FAQ

1. How long do they last?
2. What about our climate?
3. Isn’t insurance very expensive?
4. Where are they made?
5. What about building?
6. Do I need Planning Permission?
7. What about rot, vermin, and fire?
8. What about my health?
9. Finance?
10. May I have what I want?
11. What else can you supply?
12. I think I know what I want, but . . .
13. Must all my walls be log?

1. How long do they last?

We’ve been in Log Houses in Europe that are 400 years old and still being lived  in! We expect Artichouses to last at least 200-300 years when properly maintained.

2. What about our climate?

There are a great many Artichouse Log Houses throughout Europe and in Japan, in areas where the weather is damper, colder, dryer and hotter than here, and they stand up beautifully to this. Don’t forget that Log is a natural material and ‘breathes’.

3. Isn’t insurance very expensive?

No -it isn’t! It’s a little more than for a ‘standard’ house. Our houses are quality approved so are, even in this age of difficult insurance, not a problem area. We have blue-chip Irish insurers for your site insurance and Artichome.

4. Where are they made?

Artichouse’s own government-backed state of the art factory in Sodankyla, Lapland, cuts and numbers each log specifically for your house in our high-technology advanced facility.  The specialised CAD drawings, using Artichouse’s own programme, link up with the cutting machinery inSodankyla, which is in the  middle of a Finnish forest north of the Artic cirle, where the trees are grown. Your house drawings go in, and after many carefully controlled and checked processes your logs and log house components emerge, are carefully packed and loaded onto the actual trailers that arrive at your site.  The factory is ably run to the highest specs for recycling and care for the environment. The  sawdust and off-cuts are even used to  heat the town!

5. What about building?

Building arrangements may be surprisingly flexible. We can cater as much for the self-build client as for those who want acomplete  ‘turn-key’ arrangement; even a combination of these if you have the expertise to carry out some of the work yourself. Our experienced builders are normally happy to work on a consultancy basis if required, or indeed construct, say, the log frame and inner walls for you.  The most important thing to us is that your house is erected to proper standards, and at the lowest reasonable cost, and that you are happy with the end result. Complete construction drawings are supplied by Artichouse once your house is ordered, which show details of foundation requirements, walls, roof etc.

6. Do I need Planning Permission?

Quite possibly. Check with your local Planning Authority. We have an excellent affiliate, Freddie Millar of FMBC, who will carry out all necessary checks and apply for you if you wish. Freddie is very skilfull, well qualified, experienced and honest. He  can also survey your site and carry out all liaison with the authorities.  Smaller garden rooms, extensions, extra accommodation or ‘smoking’ areas up to 40+ sq m may often be built without planning permission.

7. What about rot, vermin, and fire?

The wood we use is cut from forests in Lapland, North of the Arctic Circle – the Northernmost part of Europe where trees will grow. Every tree cut is replaced by three more. Where it might take a log 25 years to reach a suitable diameter here in Ireland, it takes over 180 years in Finland. The logs are so dense that in some cases it is impossible to count the rings with the naked eye, so these problems are unlikely to arise as the logs char rather than burn. In 24 years we’ve never known a vermin problem with our houses in Ireland, they probably cant get their teeth into it!

8. What about my health?

Log houses do not generate dust and are easy-care! You don’t need fitted carpets or lots of fabric, the log walls breathe and at all times give a healthy atmosphere. They are warm and cosy in winter, and cool and fresh in hot weather. Our customers find that their heating bills are significantly reduced, and that their own energy levels often increase in their log houses. Clients have reported that they sleep like logs [sorry!] and that they rarely if ever get coughs and colds and their children don’t bring infections back from school.

9. Finance?

We will give you a contact with a ‘smoothed path’ for mortgages for Artichouses, where you are virtually guaranteed your loan once your financial information is ok. Our affiliate Michael Kealy actually trains lending officers [ with his pupils regularly achieving 1st and 2nd in the world in this part of the ACCA exams…] and is impartial and reasonable, can save considerable time at ‘draw-down’ and will keep you informed of how your application is going. We’ve known Michael for many years and trust him completely.

10. May I have what I want?

You can have exactly what you want as long as it is buildable! You can plan your own or choose from thousands of plans available from Artichouse. Once you are committed to the project we will help design your dream house for you, and work to budget as required. Sensitivity to the site is as critical as it is to your own needs, both current and future. The Planning Authority parameters must be taken into consideration. A small non-returnable deposit – from €1250 + VAT for a small house – is made for special drawings from a sketch plan, which can then be used as part of your planning application. The nett amount is then offset against the final cost of your house.

11. What else can you supply?

We can supply your Sauna benching and fittings – at extremely low cost. Enough wood for the kitchen, wardrobes, shelves etc too may be ordered at the same time as your house. We can also supply beautiful wooden flooring and panelling for pre-existing houses if required, or all the wood needed to build a concrete-walled house if PP wasn’t forthcoming for log. We even supplied the long beams for the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Ireland/GB!  Information about grey water recycling, geothermic heating, sheep-wool & sound insulation is also available. One of our houses has been built as a Passive house.We work closely with an independent Energy Auditor who can design optimum heat/energy on foot of your plans. He can advise also on relevance and usage of solar heating.

12. I think I know what I want, but . . .

Kenneth Edwards, who is probably Ireland’s most respected Interior Designer and Architect is our Irish Design Consultant and may be available to design your ideal interior and layouts. We also work with a Master Feng Shui practitioner if this is your wish, and several other architects in various parts of the country. Gerry Roberts, our experienced Technical Director, is happy to go through the feasibility of original ideas and sketches with you.

13. Must all my walls be log?

No. It is quite feasible to have a mixture of interior plaster walls and log or log panelling. Plaster can be a cheaper base too for tiling if you want this in bathroom and kitchen, although it’s only really needed for splash-backs & excessive heat. In split level buildings it is often advisable to have the walls of the lower floor in concrete or stone.