vertical stacks of structural members  22  are positioned on top of the banding support  14 . Each wall is aligned with, and secured to one side of the banding support  14 . According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the structural members  22  are real wood logs, however any suitable structural material may also be used in place of the wood logs.  
       FIG. 5  depicts two vertically adjacent structural members  22 ,  22   a . Each structural member  22  comprises a generally elongate main body having a top surface  50 , a bottom surface  48 , a pair of ends  46 , an interior side surface  54  and an exterior side surface  52 . According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention in which the support members  22  are wood logs, the exterior side surface  52  is curved to retain the natural appearance of the logs, while the interior side surface  54  is made generally flat.  
      Each support member  22  provides at least a pair of mating projections  58  that extend, parallel to one another, along the entire length of the top surface  50  of the support member  22 . Each support member  22  also provides at least a pair of mating grooves  56  that extend, parallel to one another, along the entire length of the bottom surface  48  of the support member  22 . The projections  58  and the grooves  56  allow vertically adjacent support members to be aligned and mated together when stacked to form the walls of the log home  10 . The mating projections  58  of the support member  22  engage the mating grooves  56   a  of the vertically adjacent support member  22   a  that is positioned directly above the lower support member  22 . The space between the mating grooves  56   a  of the vertically adjacent support member  22   a  is equivalent to the space between the mating projections  58  of the lower support member  22 .  
      Once the horizontally oriented support members  22  are aligned and vertically stacked to form a wall they are secured in place by a plurality of fasteners  68 (as shown in  FIG. 9 ). The fasteners  68  are driven into a structural member  22  and then extend down into the vertically adjacent structural member  22   a  directly below the first structural member  22 . In the case of the bottom most structural member  22 , the fasteners  68  extend into the banding support  14 . The fasteners  68  are spaced along each structural member  22  in intervals between 10-16 inches. According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the fasteners  68  are Olylog screws. Olylog screws are fasteners designed specifically for securing wood logs. The Olylog screw provides a screw head that countersinks itself during installation. The screw is made from heat treated steel for increased strength and durability, and is coated to prevent corrosion. The screw also comprises an extended shaft portion having a threaded end to allow the screw to be easily drilled into the adjacent structural members  22 . Alternatively, the fasteners  68  may comprise lag bolts.  
      In addition to the plurality of fasteners  68  a plurality of support rod  69  extends through the stack of support members  22  (shown in  FIG. 9 ). Holes are dilled through the support members  22  and the support rod is placed into the holes. The support rods  69  are positioned two feet from the corners of the log home  10  and are then positioned every four feet around the entire perimeter of the log home  10 . The support rods  69  have threaded ends for receiving bolts. The support rods  69  are countersunk two inches into the top most support member  22  and the bottom most support member  22  to allow for even stacking of the support members  22 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 1  the structural members  22  of the front wall  16  overlap the structural members  22  of the side walls  18  at the front corners of the log home  10 . The log ends  24  of the structural members  22  extend outward from the walls of the log home  10 .  FIG. 7  depicts the corner joint created by two overlapping structural members  22 ,  22   c . The lower structural member  22 , positioned in the vertical stack forming the front wall  16 , has a log end  24  that extends outward beyond the side wall  18 . The cross member  22   c  is positioned overlappingly across the top surface  50  of the lower structural member  22 , forming a right angle where the side wall  18  perpendicularly intersects the front wall  16 . Dowel rods  70  are then glued and hammered through each corner joint. The dowel rod  70  extends through the cross member  22   c  and into the lower structural member  22 . The dowel rods  70  provide vertical support that helps hold the structural members  22  together in the case of shrinkage.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1  the structural members  22  of the rear wall  20  and the structural members of the side walls  18  do not overlap at their intersection point. The ends  24  of the structural members  22  of the rear wall  20  and the side walls  18  form corner butt joints. Similarly, along the length of each wall it is often necessary that two horizontally oriented structural members  22  be secured together to increase the length of a particular stack of structural members  22 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , the end  24  of a first structural member  22  forms a butt joint with the end  24   e  of a horizontally adjacent extension member  22   e . Dowel rods  72  are glued and hammered through every butt joint, whether it is a corner butt joint ( FIG. 1 ) or a butt joint between two horizontally adjacent structural members  22 , 22   e  ( FIG. 8 ). As shown in  FIG. 8 , a fastener  68  is positioned on either side of the dowel rod  72  to increase the vertical support provided by the dowel rod  72 . The dowel rods  72  may be either square rods or circular rods.  
