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Wood remains our most coveted building material, universally
loved for its beauty, its warmth, its naturalness. Yet wood has many other qualities which are generally unknown:
its incredible strength, its durability, its ease of maintenance.
During a seven month study conducted by the National Bureau of Standards for the Department of Housing
and Urban Development and the Department of Energy, it was found that a log home with a nominal R-10 wall insulation
value used no more heating or cooling evergy than a conventionally built, insulated wood frame home, with nominal R-12
insulation in its walls.
During the three-week spring heating period, the log home actually used 46% less heating energy
than the insulated wood fram test home.
During the 11 week summer cooling period the log home used 24% less cooling energy,
and during the 14 week heating period, the log home used almost 25% less energy than the insulated frame house.
During the entire 28-week test period, the log home, with its R-10 walls performed much more efficiently than the insulated
wood frame home with its R-12 walls (which is approximately 17% higher value) but without the benefit of the thermal mass
of the log wall.
This study demonstrates that the thermal mass of a building can effectively reduce energy consumption
during the winter and summer seasons.
R-value for logs - per species - R-value per inch
- North White Cedar
1.66
- Western Red Cedar
1.56
- Eastern White Pine
1.48
- Ponderosa Pine
1.34
- Red Pine
1.22
- Bald Cypress
1.20
- Cherry
1.10
- Southern Yellow Pine
.91
- Red Oak
.90
-
White Oak
.86
Daniel Boone Log Homes uses quality Eastern White Pine
logs
Wood is a natural insulator. It would take a concrete
wall 5 ft. thick to equal the insulating quality of just 4 inches of wood. Wood insulates SIX times better than
brick, 15 times better than concrete and an astonishing 1,770 times better than aluminum.
What makes wood such an efficient insulator? Again, it's
wood's cellular structure.
A test was done with two structures identical
in size; one was built of wood and the other of masonry. Both structures were insulated. During the heating season,
the wood house used 23% less fuel than the masonry house, and 30.2% less fuel during the air conditioning season. This
was in an area where temperatures frequently soar to over 100 degreses F.
LOCK IN TODAY'S PRICE WITH A SMALL DEPOSIT AND TAKE DELIVER
WITHIN 12 MONTHS!!!!
Wood lasts for years. Not long ago, wood piles were found intact after being under the streets
of Venice for 1,000 years. Timbers 2,700 years old have been found in the tomb of King Gordius near Ankara, Turkey.
There is a simple reason why wood lasts for centuries when properly used. The lignin
that cements its cells together is not only strong, its largely impervious to water and the extremes of heat and cold.
As a result, wood exposed to the elements wears away very little.
For a long time, woods that are less resistant have been made durable by impegnating their hollow
cells with synthetic resins and preservatives. Such uses as telephone poles, railroad ties and boat docks have been
made possible by a preservation treatment of wood.
Some woods need no maintenance at all, even outdoors! Beautiful
Swiss chalets have weathered centuries without paint or stain. Today in America, many old barns are being torn down
and sold because of the high prices brought by their beautifully weathered wood siding. Wood weathers well because its
cellular structure is hardly affected by water or heat. Left unfinished, about the only thing that happens to wood is
that in time, it turns to a soft driftwood grey.
Wood, with its porous cells, also accepts stains and other finsishes
that can achieve different visual effects. It can be stained to intensify its grain or roughsawn textures, or painted
with new acrylic or latex finishes that stay fresh-looking for many years.
Wood is also remarkably easy to maintain indoors. Hardwood
floors with new long lasting finishes now need only occasional waxing. According to government studies, hardwood floors can
give more than 50 years of service.
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One of the most surprising qualities of wood is its incredible strength. A wood block
just 1 inch square and 2-1/4 inches long can support 10,000 pounds; the weight of three automobiles! Actually,
pound per pound, wood is stronger than steel.
This great strength comes from the natural strength of the wood's cells. The lignin
that cements the cells together is not only strong, it is elastic.
Thus, wood has give. This explains why wood floors are less tiring to walk on
than concrete and why wood can bend without breaking under stress of high winds or earthquakes.
Another reason why wood houses withstand lashing winds and earthquakes better, is the wood
construction itself. When wood sheathing is fastened to wood walls and roof framing, the entire structure becomes one
unit, giving and recovering under stress.
Dry wood won't rot! Decay-causing fungi will generally occur only in logs with a moisture
content about 30%. Kiln-dried wood has a moisture content of less than 20%. Remember that while rain water usually
drains too fast to be a concern, it may splash on the lower logs in your house, along with dirt. Logs affected by this
water may retain enough of it to cause problems. Dry wood won't rot if it's kept dry. To help do so, once you
have built your home, apply a good water repellent treatment. Reapply the treatment once every several years after that.
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