Handcrafted in Montana

Built by hand.
Made to last.

Old-world log craft for people who want their home to feel rooted, considered, and entirely their own.

01Built for generations

01 / The beginning

Good work starts
with good timber.

Since 1984, Braun Log Homes has brought impeccable craftsmanship, uncompromising trust, and unwavering honesty to custom log construction.

Based in Livingston, Montana, Steve and Karen Braun build with the patience of artisans and the practicality of people who understand how a home actually has to live. Every line, joint, and finish has a reason to be there.

Explore our craft

Wooden lodge reflected in a mountain lake

Architecture that belongs where it stands.01 — 04

02 / The craft

The difference is
in the joinery.

The dovetail notch comes from an older way of building with logs. Each corner is cut to fit the timber around it, so the walls lock together instead of meeting at a standard connection. As the logs settle, the joint stays engaged. A dovetail notch locks one wall into the next, creating a tight corner that settles with the logs.

Most kit homes begin with milled logs cut to a common pattern. That makes construction faster, but the connection is determined by the kit rather than by the logs on site. A hand-cut dovetail takes more time and skill. It creates a direct, lasting connection between the walls and lets the house follow the timber instead of forcing the timber into a standard part.

View the gallery

A corner built to last.The dovetail locks the walls together as the logs settle.

03 / What we do

New homes

Custom design, estimating, contracting, and turnkey construction.

Remodeling

Additions, kitchens, baths, and thoughtful blends of old and new.

Restoration

From rot and insect damage to failed chinking and historic log repair.

Maintenance

Chinking, staining, epoxying, and the care that protects a home over time.

04 / Selected work

Made for the
long view.

A few glimpses from a body of work that stretches from Montana to remote Alaskan islands.

05 / About us

Steve Braun
A master of his trade.

Steve Braun learned to scribe logs from his grandfather at age five. At seventeen, he built his first cabin in the Gallatin Range, cutting and fitting the logs by hand.

He still works that way today. Steve peels and cuts each log himself. He uses a hand-cut dovetail joint his grandfather taught him, along with saddle notches when a project calls for them.

Most log homes are built from milled kits or machine-cut parts. Steve keeps this older method alive. It takes more time, but it lets him fit the home to the logs instead of making the logs fit a kit.

He has built homes across the continental United States from coast to coast, as well as on remote Alaskan islands.

Work with Braun Log Homes

06 / Start here

Let's talk about
your place.

Tell us where you are, what you're thinking about, and what you want the home to feel like. We’ll take it from there.

Serving Livingston, Montana
and beyond(406) 600-0011
braunloghomesllc@yahoo.com

Built by hand.Made to last.

Good work startswith good timber.

The difference isin the joinery.