Green Building: Understanding the Carbon Footprint of a Log Home

As we learn more and more about sustainability and our impact on the environment, there is an increased focus on building homes that are the less harmful to our planet. In the building industry they determine how “green” a building is by measuring its carbon footprint. It’s important when measuring carbon footprint to take into consideration the entire lifecycle of a home not just how it operates after it’s built. This article will help explain why building log and timber homes are greener, more sustainable and have a smaller carbon footprint compared to steel .

Forests and wood products are powerful tools to help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Source USDA Blog

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint, the total amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted directly or indirectly. For example, when you drive a car the engine burns fuel and creates a certain amount of CO2. Each vehicle can give off a different amount of CO2 depending on the fuel consumption of the vehicle. To understand the vehicle’s total carbon footprint you need to look at how it was made, what materials it’s made of, how it was transported, the CO2 it emits while you drive it, how long it will last and what will happen after it’s operational. 

Trees Absorb Carbon

As trees grow they clean the air we breathe by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and releasing oxygen. One tree can absorb up to 48 pounds of CO2 per year for a total of 1 ton by the time it reaches 40 years old. When a tree is cut down the carbon will remain stored in the tree. Only when the tree is burnt or  when it starts to  decay does that stored carbon start to be released back into our atmosphere. By dry weight, wood contains approximately 50% carbon, so wood used in a building provides physical storage of carbon that would otherwise go back into the atmosphere during the decaying process, thus reducing its carbon footprint.

The Carbon Footprint of a log home

Unfortunately, of the many environmental impact studies out there, only a few of them look at the entire lifecycle of a timber or log home and the way in which it results in a much smaller carbon footprint than steel and cement homes. Steel production alone accounts for around 25% of the world’s CO2 emissions.

“In a wood building, the carbon is kept out of the atmosphere for the lifetime of the structure—or longer if the wood is reclaimed and reused or manufactured into other products. Wood stores more carbon than is emitted during its harvest, production, transport, and installation—even when transported over great distances.”

Utilization of Harvested Wood by the North American Forest Products Industry, Dovetail Partners Inc., 2012

Wood is the only major building material that is renewable and sustainable over the long term, while also being superior to steel and cement in nearly every environmental impact category. As such, log and timber homes are one of the most sustainable forms of construction, lasting substantially longer than conventional homes, and using almost 4 times less fossil fuels in manufacturing than a conventionally framed home. They are among the most energy efficient homes built today.

In addition to the wood itself, there are number of other ways that building a log or timber home reduces its carbon footprint:

1. Smaller Footings

Because wood is a naturally lighter building material, log and timber frame homes don’t require as deep and extensive concrete footings as conventional brick homes, which can save up to 11.5 tonnes in CO2 emissions.

2. Less Reinforcing Steel

Smaller footings also mean less concrete, and therefore a lower use of reinforcing steel. This reduces both the foundation costs and the carbon footprint.

3. Low Thermal Conductivity

 

Timber has a much lower thermal conductivity than brick, which means that there is much less transfer of outside temperatures into your home, providing more efficient temperature regulation.

4. Energy Efficient Insulation

 

Log and timber frame walls can be easily insulated with energy efficient materials, reducing heating and cooling costs throughout the year.

5. Reduced Embodied Energy

 

The overall production and transportation of timber to your home’s location takes much less energy than producing and transporting brick and other conventional construction materials.
If minimizing your carbon footprint is a priority for you when building your home, a timber or log home may be a great option for you. Check out our Log Home Galleries and Log Home Plans to give you some different ideas and concepts, and feel free to contact us if you have any further questions.

from Artisan Custom Log Homes http://ift.tt/28WTOXD

Timber Frame Log Homes: Advantages and Disadvantages

Once you’ve decided to build a custom home, there are a number of choices that you need to make. While finding the best custom home builder should be a priority, it’s just as important to know what type of home you would like to build. These days, timber frame log homes are one of the most popular styles being built.  

A timber frame log home is very similar to a post and beam home in that you can have the beauty of wood and timber features without building the entire home out of logs, and instead have them being used as just the main structural supports for your home. The big difference between post and beam and timber frame is that post and beam logs are round with a more natural and rustic feel, while timber frame logs are square.

3 Benefits of Timber Frame Log Homes:

#1 Open Concept and Strength

Over the last ten years, the open concept home has been growing in popularity, with expansive kitchens that overlook common living areas throughout the home. The strength of the timbers in a timber frame home allows for less load bearing walls, naturally creating an open floor plan free of obstructions. This type of framing has been used for centuries, especially in older churches, because of its strength and durability as well as its beauty.

#2 Waste and Sustainability

There is generally less waste in using the entire log in a timber frame home than using dimensional lumber for framing a traditional home. With conventional homes, the lumber is cut in the forest, hauled to a mill, cut to size, shipped to a distributor then to a local building supply store, and, once on the job site, will be cut again. Wood used for timber frame homes goes through much less handling, which means lower costs. Once at the site, the logs are fit to size, then some adjustments are made with minimal waste.

#3 Aesthetics

With a custom built log home you have the option of having your framing logs visible on the outer or the inner walls of your home. The sheer beauty and strength in being surrounded by perfectly placed timbers gives a sense of safety and comfort, while adding character and a design that is unique to every custom timber frame home. Additionally, there is more choice in where to place windows and doors with less load bearing walls and an open concept.

Some other benefits of timber frame log homes

• Research has shown that living in houses consisting largely of wood offers physical and psychological health benefits.
• Speed! An “average”-sized timber-frame home can be reassembled onsite within 3 – 5 days. 
• Timber frames built with structural insulated panels (SIP) as insulation, are more efficient and stronger than fiberglass, costing less than half as much to heat and cool.
• The limited number of load bearing walls in timber frame structures allows for more flexibility and changes with the floor plan.
• A tendency to use less wood and sustainable materials when constructing timber frame log homes allow for a lower carbon footprint and lower cost to the environment. Recycled and/or local wood can be used, while what little timber waste there is can be further recycled.

Timber Frame Log Home Disadvantages

As with any type of construction, there are of course going to be disadvantages to building a timber frame home:

#1 Vulnerability to Pests

Just like any home timber frames are susceptible to attacks from termites, woodworms and carpenter ants. Properly cleaning and caring for your home will help you avoid any longterm damage and repairs.

#2 Vulnerability to Forces of Nature

Timber frame log homes can become damaged from to the elements, such as the sun, fire and/or water, making it vulnerable to decay or fire damage. To avoid this you want to ensure that any timber on the exterior of your house has proper overhangs to help protect the wood. It’s also important to ensure any snow, water drainage, shrubs and trees are not close to your home. By doing a quick walk around your log home every spring and fall to inspect and look for any potential problem areas you can find them in time, repair them and avoid any longterm damage.

#3 Shrinking or Swelling of the Wood

As wood can naturally absorb water, if your timber frame log home is not sealed or finished properly, it can swell, shrink or shift with the changes in water absorption throughout your home. Working with a professional log and timber builder will help you ensure that the builders are taking into consideration that the logs may shrink, twist or shift and can ensure proper precautions are in place to ensure it does not effective the structure of your home.

If you are considering building a custom log home but want to get away from the traditional full scribe log home, a timber frame may be a great option. Check out our Timber Frame Designs and Plans to give you some different ideas and concepts. Don’t be afraid to mix, match and integrate your own personal tastes as well, and if you have any additional questions feel free to contact us.

 

from Artisan Custom Log Homes http://ift.tt/1Ud1anu