Log Cabins

[Elizabeth]

[marc]

Curious about the uniform building codes there and why you didn't apply any corner notches to lock in the timbers at the corners. I applaud your initiative, but very curious about the application. It looks like you have integrated rebar into the logs. What methods did you use to tie the logs together?

[ori]

I just finished pressure washing it:

Beautiful log cabin so far!

[mudflap]

Curious about the uniform building codes there and why you didn't apply any corner notches to lock in the timbers at the corners. I applaud your initiative, but very curious about the application. It looks like you have integrated rebar into the logs. What methods did you use to tie the logs together?

There are many styles of log cabins- Swedish cope, dovetail notching, and butt and pass, among others. Corner notches are not needed on a butt and pass log cabin. In fact, no notches are needed on any of the logs, which makes this style accessible to even the most novice builder. The logs are pinned together vertically along their lengths. They are also pinned horizontally at the corners.

This also makes it possible to use twisted and crooked logs that others would just burn. In fact, that's about where these logs were headed, according to the neighbors who gave them to me for free.

On one row, the log will "pass" its neighbor. On the next row, that log will "butt" up against its neighbor. They alternate like that on every row.

Also, you alternate bottoms and tops to keep the whole thing level.

As each log is placed, holes are drilled through it, and it is fitted with a piece of 1/2" rebar. The hole is not drilled down through the lower log. At first, I used a sledge hammer to drive the rebar down through the log being placed and on into the lower log. But then I got smart and used a demo hammer to drive the rebar in.

This part will blow your mind: this method experiences no settling. No jack screws under the house, no spaces above the windows or doors. Just cut holes with a chainsaw for windows and go.

According to my local engineer, this thing will probably be able to withstand an F4 tornado. One of these actually did in Tennessee, while houses surrounding it were wiped off their foundations.

And getting it all done for about $60,000. All of this is why I think this method is the best way to build a log home - or any home really.

[Silver Pie]

I know that some people in northern AZ get a permit to go into the forest and cut down certain trees (I don't know the parameters, limits, etc., as I've never gone on a log-cutting trip). Not free, but I do think there's a limit. And the reason people cut them is for firewood for the winter, not to build with (soft wood, probably not very straight, maybe most of it is dead or fallen).

The only claim I haven't verified as true is the LHBA claim that you can get logs from the forest for free. I've verified the law that states you are entitled to free (or nearly free- like 25 cents per tree) logs, but I've never seen anyone actually get them for free- USDA and the NFS are a complete bureaucratic mess. But although I wasn't able to get my logs from the national forest for free, I still got my logs for free from my own land.

[marc]

Thank you for taking the time to share your journey, mudflap. Wishing you all the best in your new adventure!

[David13]

The people that I know, cutting firewood in the nat'l forest, take fallen or (recently) dead trees, or perhaps dying trees. I don't know what if any requirements there are on that.

There is a log cabin builder near here and they advertise that they only use dead trees. What they mean by that I don't know.

You don't want too dead trees, that have been dead for some time, as they start to turn to dust and burn quite rapidly.
dc

[mudflap]

The people that I know, cutting firewood in the nat'l forest, take fallen or (recently) dead trees, or perhaps dying trees. I don't know what if any requirements there are on that.

There is a log cabin builder near here and they advertise that they only use dead trees. What they mean by that I don't know.

You don't want too dead trees, that have been dead for some time, as they start to turn to dust and burn quite rapidly.
dc

A lot of builders use "dead standing" or "beetle killed" trees. the forest service practically gives these away. but you still have to find a way to transport them.

the only national forest around here is BankHead NF. I called them and asked for my federally guaranteed logs, and they basically laughed and said they don't do that "because bureaucracy". About a month or two later, I saw on the news they were burning all that dead standing timber because "fire danger". so "you can't have it, and we'll burn it just to throw it in your face". grrrr.

