Log siding is very commonly used on the gable ends of a home. What is a “gable end”? That is a good place to start. It is the triangular end of a house that forms at the eaves below the roofline. Many times cabins are built with solid logs up to the top of the walls, about 105″ or 14-15 rows, and then the gable ends, or triangle, are framed with standard construction. Siding is then installed so that match the solid logs on the framed wall.In the interior of the home, 1×6 tongue-and-groove pine or cedar is typically used.
Log siding is not ideal for all types of logs. Log houses with a stack of Swedish Cope are not good candidates for it. Most often solid log is used up to the top of the gable peak. To get a log siding to match Swedish Cope’s, a log must be cut in half. This produces a full half record. With a framed gable, there is usually not enough room for the framed wall and full half-log siding.
Although Swedish Cope trunks look beautiful, another disadvantage of the solid trunk at the top of the beak is shrinkage. As the logs climb higher, the slight contraction of the log is magnified when it is 22 feet tall instead of 9 feet tall.
Another type of log stack is a single or double tongue and groove with a D-log. These logs are most commonly used with log siding for gable ends. Log siding can be purchased along with your home package to ensure an exact match. Trying to save a few bucks and match the siding to the logs yourself after your home arrives can be a real challenge. Each grinder is slightly different and each product unique. So, to avoid a headache, it may be convenient to buy your logs and siding in the same place.
A third type of log is the round-over-round log, also known as the double-D log. To match gables and logs inside and out, additional log siding can be purchased and used both inside and outside. the gables. This gives it a very nice full log look inside and out.
So with a framed wall, shrinkage is reduced, the gable ends stay tighter, bugs and insects are kept out, and you have the option of choosing how you want the inside of the gable to look. The logs are a natural product and they “breathe” a little with the environment that surrounds them. Studs in a framed wall do not allow for the movement that a log wall is capable of. Therefore, your home remains tighter on the gables and more resistant to insects and weather.