From that time until the last few decades our building culture has been one of “bricks and mortar”. Homeowners have not been encouraged to return to original materials because the majority of builders tend to stick to what they know.

Until recently Irish trees were not actively cultivated as a crop but this is changing with the support of Coillte. Coillte Teoranta, Ireland's leading forestry company was established under the Forestry Act 1988 to manage State owned forests commercially. While some log houses have already been built in Ireland using Irish wood, it is generally too soft to be used to build very large structures.

Now, with increasing building costs and a well travelled population, informed Irish architects and property developers are re-visiting construction materials and methods that have been used successfully for centuries in other countries. They are finding that log houses provide the alternative that lets them design and build solid, attractive and healthy homes