Log settling is a natural part of any log-home construction process, but if it’s not handled properly on the front end, it can lead to long-term problems such as loose-fitting logs and air infiltration.

Fortunately, Heritage Log Home’s innovative Thru-Bolt system is designed to eliminate those potential pitfalls, ensuring a tight fit between logs and adding structural strength to walls.

The concept is simple: Once logs are stacked into wall segments, the contractor runs a long, threaded steel bolt, from top to bottom, through a set of pre-drilled, precision-aligned holes. The spring-loaded bolt is then threaded into our patented SALLY (self-aligning log-locking yoke) anchoring system in the base log and tightened topside according to specifications. Thru-bolts are inserted at four-foot intervals and on each side of every door and window to maximize wall rigidity.

Your contractor will make an initial set of adjustments to your Thru-bolt system during construction, followed by a final adjustment a few months later, once the logs have done most of their settling. From there, Thru-bolt technology automatically compensates for any further log expansions or contractions due to changing moisture levels.

This system offers a number of advantages over other log-joining methods, which traditionally involve spiking or bolting logs to each other 1-by-1. Eliminates air infiltration that can result in energy loss and drafty rooms. Forms a solid wall unit with greater strength and durability. Maintenance-free, self-tightening technology means no more settling-related worries throughout the life of your home. Thru-bolt holes are pre-drilled in our factory, which means ease of on-site construction. (Thru-bolt is only available from Heritage Log Homes and cannot be adapted to existing log structures.)