Today, thousands of home buyers annually choose milled log homes produced by some 200 different companies that range in size from simple sawmill operations to companies producing hundreds of log packages per year. Most consumers want permanent residences. All of them demand high quality in terms of appearance and structural integrity.

Milled log homes offer consumers a number of advantages. The first would have to be price. While large, custom designed log homes can be expensive no matter which option is selected, in general, milled log homes cost less per square foot than most handcrafted log packages. Very beautiful, very livable milled log homes can be built for about the same price as a conventional brick home.

Another advantage is versatility. Milled logs are shaped into a host of different profiles and come in a variety of wood species. There is something to suit just about any taste. Logs can have rounded interiors and exteriors, the classic "D" shape, or even a milled exterior profile that would be difficult to distinguish from a clapboard siding. Even the traditional handcrafted log styles, like hewn dovetail or Swedish cope, have milled counterparts. Milled logs also offer consumers tremendous diversity in terms of design possibilities. Most any residential design that can be achieved with a conventionally built home, a custom wood home can be duplicated in logs.

Because the logs have uniformed size and shape and the construction systems employed by each company are relatively easy to understand, it takes minimal training to succesfully erect most milled log walls. This is important for novice "do-it-yourselfers" who want to invest their time and energy into building the home of their dreams. The smaller dimensions of milled logs also allow two people to handle them with relative ease while larger, handcrafted timbers normally require the attention of a trained professional log builder - often supported by a crane operator.

Since the sixties, milled log home products have grown increasingly responsive to consumer needs. Companies today offer a variety of services to their clients such as design and engineering, consturction, and "after sale" maintenance. They have developed building systems that meet or exceed local building code requirements. And they are constantly researching new sealant systems, preservatives, window technologies, milling and fastening systems, etc., that might extend the life of their homes or make log home living even more comfortable and enjoyable than it already is.

Today over 55 of America's leading manufacturers are members of the Log Home Council, a non-profit, voluntary organization committed to providing quality products and services to the home buying public. A division of the National Association of Home Builders, the LHC has developed a strict log grading program, underwritten technical studies on log homes, and created a code of ethics for its membership. This is further evidence of the fact that milled log homes are part of mainstream housing in North America.

While not as old as handcrafting, the milled log industry has a rich history of its own. And, so long as customers have a love fot the beauty, warmth, comfort, and character of solid wood homes, it will also have a bright future. One fact is undeniable, like the cabins built by early settlers, milled log houses now are a part of America's heritage.