Having just returned from the Titan Log Home Show in Springfield, Missouri, there were many folks with questions. I had the following Question and Answer pages posted in our booth. Log Home Shows are a great place to start researching, in person, the different aspects of building your log home. It gives you a chance to speak to many log home companies, gather information on the characteristics of wood species.

After having a picture of a log cabin over the mantle for years and mentally designing the interior…for years, we went to a log home show in Denver, on my birthday no less. That’s where it started – we were so impressed with the idea of building a log home in the country. My philosophy in life is Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way. It’s worked so far and will continue.

But where do you go from there? Most folks leave a log home show with so much information, they must take time to filter through the info. What impressed you the most? Was it the wood characteristics? If so – you’re on the right trail!!!

These pages are for you. It’s Questions and Answers. There are questions that need to be addressed before you decide on your wood species, as that is the most CRITICALLY IMPORTANT decision that you will make that will affect you, your log home, your “pocket-book”, and how you will be maintaining your log home.

YOUR LOG HOME SHOULD TAKE CARE OF YOU, NOT YOU SPENDING NEEDLESS TIME AND MONEY MAINTAINING IT.

1. What maintenance is required?
Tidewater Red Cypress—None if you choose for your log home to turn to gray. It will NOT ROT.

2. Is a preservative required?
Tidewater Red Cypress - We recommend Woodguard for UV Protection.

3. How OFTEN is the preservative applied and what process?
Tidewater Red Cypress - one coat 1st yr, 3rd yr, and 5th yr. After that depending on exposure to the sun, one coat every 5-10 years.

4. What if you don’t maintain the maintenance schedule?
Tidewater Red Cypress - After about 30 yrs, you may sustain UV damage BUT your log home will NOT ROT. Just apply one coat of Woodguard.

5. What kind of hardware is used for settling?
Tidewater Red Cypress - NONE!

6. How much will it settle?
Tidewater Red Cypress settles 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch, the same as a standard 2x4 over the lifetime of the log home. NO Hardware is required.

7. How much space is required above windows and doors for settling?
Tidewater Red Cypress - No more than 3/4 inch.

8. Are their cabinets mounted on sliders?
Tidewater Red Cypress - NO!

9. Is Termite Treatment Required?
Tidewater Red Cypress - NO!

10. What causes wood to rot?
Tidewater Red Cypress does NOT rot. Sapwoods—pine, cedar, oak, spruce, hemlock—as the log ages, the sap crystalizes and causes air space, fungus sets in and then rot.

11. Are there hidden costs like freight or addendums? (some companies say it is free! Trust us—it’s not.)
Genesis Log Homes charges the exact cost. We could tell you horror stories about “addendums” from other companies.

12. How many middle-men in their company?
Tidewater Red Cypress by Genesis Log Homes - 7 DOGS and they don’t charge.

13. Do all “Cypress” companies sell and build with only Tidewater Red Cypress?
NO! Genesis Log Homes sells ONLY TIDEWATER RED CYPRESS when a customer requests “cypress”.

14. Are there other kinds of cypress than can be used to build a log home?
YES! There are 3 types of cypress, RED, WHITE and YELLOW. Tidewater Red Cypress is the only “cypress” that maintains all characteristics of NO ROT, TERMITE RESISTENT, AND IT WON’T SETTLE ANY MORE THAN A 2X4 OVER THE LIFETIME OF YOUR HOME