With butt & pass and the rebar, you can cut and stack the trees in the same day (if you're Paul Bunyan). They don't need to be dried- my two ridge pole support logs were cut a week before I installed them. 16 of my wall logs were cut a month before I stacked them. how dry they are or how seasoned doesn't matter.

and actually, solid logs are quite hard to burn, if you've ever tried to start a fire without kindling. I've tried this myself- you can pour gasoline straight onto a log and light it on fire- the gas will rapidly burn, but the fire eventually goes out, leaving the log slightly charred, but intact. You need a lot of kindling to get a log burning.

[marc]

I called them and asked for my federally guaranteed logs, and they basically laughed and said they don't do that "because bureaucracy". About a month or two later, I saw on the news they were burning all that dead standing timber because "fire danger". so "you can't have it, and we'll burn it just to throw it in your face".

That's government for you. Are there any news articles about this? I'd like to track it down for my information.

[David13]

The people that I know, cutting firewood in the nat'l forest, take fallen or (recently) dead trees, or perhaps dying trees. I don't know what if any requirements there are on that.

There is a log cabin builder near here and they advertise that they only use dead trees. What they mean by that I don't know.

You don't want too dead trees, that have been dead for some time, as they start to turn to dust and burn quite rapidly.
dc

A lot of builders use "dead standing" or "beetle killed" trees. the forest service practically gives these away. but you still have to find a way to transport them.

the only national forest around here is BankHead NF. I called them and asked for my federally guaranteed logs, and they basically laughed and said they don't do that "because bureaucracy". About a month or two later, I saw on the news they were burning all that dead standing timber because "fire danger". so "you can't have it, and we'll burn it just to throw it in your face". grrrr.

With butt & pass and the rebar, you can cut and stack the trees in the same day (if you're Paul Bunyan). They don't need to be dried- my two ridge pole support logs were cut a week before I installed them. 16 of my wall logs were cut a month before I stacked them. how dry they are or how seasoned doesn't matter.

and actually, solid logs are quite hard to burn, if you've ever tried to start a fire without kindling. I've tried this myself- you can pour gasoline straight onto a log and light it on fire- the gas will rapidly burn, but the fire eventually goes out, leaving the log slightly charred, but intact. You need a lot of kindling to get a log burning.

That was what we cut. I suppose. Dead standing.

I didn't do the cutting, my friends did. Then cut them into stove or furnace size pieces which we then rolled onto the trailer. Back at the ranch we then stuck them into the splitter.

The truck was an old truck, so whatever that might be worth. The trailer, I could not see what held it together, but we piled about 2 cords onto it. And it carried it down the trail, or forest service road. The splitter was close to 2 grand and they both had Stihl saws which I know are top end and price. But dependable and last long.

The trailer could have carried full logs. But you would need a loader or such to pick them up and put them on the trailer.

Anyway, it's all new to me. I have only been here 2 years now.

As to the fast burners, I am talking about gray old trees, they may be standing but they obviously have been dead a long long time. No one seems to take them, so I am going to have to say that they don't burn well, or burn too fast.

I asked my friends about them and that's what they said. They are burned out in a few minutes. Whereas the more recently dead, or perhaps dying they said can burn for hours. So it's not worth the effort to take them in.

I know in terms of gas, what burns is the fumes. The liquid gas is less flammable. In your general engine, the engine mixes about 16 parts air to one part of gasoline. So an engine uses a lot of air.

Also, certain dusts can burn like crazy. On a job we had an outrageous explosion of ... dust, which someone had foolishly introduced an ignition factor to.
dc

[mudflap]

Yeah, that's true about logs - people think when they see a log home that it will burn easily because they've seen forest fires where the trees are burning or exploding. The main thing that's igniting is the branches-and pine needles will burn even if they are green. Many times, the fire moves so quickly through the canopy that it leaves the trunks almost unscathed. In fact, you can buy "fire damaged " logs and build a good house with them. Our organization has members that have done this.

