Last year, rough-and-tumble NFL defensive lineman JJ Watt said that he trained in a log cabin in Wisconsin during the offseason. People immediately imagined Watt surviving the elements, fending off bears, and bench pressing with a fallen tree.
Nope – his cabin was made of logs, but it was basically a mansion: 4,500 square feet, a massive garage, and three kitchens.
Watt is not alone. According to Rory S. Coakley, the president of his own real estate company and a contributor to The Washington Post, log “homes” (no longer “cabins”) are comfortable and luxurious, while also resilient and energy efficient.
Coakley has some tips for finding the right log home, and he sheds some light on the building and upkeep practices. Log homes are more expensive and take longer to build than timber-framed homes, and they require staining every three to five years to prevent sun damage.
