Creating a personal style for your log or timber home and coordinating it with your budget may seem like an overwhelming task. With Wisconsin Log Homes’ Design Build Solution, you’ll receive the personalized attention you deserve throughout the architectural and interior design of your exclusive hybrid log or timber home.

How Homes Become Green

Look to more durable roof coverings such as integrate asphalt shingles, standing-seam metal roofing, slate or concrete tiles and solar roofing products, steel and fiber cement to reduce the frequency of roof replacement.

Energy efficient windows incorporating advanced technologies like Insul lowE2 Argon Gas glazing, warm wood interiors and maintenance free exteriors with heavy-duty extruded aluminum cladding to keep heat inside in the winter & outside in the summer.

Wood is the only building product that is renewable, biodegradable, recyclable, energy efficient and naturally beautiful. Logs and other basic wood building components generate the least amount of air & water pollution, green house gases and solid waste.

Increasing the amount and R-value of insulation is a cost-effective way to save energy and help reduce heating and cooling bills, which account for at least half of the energy use in the home. Sprayed insulation made from foam, cellulose or wool and reflective foil are alternative to glass fiber batting.

Incorporating passive solar design features like large south-facing windows helps heat the home in the winter and allows for more natural daylight.

Foundation walls should be insulated, as well as the main level walls, for efficient energy use and enhanced comfort, particularly if it is used for living space.

Factory-built components including trusses and pre-hung doors allow for more efficient use of raw materials, and reduce jobsite waste.

Recycled plastic lumber and wood composite materials reduce reliance on chemically treated lumber for decks and porches. Stamped & dyed concrete is another alternative to treated lumber.

Proper sized overhangs and porches over the exterior doors help to prevent water intrusion, reducing maintenance and enhancing durability.

Oriented strand board (OSB) is an engineered wood product that doesn’t demand older-growth forest like plywood. OSB can be created from small-diameter trees.

In addition to natural wood, flooring choices include low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) carpet for better indoor air quality. Also consider laminates and linoleum.

Select energy efficient, properly sized heating and cooling and water heating equipment to save energy.

The energy efficiency of refrigerators and freezers has tripled over the last three decades because they have more insulation, advaned compressors, better door seals and temperature controls. Front-loading washers use about 40% less water and half the energy of conventional styles.

New toilets have re-designed bowls and tanks that use less water, but function more efficiently than first-generation low-flow models. Advanced shower and sink faucet aerators supply the same flow regardless of pressure to reduce water use and the energy used to heat it.

Xeriscaping, or using native plants, significantly reduces the need for watering, fertilizers and herbicides.