Virtually all the wood we use for building is winter-felled silver fir or spruce grown on the Bavarian Alps at high altitudes of over 800m above sea level. The trees are subjected to sustainable forestry management, selected by our experienced foresters, and felled selectively (no clear cutting). The trunks we use have a diameter of approx. 45 cm and do not require intermediate storage, which means they can be processed immediately, while they are still fresh.
With hand-made log homes, the natural log structure remains visible, which is not the case when mechanical construction techniques are employed. A so-called scribe tool is used to ensure the joints between the logs are precise, with no cracks or gaps appearing in the structure. Using this special tool, the contours of one log are transferred 1:1 to the next during alignment, thus ensuring an exact fit of the longitudinal and corner joints.
To ensure optimal positioning of the individual logs, they are aligned manually as they are stacked, and fixed one above the other using precise corner joints. The wood has a natural tendency to set, resulting in a solid wooden stack with no gaps after only a short time. The pressure from the weight of the roof, ceiling and wall structures is generally enough to ensure the stability of the walls, without the need for additional joining techniques.
Whether the construction is traditional or modern is down to the profiles of the logs, the type of corner joints employed, and the architecture of the house.
The typical, traditional log home style from Canada, in which the logs retain their natural form and appearance.
The modern type of log home. The logs are trimmed (flattened) on either side, creating wall thicknesses of up to 40cm, depending on how they are cut.
This is a combination of the round and the trimmed profile. One side retains the round profile and the other is trimmed (generally the inside, as it increases the space available).
Corner joints are either saddle notch or dovetail, and a scribe tool is employed to ensure their precise alignment.
This is the classic corner formation used in traditional Scandinavian and Canadian log home constructions. The ends must protrude by at least 55cm.
This is a traditional type of corner, and is well suited for modern trimmed log constructions – since no protruding ends are necessary, unlike with saddle notch corners.
The structure of the surface can vary the appearance of your house between traditional and modern.
The logs are smoothed using a compass plane. This type of plane makes it possible to retain the logs' natural visible structure.
The bark is removed from the logs using a high-pressure water jet. Any minor damage is then removed by sanding. The natural visible structure is retained in full.
For a more country-style appearance, the surface can also be peeled, i.e. the bark is removed using a peeling tool.
Unlimited variety – unlike other manufacturers, Artifex employs a special frame system that allows maximum flexibility in the selection of doors and windows. You decide for yourself which ones you prefer and we take care of the construction.
We also use natural materials for sealing and insulating our log homes:
We use insulation lining made from pure sheep’s wool, which is inserted in special hollow grooves on the underside of the logs. Anyone who has ever worn a wool pullover knows the excellent thermal insulation properties of wool, which it even retains when it is imbued with moisture. It absorbs and emits moisture quickly, which makes it effective at smoothing out temperature peaks. Moreover, Alchimea lana is extremely sound-absorbent and can even absorb pollutants from the air in the room.