Log Homes

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speedystevie

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Long Island, NY
I'm going to bid on a log home for the first time in the near future. I need some input on technique's to complete the basics. I am yet to see the plans for this particular home but I want to be a bit prepared for when I do.

Can anyone feed me some info from experience that I should be looking forward to.

I am a well experienced electrician with a crew who does mostly high-end residential and commercial work, so the problem is not skill, just more lack of experience with technique on these type of homes.

Thanks, Steve
 
Re: Log Homes

I had one experience with log homes, its been many years ago. You had to fish the wire through pre drilled holes through logs. The logs were exposed inside and out. It was a nightmare to say the least. Everything was done vertical from below floor to outlet. The biggest problem was the holes did not exactly line up all the time. If I remember right I think all the 15 amp circuit had to be wired with #12 and the 20's with #10.
 
Re: Log Homes

wired a few, inspect one or two every week...definitely a challange..more so to your carpentry skills than you electrical skills,,,
routers and chain saws seem to be useful and some of the side mount boxes shown in recent threads here work nicely, as well as floor boxes.

a question for those who wire and inspect them:
If a beam, which is to be covered, is sawed or routed to a depth beyond the 1-1/4 set back required in sections of 300.4, would the metal plate in 300.4(E) be reqired? How deep does the groove have to be before it's not considered shallow?
 
Re: Log Homes

If I remember right I think all the 15 amp circuit had to be wired with #12 and the 20's with #10.
Click to expand...
Why would that be? Were they really huge log houses that needed upsize on the circuits for voltage drop? Local code? Or was it a CYA spec from the manufacturer.
 
Re: Log Homes

This was in 1966. I was just a snot nose kid at the time but I figured it was because we were fishing NM through long holes bored through logs as much as 5 feet in some places. Don't know for sure.
 
Re: Log Homes

On the rough in you can dubble your labor. we do these alot. I hope the holes are predriled. alot dependes if it has exposed beam ceiling. That is more work.
 
Re: Log Homes

I would add you need some one on your crew that can step back and punt. the plan will change as you go, you might plan to put the kitchen gfi in one place but can only get one wire up the log. In a log the plan is very fluid.
 
Re: Log Homes

I've done a few of these, just recently in fact. Is the home being built onsite? The last few we did were built offsite and we came in and did the layout and routering. Then when the cabin was taken down, WE were there to drill the holes, drilling through each log one at a time, just barely hitting the log below the first and so on, so no problem with holes lining up. We were there when the house was stacked so we pulled the wire then. Be prepared, these types of homes require a lot of planning, as it can/is difficult to rectify problems later. I have many pictures of these too, so PM me if you need. Oh, by the way, these homes are the 'authentic' style, each log scribed to one another, versus a 'Manufactured' log home, which essentially has logs that are all the same dimensions. Edited to Add: we have also done these that are built onsite, which in my case they take months to build typically, but that's a different story.

[ February 04, 2006, 02:34 AM: Message edited by: torcho ]
 
Re: Log Homes

Steve, I have done about 15 of these wretched things in recent years. I can give you a lot of advice, I just don't feel like typing for ten minutes.
Call me.
 
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