Growing up in Ringwood, Tyler Schreckenstein was always in awe of the log cabins that made up his neighborhood. And while those homes may have changed over the years, his dream of owning one never went away.
Fast forward to 2023, he and his husband stumbled upon a property for sale — a charming log cabin in Ringwood's Erskine Lakes neighborhood — on their way home from attending a few open houses with a friend. While they weren't planning to move, they decided to check out the property anyway.
"As soon as I walked in, I just absolutely fell in love with it," he said. "We decided to take a leap and go for it."
The couple has been learning the ins and outs of log cabin homeownership ever since. Schreckenstein created a Facebook group, Log Cabins of Ringwood NJ, so other log cabin owners could connect and learn from one another.
But did the dream of buying a log cabin live up to the reality? Yes and no.
"I 100% love it. It truly gives you that warm, cozy feeling. Every single person that comes over to our house says that it feels like they're on vacation somewhere," Schreckenstein said. "But I do wish I had done more research into how much work log cabins actually are and how expensive they can be."
The idea of living in a cozy log cabin — typically situated close to nature, away from the chaos of the outside world — may sound alluring, especially as the temperature drops and the sky turns gray. But before you always take the plunge and buy your own log cabin, there are some things you need to know.
What is the draw of log cabin living?
With a charming aesthetic defined by its rustic design and a more secluded setting, these homes offer a simple, laid-back lifestyle with an atmosphere that your traditional home doesn't provide.
"When you walk inside, there's just this different feeling of warmth and comfort and security," said Brad Mercer, corporate sales manager at Timberhaven Log & Timber Homes in Middleburg, Pennsylvania. "It's just uniquely different than a dry wall box with a flat ceiling. Most of the time, you're going to see warm wooden walls. You're going to see cathedral ceilings. Lofts are a very popular design choice that people like."
And while it may not have been on their long-term radar, Mercer said they get a lot of clients who want to buy a log cabin after experiencing one. After this, as he said, "it's like they're hooked."
Differences between owning a log cabin and a typical traditional home
There are three main factors to consider when it comes to owning a log cabin: maintenance, pests and energy efficiency.
While every house requires annual maintenance to some degree, log cabins tend to be higher maintenance. As a homeowner, you'd be required to take steps to ensure you're properly protecting the home's wood exterior.
This includes resealing and restaining the exterior every 3 to 5 years, though the exact timeline depends on the quality of the stain and its application, as well as the cabin's exposure to sunlight and certain weather conditions.
You'll also have to fully replace your home's chinking or caulking — sealing materials to fill gaps between the home's logs — every 15 to 30 years, and inspect it at least twice a year to address any small cracks or gaps with minor touch-ups as needed.
You'll also have to consider whether the home's logs are air-dried or kiln-dried, Mercer said. Kiln-dried logs require less maintenance, as they're less prone to warping or cracking, while air-dried logs can be more susceptible to shrinkage, warping or cracking.
"For us, everything we provide is a truly kiln-dried product. This means that the only maintenance you need to perform on that house as you move forward is to maintain its exterior preservative. Once the inside is finished and polyurethane as been applied, you don't need to do anything else whatsoever," Mercer said. "Other log homes that are not truly kiln dried will require more maintenance to adjust for settling."
When purchasing their home, Schreckenstein said there were several logs that were in desperate need of repair. Likely due to a lack of maintenance, he said they were able to work with the previous owner to repair those logs.
Pests can be an issue with any home, but even moreso for a log cabin if it hasn't been properly maintained. Exposed and rotted wood, as well as cracks and gaps, can attract things like carpenter bees, termites, rodents and more.
"Again, maintaining the exterior treatment and adding and maintaining bug repellent for that is just another added layer of protection that will help prevent that kind of activity," Mercer said.
The design of your home can also play a role in this, he said. For example, a foundation that provides an 18-inch to 24-inch barrier — compared to a typical 4-inch to 6-inch foundation — will create additional space between your home and the ground, helping to deter any kind of activity from pests.
An advantage to log cabin living is that well-maintained log cabins are naturally insulated due to thermal mass — meaning the logs absorb, store and release heat over time — which creates a "thermal battery" that helps regulate indoor temperatures. As a result, log cabins are typically very energy efficient.
"Provided the home is sealed property (between the foundation and the first course of logs, between log-to-log connections and where the roof system meets the log wall), you can have a super energy efficient home," a report from the National Association of Home Builders said in a report.
In their case, Schreckenstein and his husband have struggled with losing energy in their log cabin. But after having PSEG come in to do a Whole Home Energy Assessment, he said they determined that they're losing most of their home's energy through three additions that were not properly insulated, rather than through the portion with the original log cabin.
"My home is unique and has three different additions on it. And the additions were done way back in the 70s' and they did not insulate them," he said.
Building a log home tends to be more expensive than a stick-built home due to higher building costs and the specialized labor they require. And if you opt for an existing log cabin, rather than building your own, the level of maintenance they require will still also be pricey.
Hanging things on the wall can also be tricky, Schreckenstein said, as no log is the same size or proportion. Log cabins are also naturally dusty, he said, as the crevices between logs typically trap dirt.
"I think if someone is interested in buying a log cabin, or any type of home, it's really important to find out the history of the home," he said. "It's definitely been a huge learning curve. I don't want to say I have any regrets, I just wish I had done more extensive research."
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at [email protected].
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