Welcome to Prefab Profiles, an ongoing series of interviews with people transforming how we build houses. From prefab tiny houses and modular cabin kits to entire homes ready to ship, their projects represent some of the best ideas in the industry. Do you know a prefab brand that should be on our radar? Get in touch!

Since 1958, Honka has manufactured an astounding number of prefab log cabin kits—more than 90,000, claims the Karstula, Finland, company. Today, its work spans everything from a lodge in Finland’s frigid Lapland region, to a luxury spa under the hot Kenyan sun, and a mountain resort in Japan blanketed in heavy humidity. According to the company, the geographical breadth of their work can be attributed, in part, to their use of solid natural wood. “We use pine and spruce sourced from PEFC-certified Finnish forests. Finnish pine grows slowly, which makes it one of the densest coniferous woods on Earth. It’s the perfect material for building a house” in a variety of climates, says Honka U.S. representative Mark Jermano.

Here, Jermano explains more about what sets Honka’s log cabin kits apart from other prefab homes.

What does your base model cost and what does that pricing include?

In the U.S., an estimated turn-key build for a Honka log home ranges from $400 to over $600 per square foot. The cost depends on the complexity of the design, site development costs, local codes, labor rates, and builder fees, as well as product selections.

What qualities make your prefab stand apart from the rest?

• Custom Homes: We offer customizable, ready-made designs and fully custom homes that suit a client’s needs and lifestyle.

• Honka Fusion™: Our proprietary concept combines mass timber with other building materials like glass, stone, and steel. The non-settling Honka Fusion CLT log allows us to build bold, diverse structures. It allows for the architectural appearance of a timber frame without the problems typically associated with timber frame construction. Honka Fusion houses are suited for modern architecture and urban settings.

•  Finnish Wood: Our log homes are designed and built to withstand harsh conditions in many climates and geographical circumstances. Our homes are created in Karstula, Finland, as a result of experience spanning more than 65 years, 90,000 projects, and numerous innovations.

• Healthy Living: Honka houses provide a healthy living environment with organic building materials, high indoor air quality, and a welcoming atmosphere. Massive building logs retain the heat from the low sun during the winter, thereby enhancing the warmth and comfort during those cold winter months. Conversely, the logs retain the coolness of summer nights, allowing the home to quickly expel any trapped solar radiation and thereby creating a natural cooling effect without air conditioning. In addition, the logs filter the air and control the humidity inside the home, maintaining an average of 30 to 50 percent humidity, which is optimal for humans. Mass timber is also a fire-resistant material. A log house can also be a good choice in seismic areas.

Where are Honka log cabins currently available?

We have distributors and regional offices in more than 30 countries. Our distributors and importers are led by independent local businesses.

How long can a client expect the process to take after they put down a deposit?

On average, a Honka log home kit will be ready for delivery within six to ten weeks from when the final construction drawings are submitted and the final order is placed. The manufacturing time may depend on a factory’s schedule and options chosen.

The delivery method and exact time depends on the owners location. Usually, deliveries in Europe are made using trucks or lorries. For overseas markets the most common solution is a shipping container. 

The actual building process of your log home can begin when site preparation is complet and city hookups are ready.

What aspects of an install do you manage?

In the U.S., all Honka log homes are managed and constructed by local builders. A seasoned log home builder is not required since the building system is tagged for assembly location. In general, we are looking for a builder who is skilled in building high quality homes. Honka assembly supervision is available for hire but rarely used.

What aspects of the design can a client customize?

The beauty of a Honka house is that you truly have design freedom. There are a variety of product decisions that affect the look of your finished house, including the choice of logs, corner types, cladding, roof shapes, windows, and doors. We also customize the floor plans to maximize the condition of each site whether that be view corridors, access, solar gain, or something else.