The Timber Kings are back in TV town!

On January 4, 2015, the men of Pioneer Log Homes returned to begin their second season of Timber Kings, the No. 1 show on HGTV.

Pioneer Log Homes is located in Williams Lake B.C. Canada and is the largest builder of handcrafted log homes in the world. They have taken old European wood joinery techniques and adapted the "Norwegian Wedge Notch" to lock their building logs together. The notch repels moisture better than any other method. For every tree they take down (which can supply one to two house logs depending on the size) they plant seven more. 1.5 million trees have been planted to this date.

"We are very humbled by the success of Season 1, however it’s still a surprise that so many people watched the show. We always knew that what we do is special, but it’s just been so neat to see so many people also mesmerized by it." said Andre Chevigny, the general manager of Pioneer Log Homes, on the success of Season 1 in an interview with Canada.com

With their fifth episode airing next week, each episode you learn something new about their building techniques and what they endure to provide the best log cabin they can give their client. For example, the 'Family Tree' is the character log (centerpiece) that supports the roof system of the home.

For more Timber Kings facts, click here.

Making Log Cabins Energy Efficient

Building a log cabin/home is expensive enough for your client, so why not help them cut their future costs for running their new rustic home. Energy.Gov has an article with a list of things to consider while building your clients log home to help make it more energy efficient.

The list includes types of wood to help decrease air leakage and controlling moisture in the wood that you will use when building the log home.

The article could help you come up with ways to help save your client energy expenses, later down the road in their ownership of that beautiful home you built for them.

Another article to look at is from Log Association which looks at the thermal properties of log homes.
Both articles discuss the best types of wood to use and their R-value when used for building. It's something you should discuss with your client and have them consider.