To build the strongest house they could, the Zurchers decided to work together with Bryan Kerby, president of Northwoods Log Homes in Laporte, Minnesota.  “We had some very specific ideas when we started working with them—I actually had some renderings already done,” says Dan, an engineer.  From there, Dan and the Northwoods design team drew up a custom 2,800-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath floor plan from scratch, complete with unique details such as full-log gable ends and a multisided circular sunroom.  The standout element of the home, though:  the full-round pine logs.

“Early on in the 50 years we’ve been in business, we developed a segmented bolting system that, in essence, becomes a through-bolt system when we’ve finished a 14-, 15-, or 16- course stack of logs,” Bryan explains, “We also load a compression spring onto the bolt columns before we put the roof on, which helps to accommodate the settling and shrinking of the walls.  We believe it’s important to have a system that allows for those changes over time, making the home ultimately tighter.”

The strength of the home’s walls was particularly important for passing California’s strict seismic codes.  That requirement, in addition to planning for the heavy snow loads in the Sierra Nevadas, resulted in the design team “beefing up” a few design elements, such as doubling up beams along the roof and going with large-diameter rafters in some places.  “We drew the plan up with all of the fastenings and details, so, when Dan submitted it all to local boards of review, they were very impressed with the design and our ability to anticipate possible structural issues,” says Bryan.

With Dan working as the general contractor on the project, the whole process took two years from start to finish, and all of the planning and hard work was definitely worth the wait.  “We love this house,” says Teresa.  “We’ll build a fire in the fireplace, and the whole place becomes warm and cozy, even though it’s not a tiny home.”  That’s right—just when the Zurchers thought they couldn’t have built a stronger house, they were pleasantly surprised by their log home’s energy efficiency.  “We’re really impressed by how tight the home is,” says Dan.  “It really holds in the heat, saving us money and creating a comfortable, and solid, home for our family.”