      According to another aspect of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the modular log home  10  provides a layer of weather stripping  64  (shown in  FIG. 6 ) along each of the mating projections  58  on every structural member  22 . The weather stripping  64  is preferably foam insulating tape, however any suitable weather stripping material may be used.  FIG. 6  also depicts the top surface  50  of the structural members  22  a center portion  62  and two outer portions  60 . A layer of sealant  66  is disposed along the center portion  62  of the top surface. The sealant  66  is preferably a butyl rubber caulk sealant, however any suitable sealant may also be used.  
      The present modular log home  10  provides a roof assembly  12 , shown in  FIG. 10 , secured to the top of the vertical stacks of structural members  22 . The roof assembly  12  comprises a plurality of roof joists  74  extending across the top of the vertical stacks of structural members  22 . The roof joists  74  extend from the front wall  16  and the rear wall  20  and are positioned parallel to the side walls  18 . Each roof joist  74  comprises an elongate body having a front end  76  that extends outward from the front wall  16  and a rear end  78  that extends outward from the rear wall  20 . The roof joists  74  are positioned every  16  inches along the length of the log home  10  and the number of roof joists  74  varies according to the length of the home. At a minimum the roof assembly  12  provides two roof joists  74 , one positioned along each side wall  18 .  
      The roof assembly  12  further comprises a plurality of rafters  82 . The number of rafters  82  will vary depending on the length of the log home  10 , but at a minimum the roof assembly will provide two rafters  82 , one positioned above each side wall  18 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , each rafter  82  comprises a front rafter member  86  and a rear rafter member  88 . The front rafter member  86  and the rear rafter member  88  each have a lower portion  96  and an upper portion  98 . The lower portion  96  of the front rafter member  86  is secured to the front end  76  of the roof joist  74 . The lower portion  96  of the rear rafter member  88  is secured to the rear end  78  of the roof joist  74 .  FIG. 12  is an end view of the front rafter member  86  depicting the connection of the rafter  82  to the roof joist  74 . A plywood rafter mount  90  is secured to each side of the roof joist  74 . A rafter bolt  92  then extends through the rafter mounts  90  and the front rafter member  86  securing the front rafter member  86  to the roof joist  70 . The rear rafter member  88  is secured to the roof joist  74  in an identical manner. Once the front rafter member  86  and the rear rafter member  88  are secured to the roof joist  74  they are each raised forming the peak of the roof assembly  12 . The top portion  98  of the front and rear rafter members  86 , 88  are then secured together by a fastener  94 .  
      The roof assembly  12  is mounted to the log home  10  at the building site with the use of a crane. For easier transport of the rafters  82 , the front rafter member  86  and the rear rafter member  88  are foldable about the center of each rafter member, as shown in  FIG. 13 . The upper portion  98  of each rafter member is hingedly connected to the lower portion  96  of each rafter member by a hinge  100 . Once the rafter members are secured to the roof joist  74  and the upper portion  98  of the rafter member is extended, the upper portion  98  of the rafter member is fixedly secured to the lower portion  96  of the rafter member by a fastener.  
      The roof assembly  12  further comprises a roof cover  84 , shown in  FIG. 10 . The roof cover  84  is a single piece of material that is secured over the rafters  82 . The roof cover  84  is preferably either a metal cover or a fiberglass shingle cover. Optionally, the roof assembly  12  also provides a plywood ceiling panel  80  that is secured on top of the plurality of roof joists  74 .  
      According to another aspect of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the modular log home  10  provides a metal flashing  102  that extends along the banding support  14  (as shown in  FIG. 14 ).  FIG. 15  is a cross sectional view of the banding support  14  of the log home  10  showing the metal flashing  120  connected to the log home  10 . The metal flashing  120  is preferably a sheet of aluminum that is secured to the banding support  14  to prevent water from penetrating between the sub-floor  38  and the bottom most structural member  22 . The metal flashing  102  is secured inside of the mating grooves  56  of the bottom most structural member  22 . A sealant is also disposed in the bottom groove  56  of the structural member  22 . The metal flashing  102  extends from the groove  56  down to the double banded support member and is secured to the front support board  32 . The metal flashing  102  extends around the entire perimeter of the banding support  14 .  
       FIG. 16  depicts a perspective view of a modular log home  10  according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention. The modular log home  10  further provides at least one door assembly and at least one window assembly. The window assembly comprises a window frame  106  and a window  104  secured inside of the window frame  106 . The door assembly comprises a similar door frame and a door mounted to the door frame. The structural members  22  are cut so that the ends  24  are flat and even. The window frame  106  is then secured into the wall of the log home  10 . The window frame  106  (or door frame) is securely mounted to the stacked structural members  22  by a plurality of fasteners.  
      It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.