Over the last one or two years, the log and timber home industry has taken new turn. Today the industry sees more and more homes mixing log elements with timber frame parts and traditional framing.

Employing a mix of materials and building styles is called "composite” and is frequently done to realize a selected design look. Many clients enjoy the flexibleness in design a compound style home permits. Below are one or two examples illustrating how a mix of different materials can come together to form a truly incredible home :

Crested Butte - A composite log home design of huge stone, milled log walls, and customized timber frame trusses.

Eagle's Nest - A hybrid log and timber home; square milled log walls with dovetail corners and custom timber frame trusses.

Upland Retreat - A hand made log & timber compound home; hand made wall logs and timber frame trusses, posts & roof.

Many designers will use timber and log elements together with standard framing.Naturally, the log & timber home purist favors a rather more authentic log and timber style construction. However ornamental log and timber elements added to standard framing can achieve a mountain flavor and often save costs. This composite technique is seen frequently in multi-unit condos and resort townhouses. Framing side wings together with a timber frame or log great room sounds right and can save in construction costs.

Log construction nevertheless, can be exceedingly tough to blend with other sorts of construction if the log home company doesn't utilize a non-settling system. If your goal is to reduce the cost to build your log home by mixing logs with framing or post & beam construction, do not forget to take a look at the company's non-settling system.

With any home design, the creativeness of the designer will dictate the materials to be used. Find an organization that is flexible in their producing in order to accommodate the creativeness of your design. Providing your designer with broad palette of materials including log, timber, framing, glass, stone, steel and other materials creates more opportunity for a novel and creative custom home. The design must come first and the materials must then in a position to accommodate.