A spate of fires in Montana several years ago inspired Stewart Hansen to find a way he could build homes with all the character of traditional log homes, and all the fire-resistance of concrete.
The solution was to develop concrete log homes, which his company, Missoula-based Concrete Logs LLC, is now doing successfully into its fourth year.
With 30 concrete log homes on the market, Hansen said the company is now developing between 10 and 15 new concrete log homes each year.
Concrete Logs LLC sells just the exterior wall system, not the entire house, and charges between $70 and $80 per square foot. Finished turnkey costs can run anywhere from $130 to $500 per square foot depending on the customer’s preferences.
Using forms cast from actual wood logs, Concrete Logs LLC has also placed a premium on energy efficiency in its homes. Hansen said a recent test conducted by the National Center of Appropriate Technology indicated Concrete Log homes are seven times as airtight as traditional wood-log buildings and six times as airtight as traditional wood-frame buildings. A recent 10,000-square-foot custom home in Colorado has monthly utility bills of $322 per month, he said.