Builders, architects, and installers know this: the way a structure sounds tells you a lot about how it’s built. In handcrafted log construction, acoustics aren’t just a comfort feature — they’re a direct reflection of timber density, joinery accuracy, moisture stability, and wall mass. For Timber Tuesday, here’s a technical breakdown of why Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir create a superior acoustic environment in a handcrafted log home.
Yellow Cedar is a harder wood than Western Red Cedar. You feel it right away when you start shaping the logs and with the sawmill. The timber is heavier, tougher, and more solid under the tools. Its strength is closer to Douglas Fir, which is known for its durability in major structural work.
Building a handcrafted log home is more than stacking wood. It’s a careful process that blends design, nature, and craftsmanship. At Cascade Handcrafted, every log is chosen with purpose. From the forest to the frame, each piece plays a role in creating a home that’s strong, beautiful, and built to last.
Log homes built in BC are special. They remind us of the woods and the care that goes into making them. They’re not just houses; they’re a way to live close to nature.
This is the project we are currently working on in Washington State. It’s unique in that the traditional cross corners have been replaced by large cedar flared posts. The house is designed to be non-settling to minimize any shrinkage.
Cascade Handcrafted Log Homes built a beautiful log shell for a client at our work yard in Chilliwack, British Columbia. After the home was complete we added a car port to finish off this stage of the project, which was inspected by the client before we dismantled the home, loaded it onto trailers and shipped it to Terrace, B.C.
We’re getting set to build this gorgeous Western Red Cedar hybrid home for a wonderful family in New Jersey. Thanks to the RCM CAD design team in creating this unique plan.
Post and Beam log homes are a popular building type that uses a number of vertical “posts” that support the roof’s weight via horizontal “beams.” The remaining walls are built with skillfully handcrafted logs that fit together once the house’s frame is in place.
When most people typically envisage a log home, the tendency is to think of days gone past in the old west with an oil lamp shining in the window for light.
There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings about the longevity and efficiency of a handcrafted log home. The article below will “debunk” some of those statements backed by research and a whole lot of experience.
