Log Homes Council Offers Free Report on Fire Performance of Log Walls

PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 16, 2010 – Over the years, building code inspectors, fire officials, the insurance industry and prospective home buyers have been curious about the fire performance of solid log walls. Numerous scientific studies conducted by Log Homes Council have proven that solid log walls offer a solid protection against the threat of fire.

The tests conducted by members of the Log Homes Council, on a variety of log species and log diameters, prove that log walls pass the fire endurance test and hose stream test, as required by many building codes. In one test example, a log structure endured a two-and-a-half hours of fire without structural damage or transmitting enough heat through the log wall to ignite cotton. This illustrates that solid log walls provide a strong thermal barrier that enables occupants to escape a fire, as well as proving this building material meets or exceeds all building code fire protection rules.

This fascinating scientific data has long been some of the most requested information in the Log Homes Council library of information. This is why the Log Homes Council is offering this information on its website, in html or as a down-loadable 20-page .pdf of the study. This information is free to building code officials, fire officials, the insurance industry and prospective home buyers.

The Log Homes Council is an association of the most reputable log home companies in the United States, Canada and beyond. “While hundreds of companies offer log and timber homes, less than 60 qualify for membership in the Log Homes Council,” says Jim Murphy, chairman of the Log Homes Council and a log home manufacturer from Mauston, WI. “Members of the council offer consumers peace of mind during the buying and building process. Council members not only contribute to scientific studies that advance log building technologies, they also abide by a strict code of ethics, grade their logs and timbers to ensure quality materials, provide construction manuals to ensure homes are built correctly and provide free information to consumers.”

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