Wood Drying Facts

We use dry wood throughout our homes. We do not use wood that has been dried a certain number of months or a certain amount of time in a kiln, but rather, we use wood that is 15% moisture content or less...guaranteed. There are no exceptions. In order to determine the moisture content of the wood we use moisture meters. These are electrical instruments for determining the moisture content (MC) of wood.

Dry wood is stable wood, which means that the logs will not shrink, or warp. Dry wood results in a home which is very tight and free from air infiltration between logs. No chinking is required on the exterior or interior of the logs after the home is built unless it is for aesthetic purposes.

Dry wood is also lighter and most of our homes fit on one tractor trailer without being over the legal weight limit. We manufacture and ship dry wood and our home designs keep the wood dry so you can enjoy your log home.

As seen in the graph above: Unseasoned sapwood starts out at 120% to 173% moisture content. It does not begin shrinking until it hits 30% moisture content. At 15% moisture content, it has shrunk 1/2 of its theoretical maximum shrinkage. If your logs reach a final moisture content of 8% to 9% during the heating season, then minimal shrinkage will occur.

Remember, we do not allow for shrinkage due to our use of dry wood. There is no need for thru-bolts or screw-jack systems to adjust for the shrinkage of logs over time.