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One straightforward method is to run conduits or raceways on the surface of walls and ceilings and leave them exposed as part of the decor. For example, metal conduit (EMT or surface metal raceway) can be installed along a CLT wall to feed outlets or light fixtures. In a loft-style aesthetic, this looks industrial and neat. This avoids cutting the wood at all.

Create a service cavity by furring out a thin wall on the interior side. For CLT, this could mean strapping the interior with 2×2 or 2×3 studs vertically (or a wainscot panel) to run wires behind. In log homes, you might add wood panelling on a portion of the wall interior. Another approach is building a parallel partition wall a few inches inside the exterior wall (especially behind kitchen counters or entertainment centers) to hide wiring and even plumbing. This also improves acoustics by isolating interior surfaces.

As mentioned, many CLT manufacturers will CNC cut conduit channels and junction boxes into panels as part of fabrication. These need careful design coordination up front. For instance, you can specify vertical and horizontal grooves in the CLT for cables, which are later covered by finishes. This can also be done in the field: routing a shallow channel in a CLT or log with a router or chainsaw and then covering with a wooden trim piece. Ensure not to compromise structural sections significantly if doing large grooves (consult engineering for depth limits).

Take advantage of floors and ceilings for running wires. In a CLT floor, you might gap panels slightly or add a false ceiling below (like a drop ceiling in certain areas). For example, leave a 2-inch space between two floor panels every so often to create a wire raceway, then cover that gap with a wood batten as a feature (this has been done in some designs). Alternatively, a dropped soffit along a hallway can hide a main conduit.

In log homes, electrical boxes are often embedded by cutting a recess in a log and using a shallow box. In CLT, you can router out a pocket for an electrical box (there are boxes designed for screw mounting into wood). If surface-mounted conduit is used, surface junction boxes will be used too. For switches on exposed CLT walls, consider decorative surface boxes or plan a framed section near the switch.

Low-voltage cables (Ethernet, security, speaker wires) can follow similar strategies. One neat trick: use baseboards and crown molding. Hollow baseboard or a removable baseboard can hide cables around a room perimeter. Likewise, running cables up corner trim or inside closet corners can get them where they need to go with minimal intrusion.

Try to cluster plumbing in specific areas. For example, design bathrooms and kitchens so they back onto a common interior wall or near a vertical shaft. Build out a conventional plumbing chase or wet wall that is framed with studs and contains all the supply and drain lines. In a CLT home, you might have one corner of each floor where a framed chase from ground to roof contains all the vents and water lines (like a false column).

Similar to electrical, you can fur out or double-stud certain sections to run pipes. A 2×6 stud wall in front of a CLT wall can hold a 3″ drain stack. In log homes, you might run a main drain pipe inside a boxed enclosure in a corner or have it pass through log floor system rather than the wall.

CLT panels can be drilled for pipes, but large holes should be planned and reinforced if needed. Small diameter PEX water lines can often be routed through bored holes in CLT (the structural impact of a small hole is minor, but avoid too many in one spot). If running a horizontal line, consider chasing it in a floor or ceiling rather than hacking through a wall panel laterally. Also, always seal around pipe penetrations (with silicone or expanding foam) to maintain air-tightness and prevent insect intrusion.

For log or CLT exterior walls, try to avoid placing plumbing fixtures that require pipes in those walls (especially in cold climates). If you must, one solution is to create a boxed section on the interior of that wall to contain the pipes, insulated from the back. For instance, a wall-mounted faucet on a CLT wall could have its valves in a little interior decorative box so they’re not buried in the wall itself.

Every plumbing fixture needs a vent. Route vent pipes upward inside an interior wall or chase until above the roof. In a CLT house, you might designate a corner of a mechanical room for the vent to go up, perhaps in a framed enclosure, then out through the roof panel via a core drill. Seal well around the penetration in the CLT roof and use a roof boot/flashing. Non-settling log homes can have vent pipes run through bored holes in logs upward, but usually it’s easier to go through interior partitions.

If the home will have a fire sprinkler system (some jurisdictions require it for new residential construction), plan those pipes as well. Often, a dropped ceiling or crown molding can hide the small sprinkler pipes, and sprinkler heads can be mounted on ceilings or high on walls. You can also conceal them in a shallow groove in CLT covered by a trim piece, popping out only the sprinkler head.

For forced-air systems, running large ducts is the biggest challenge in solid timber construction. One approach is to use floor truss cavities or attic space if available. For example, in a two-story CLT home, perhaps the ceiling of the second floor (if it had a small attic or space above a dropped ceiling) could hide ducts. If no attics, you can build a bulkhead/soffit along a corridor or at the top of walls to run main ducts. Another is using slim duct systems or high-velocity mini-ducts (like a Unico system) that use 3-4″ flexible ducts; these are easier to snake through smaller cavities that you can make with furring.

Embrace the look of exposed ducts in certain rooms. For instance, run a metal round duct along the ridge of a vaulted CLT ceiling, or high along a wall, with register drops where needed. This can look modern and avoids any need to hide it. Since both log and CLT have natural wood aesthetics, exposed metal can complement that if done neatly.

As mentioned, mini-split heat pumps (ductless) are very practical – they only require a small refrigerant line and power, which is much easier to drill through a wall. Wall-mounted or ceiling cassette units can heat/cool the space without big ducts. Radiant floor heating is another good option: PEX tubing for hydronic heat can be placed in a topping slab or under flooring, eliminating ducts entirely (but you’d still need a ventilation system for fresh air).

Modern tight construction often includes an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) or Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) to supply fresh air. These units have ducts that go to most rooms (supply and exhaust small ducts). A tactic is to run these small ducts in the same drop soffit as perhaps some lighting or in the corners of rooms. Or use the gap between CLT panels approach – for example, leave a narrow slot running the length of a hallway ceiling panel joint, hide a 3″ vent duct in it, and cover with a perforated wood grille that doubles as a design element. It’s a custom solution, but mass timber projects have gotten creative this way.

If you have a CLT floor that’s thick (like 7 inches), sometimes you can route a shallow, wide channel on the underside for a duct run and then cover it with a false ceiling. For example, cut a 4″ deep, 12″ wide channel in the ceiling of a hallway CLT panel to lay a rectangular duct, then attach gypsum board over it across the hallway—instant hidden duct. Ensure this is accounted for structurally and in fire rating if you do it.

Dedicate a small room or closet as a mechanical space where the furnace/air handler, water heater, etc., will reside. In a CLT home, that room’s walls can be furred out inside to allow all the necessary pipe and duct penetrations to converge there neatly. In a log home, maybe the utility room has framed walls or is located in a basement where running lines is easier.

If you install a wood stove or fireplace, its chimney or flue must go out through the roof or wall. Plan a clear path: cutting a hole in a CLT roof is fine with proper flashing; with logs, you may route a flue out a gable end or up through the roof between log rafters. Make sure to use insulated stovepipe and respect clearance from wood, as massive wood still burns. Many people will frame a chase for a chimney if it’s an interior chimney to keep it off the CLT/log surface.