log home

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rickl

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hi i need some help, ideas & or pictures on wiring a log home. the home is 2100 sf real logs & is already built, the builder drilled chases as they were stacking and the home is also chinked (sp). i told the owner it would be t&m
this is my first log home, & i unsure whether to run or take on this project.

first question how do you make the switch & plug box's look good on a round log ( i figured floor box's for most ext walls ) but i still have the switches?

second the ceiling has exposed logs & 1x6 tg cedar the owner want ceiling fans mounted to the logs & surface mount light everwhere else, how do you mount a fan box to a round log ( and have it look good),how do you hide your wires in the ceiling, & how many holes ( if any) can i drill or router in these ceiling logs, there is no way to get around them,
i'm going to go look at the home again this week, crawl in the crawl space & look for chases, run fishtape in chases to find out where they go, etc.

thank for any input
 
rickl said:
hi i need some help, ideas & or pictures on wiring a log home. the home is 2100 sf real logs & is already built, the builder drilled chases as they were stacking and the home is also chinked (sp). i told the owner it would be t&m
this is my first log home, & i unsure whether to run or take on this project.

first question how do you make the switch & plug box's look good on a round log ( i figured floor box's for most ext walls ) but i still have the switches?

second the ceiling has exposed logs & 1x6 tg cedar the owner want ceiling fans mounted to the logs & surface mount light everwhere else, how do you mount a fan box to a round log ( and have it look good),how do you hide your wires in the ceiling, & how many holes ( if any) can i drill or router in these ceiling logs, there is no way to get around them,
i'm going to go look at the home again this week, crawl in the crawl space & look for chases, run fishtape in chases to find out where they go, etc.

thank for any input
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My first answer would be ....runnnnnnnnn!:D But seriously, since you did not have the advantage of being around when the logs were stacked so as to mark where all the holes were drilled and to see that enough holes were drilled, you're at a slight disadvantage. I would try very hard to get a look at some log homes around you and see how they've been wired.
Routing wireways in the top of floor planks for fixtures below is common with 1/16 " steel protecting the NM cable. Having the carpenters fashion square or rectangular boxes to locate your switches and receptacles within is also common as is placing receptacle outlets in baseboards where possible on outside walls. Try to use interior partitions to the extent you can and still comply with the code. You'll get the hang of it when you're knee-deep in it. :D Good luck. :)
 
I did a log home for a customer some time ago, we'd laid out the switches cut them carefully with a electric chain saw, the carpenter used a router to flatten the logs to fit the switch plates. We were on site throughout the complete build (one guy) he would drill and install power as the home went up. The outlets were installed in 1X6 based board (boxed out).
 
RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or get a batch of cordless plugs, switches and light boxes:)
I have never wired a log home. Look at a couple and from what I have seen the only way to wire a log home would be to babysit the job 100% as it is built, even then it would be an asswhip. I would bet that it is 10 times more labor intensive than a standard home. That would mean 10 times more labor money. I would make damn sure that the customer knew that he will need a large budget, I know it is rude to ask about there budget but I would ask what kind of budget he has set aside for the job, Its your ass if you don't.
I just have a hard time picturing the wiring on a solid log home.
Good luck with your choice.
 
Log Home

Log Home

I wish I could give you good advice. I have wired lot's of log homes and every one is different. The last one I wired was supposed to be predrilled but was not. I used a 6 foot flex bit, cut metal boxes with ears into each log and rec one logfrom the floor, in some cases you have to cut rec in the baseboard. My best suggestion is to leave it alone if you don't have experence. You can spend more time and money learning than you can afford. If they let you take it on as time and mateial maybe take it and learn. If I can help in anyway if you get the job send me a private E-mail so we don't clog up this site. Semper Fi. Buddy
 
Even though the owner has agreed to let you wire the job T&M you need to agree on a budget figure. If you are not comfortable in giving a budget figure, you should run from this job. This is going to be a VERY expensive wiring job and the owner should be made aware of this from the beginning. The last thing you want is to get into a dispute when the job is over with the owner claiming that you have overcharged. Ideally you should have been involved in this job before the first log was laid. The builder should have known this. I suspect that they are trying to take advantage of your inexperience in this type of construction to try to get the job done cheaply.
I have never wired a log home, but I would suspect the wring should be at least 4 times the cost for conventional construction, if you were involved from the beginning. Now that the house is built and you will need to be wiring it practically in "old work" it will need to be even higher.
 
