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Why Do We Use Dead Standing Trees?
Nature has provided us with an excellent source of logs for Log Construction. Every year many high altitude
Beetle epidemics and occasionally forest fires kill spruce and lodge pole pines. Dead timber is
great for house log construction but is almost useless for most other purposes.
ACS Construction cultivates its supply of logs where vast tracts of timber have been killed by periodic
beetle epidemics. The beetles kill green trees, but do not harm the wood, leaving a tree dead but still standing and sound.
These trees will stand for years, sometimes decades. Over time, this dry climate and natural curing process
Thoroughly dries and creates what is called dead-standing trees. These are the trees that
ACS Construction uses for construction purposes.
We are very aligned with nature’s cycle of survival for growth in the timbered Rockies. It's nice to think
Of building houses without killing green trees. Throughout the Rockies, vast tracts of timber have been standing
dead for decades. Among the dead timber, there is a young green forest growing up underneath. When
ACS Construction logs dead standing timber, we remove a big source of fuel and lessen the
danger and severity of forest fires.
Ongoing environmental impact assessments are made in all logging areas and great lengths are taken to protect the
young green forest for future generations. Our lumberjacks work only on trees specifically designated and tagged, and take maximum care not to injure green
living trees when felling the dead. When we do inadvertently damage green trees; we make restitution by
planting new seedlings.
Dry wood is necessary for dimensionally stable lumber and house logs. Your typical construction wood used in
conventional home construction is dried, usually by kiln or air-drying. This process works fine for lumber and
boards, but with sizable pieces of wood, such as house logs, the results are far from satisfactory. While kiln or
Air-drying logs yields a certain degree of dryness, it's difficult to dry large house logs all the way to the center
by duplicating the natural aging process.
All logs shrink, warp, and crack to some extent during the drying and aging process. Our house logs, made from
Dead-standing timber, have already been through these stages and are stable for construction.
House logs made from dead-standing timber greatly simplify every phase of construction. Builders using green logs must
take extraordinary precautions to allow for settling and shrinking. Openings for doors and windows are built oversized
and with special designs so that over the years the settling logs do not press down on windows and doors. Hundreds of
joints have to be routed and splined to prevent gaps as the house ages and to keep logs from splitting. Corner systems
have to be engineered to keep corners from separating.
We don't have to make these allowances for drying and aging wood because our logs have been thoroughly cured before
they are ever used in a house construction is simple and straightforward, practical for do-it-yourself builders or
Professionals, and much less labor-intensive than green construction.
Working with the Environment
Logging is a big job and requires heavy equipment such as bulldozers, skidders, loaders, and large trucks. In all cases,
ACS Construction locates roads and skidder paths in ways to minimize negative effects such as erosion
and soil compaction. When we are finished in an area, we plow and aerate the soils affected by our machinery,
replace trees as necessary, and restore ground cover, leaving little evidence of our logging activity. Only vital green
trees where once stood a forest of dead wood.
In cases where directed by the forest service, ACS Construction clears permanent roads which open public
lands for recreational use by vacationers and campers.
Popularity of log homes from dead dry timber has increased dramatically as consumers have realized the value of using
dry wood to build their houses. Logging costs are understandably high and getting higher when you know how remote and
inaccessible this timber is.
ACS Log Variety
ACS Construction Logs come from Canada. ACS Construction Logs come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most people
choose our popular D-shaped logs because they allow a traditional log appearance on the outside while yielding a
flat interior wall. Flat interior wall surfaces preserve the rich look of real wood and make installation of electrical
switches and outlets uncomplicated, while eliminating "dust catchers." Feel free to request a brouchure with
additional detail regarding types of logs and other considerations for your new house.
Of course, AACS Construction offers a variety of other log designs which allow a wide range of customization. Some people prefer the
rustic log look on interior as well as exterior walls, so we offers a full round log with curved surfaces on both
interior and exterior walls.
Other materials include thinner logs designed for interior partition walls. These partition logs match the inside look
of D-shaped house logs, but are flat on both sides for exposure to both rooms on either side of the wall.
One of our newer log styles is a square rough-cut log designed to accept chinking and yielding a hand-hewn log home
appearance.
Feel free to request a brouchure with
additional detail regarding types of logs and other considerations for your new house.
For ultimate flexibility, ACS Construction can custom mill logs to your specifications. Beveled exteriors, single tongue-and-grooves,
triple tongue-and-grooves, rustic unmilled exteriors, and many other options are available. We even offer saddle-notched
full round logs with coped bottoms.
Which Construction Company Should I Use??
When shopping for Log Construction Companies remember that you are not comparing Apples-to-Apples. We stand
above our competitors offerings. Most Log Construction Companies don't do there own logging, but purchase the
logs from the cheapest provider available. The quality of the logs are a gamble and the timeframe for delivery is a best guess.
Next suprise, these companies will hire the cheapest subcontractor to do the millwork on the logs and then go shopping again for
a subcontractor to actually build your house. You have no idea or control of who is actually doing the work on your new
house. When you are shopping for a company to partner with and do the work on one of your most expensive and important
investments in your family's life, ask them some of these questions. They will probably struggle for an answer that
you would want to hear!
At ACS Construction we have our own logging operations set up in the Canadian Rockies. We have our own sawmills
that are staffed by our own trained employees who perform the customizing log work. Our own internal crews prepare the site,
pour the foundation and construct your new Log House. If you have any questions or concerns you go to one site,
one company for answers.....ACS Construction, Inc. We eliminate the problems that many Log Construction Companies
experience:
Communicationbetween subcontractors
A constantly slipping timeframe due to subcontractors working on their own schedules
Fingers pointingto someone else, blaming the problems on another subcontractor.
Our project communication is solid because the orders come from one source, within ACS Construction, Inc.,
The timeframe is controlled because it is an internal object maintained within ACS Construction , managed and
controlled by ACS Construction , and the saying "The Buck Stops Here" is very much respected here. There is
no one else to blame for mistakes and there is no one else but ACS Construction that will take full
responsibility for discovering, correcting and following through with a resolution to problems if one should arise.
ACS Construction is truley your
One-Stop Shopping for A Log Construction Provider!
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