Roofs and Floors

Many of our homes feature exposed log beams, ceiling joists, and roof trusses.

As well as being beautiful to look at, these items form an important part of the structural integrity of many log home designs. 

The logs for these structural members are carefully chosen using engineering tables and joined using special notches and a minimum of exposed metal hardware. 

There are many ways of completing an open timber roof.  We have tried several and settled on a system that has received excellent reviews from the contractors who have used it. 

As we design the roof, we detail specs for “Sloping Flat” trusses, which are essentially webbed rafters that sit on top of the log roof beams that we install.  These trusses usually include a 3’ overhang with a soffit return at plate log height.  This allows for good protection without having the roof extend down to where it will block light from the windows.   The trusses are 14” deep, so there is plenty of room for insulation with ventilation space above. 

Contractors like them because they are precut and easy to handle and install without the use of lifting equipment.  The trusses are installed and the roof is made weathertight before any insulation and interior finishing is done.  This may not be a big issue in Arizona, but here on the East Coast, it certainly is an advantage to get the roof dried in as soon as possible.

As for floors, we recommend that a secondary joist of 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 material be used above our log joists in order to improve sound insulation and to create a space for wiring and plumbing.  The size of the secondary joist is determined by the distance plumbing pipes have to be run, in order to get the proper slope. 

Roof beams and log joists are designed to have a 2 x 4 spacer attached to the flat surface.  This allows the ceiling finish to extend above the uneven surface of the log to a straight edge.