All good advice.
In the past year, I've wired 4 log homes.
You need to plan on at least 4 times the labor and twice the wire compared to a stick built home.
You will learn how to hide wires in places that you would never consider on a conventional home.

Make a wiring diagram. This will allow you to count the wires and plan the route they have to follow to get where they're going.

You will need a chain saw and a router.
Get some practice cutting holes and slots in heavy timbers......got any dead trees in your yard?

Locate any places where the upstairs interior (framed) walls intersect with the first floor walls and drill as many holes as you can thru the plates for wire chases.

Go to a metal shop and buy some (10') lengths of 1/16 (16ga) x 2" metal strips . You will use this to protect any wires that you run in shallow chase and cover with trim.

You will need a 4" holesaw. Use it to make shallow cuts in the log surface and chisel out the wood to install the fixture boxes.

You may have to bundle the conductors in some areas, so don't forget about de-rating when you plan the wiring paths.
The wiring diagram will help.

A good plan and a lot of forethought will save you a lot of headaches.
Try to see the problems before they arise.

Don't forget that the plumber and A/C man will be using the same spaces for their equipment.


or

Run away as fast as you can.

Wiring a log home can be a real learning experience.....just don't make it a expensive lesson for yourself.
If you're not comfortable with your ability to do the job for the price, don't take the job.
You can make more money on a contract basis verses T&M....if you do it right.
You can also lose your a** if you don't.

hope this helps
steve
 
thanks for all the input
after talking to the homeowner about her budget for electrical. i think i'm going to run from this project, somebody told her between $6000 & $7500 should cover the electrical in a 2100sf log home. the last 2100sf stick built home i wired i charged $9000. so i wished her good luck on finding someone that would be willing to do the work for that price.
 
Log Home

Log Home

You did the right thing. Anyone that would wire this home for less than $11,000.00 to $13,000.00 not counting extras won't make any money. You have to know when to hold them and when to fold them. Sounds like you made a good decision. Semper Fi. Buddy
 
rickl said:
somebody told her between $6000 & $7500 should cover the electrical in a 2100sf log home
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:-? :-? :-? That is insane. That somebody has to get their head checked!
You made a good call on this one. FWIW once you get the hang of log homes, they're not so bad. Different ball game compared to stick built. We do about 2 or 3 a year.
 
If someone takes that job for $7500, they're either nuts or don't have any idea about the job

Check back with her in about 2 months.
You might get to finish it at your price

steve
 
Up here in the SOCAL mountains we have wired hundreds of log homes of many dirrent types. As mentioned previously, labor is abit more - maybe double - and you need to be willing to be a little more carpenter then you are in stick constrution. We usually grind a flat area on the log for switch, light and recepts. We will drill two 2 1/8" holes side by side & then clean-out with a sawzall & chisel for the 2x4 plastic boxes in the walls etc. We hide wiring underneath, in doorjambs, window casings and anywhere else we can. We use alot of strap steel to protect the wiring. Education is rarely free. If you want to learn log home wiring on the job you will make little or no money on the first few and that's ok (that's how I learned).
 
rickl said:
thanks for all the input
after talking to the homeowner about her budget for electrical. i think i'm going to run from this project, somebody told her between $6000 & $7500 should cover the electrical in a 2100sf log home.
Click to expand...


I don't know anything about wiring log homes but I do know where they get these cheap prices. The companies that sell the homeowner on the idea of a log home to start with. With a stick buillt home the homeowner gets a package deal ( complete home ) and with a log home all they get is a shell so it sounds like a great deal. I bid one where the company actually told the buyer it's cheaper to wire than stick built.

If the sales people were honest with the buyers I don't think they would sell very many log homes. A log home is for a romantic and not a practical person. :D
 
7500.00 I would hate to be that guy. I just did an old rock house rewire for 17,000 and lost money on labor. It takes forever and you have to be very imaginative. I vote for going back in 3 weeks and seeing how it is going.
 
hillbilly said:
If someone takes that job for $7500, they're either nuts or don't have any idea about the job
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Yeah. Probably somebody attracted by the "sex appeal", so to speak, of a log home job. I've got a couple under my belt, and don't care for any more. No more SIPS homes either.
 
I just did a small log home over the winter, more of a campground store than anything, but in my case the job was very easy, the deck was built, I had all my wires roughed in, and the carpenters drilled all the logs and cut in all my boxes for me.... easiest job I ever did... :D
 
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