Modular log cabins are becoming more and more popular not just as second vacation homes but also for primary residences. Log cabins, chalets, and lodges have always been popular in Canada and have had a surge of new popularity in the US beginning in the 1970s. You don't have to be a pioneer to live in a modular log cabin.

Modular log cabins are made in a great variety of styles and factory-made with various construction techniques. Though well suited for rugged backwoods terrain, they no longer demand rugged living within. Modular log cabins not only have electricity and central heat; some modular log cabins are equipped with cathedral ceilings, porches, lofts, skylights, and even matching doghouses.

Modular log cabins seem particularly appealing these days because of our collective nostalgia for the way things were, because of their rustic looks and handcrafted appeal, because they're quick and inexpensive to build, and because they come in factory-made kits. Since they require neither framing nor siding, they go up quickly and require little in the way of maintenance. All that's required is an occasional coating of preservative, indoors and out, as a substitute for paint.

Unless you choose on of the few double-walled structures with insulation between log layers, what you see on the outside is what you get on the inside which is solid timber walls as thick as desired; usually somewhere between six to eight inches. And solid timber construction lasts a long time. Some industry experts say a modular log cabin that's build and maintained correctly will last over 200 years.

Though modular log cabins offer most of the conveniences demanded by today's homeowners, the energy efficiency of log homes is questioned by many. But modular log cabin owners often boast of low utility bills. Log homes can generally be adequately heated by a good airtight wood-burning stove and modular log cabin manufacturers claim they retain heat better and use less energy than equivalently sized frame houses.

Modular log cabins also meet federal, regional, and local building codes. In fact most modular log cabins qualify for FHA and VA financing. However in some areas uninsulated log walls may not meet energy-code requirements for insulated walls.

Some experts point out that solid wood, as in log walls, is not the best insulator. Nevertheless, a solid log wall six to eight inches thick is equivalent to an ordinary house wood-stud wall with up to two inches of insulation. That's not bad considering that the first inch or two of insulation saves the most heat.

In addition, modular log cabin manufacturers say that national energy standards for houses do not give credit to a log house for its head absorption and thermal storage capacity. This claim has been confirmed by research performed by US National Bureau of Standards.