And a properly built log home is actually less of a fire hazard than a frame home.

https://www.buildloghomes.org/log-homes ... 039s-fire/

[David13]

There are plenty of wood scavengers around here. So if there was any benefit to those old dead, long dead trees, they would be taking them out. And they don't seem to be.

In terms of burning, my friend had described burning the old wood as basically burning fast and not providing any sustained amount of heat. That some logs would burn for hours, even to dawn, which is the ones, the recently dead ones they were gathering.

In terms of my house, at my age, I didn't really need to work on a house. I'm very glad I don't have to, and glad with the speed with which my house was ready.

I know younger people buying houses and fixing them up, while working a full time job. Not something I can do any longer.

I also know an old retired guy and wife, almost nearly my age who bought a house that I had looked at. It needed a lot of work. They have been at it far longer than they thought they would. And have had many problems with various sub contractors. And their own changes of mind. And nearly doubling or tripling their budget for it.

I have a motorcycle and an atv. And I couldn't care less what my "lawn" looks like.
dc

[heliocentr1c]

I'm currently living my dream of building my own log cabin. I studied alternative building methods for years. I looked into concrete, strawbale, timber frame, standard brick and regular frame homes, underground, shipping container, and many more. I was looking for something that the average person could build, with local or common materials, where the end product had a great return value. I found that Log homes have one of the highest cost to value ratios of any type of home. If you buy a finished log home, you could pay up to $200/sq ft. But if you build one, it is much cheaper than a standard frame built home - mine is probably going to end up around $18 / sq ft. A frame home in my area costs about $75/sq ft.

I zoned in on Log homes. I called around, and found the methods and types varied widely. One day, I stumbled onto the Log Home Builder's Association (LHBA) website. They had outlandish claims, like how to obtain logs for free. Or how to build a home for $40k that would be worth $375k. I thought, "this is a scam". I started seriously studying their claims- for about 10 years. I called kit log home suppliers, forest rangers, loggers, the railroad, went to expos, bought the "Log Home Living" magazine. All the other suppliers and builders were totally against LHBA. It was intriguing.

In between all this, I got divorced, and remarried, and moved across the country and changed careers. My new wife was like, "I'll never live in a log cabin." I told her to watch HGTV, but put my dream on hold. She started to like them a little more after that. I ended up verifying almost every claim by LHBA as true. She still wasn't interested in building our own at that point. But after searching for about a year for a home we could just buy, and not finding what we wanted (I guess 1+ acre, 5 bed, 3 ba is too picky), my wife also came around to the log home idea, so I took the 2-day class in Las Vegas and became a member of the LHBA in 2016. I cut my first tree a month later, and started building that same year.

There are a surprising number of Saints in LHBA.

They recommend building one cabin, then selling it and building 2 more. Sell those, and build 4. But don't sell the 4 outright- accept a down payment from the buyer, and hold the note yourself. Live on the monthly payments of about $6800 per month, and pursue your dreams.

The only claim I haven't verified as true is the LHBA claim that you can get logs from the forest for free. I've verified the law that states you are entitled to free (or nearly free- like 25 cents per tree) logs, but I've never seen anyone actually get them for free- USDA and the NFS are a complete bureaucratic mess. But although I wasn't able to get my logs from the national forest for free, I still got my logs for free from my own land.

LHBA principles are build cheap and do it yourself, stay out of debt and avoid a mortgage, and use what you have. Dovetails nicely with what our prophets say about debt, self sufficiency, and taking care of the environment. I'm hooked. But I'm not selling anything. Just opening your eyes to the possibilities. I think everyone should know about this. A 30-year mortgage is debt slavery. This is the biggest selling point for me- avoiding a 30 year mortgage. Imagine the good you could do if you didn't have a house payment. Imagine not leaving behind a mortgage for your spouse if you passed away suddenly, but instead, leaving a fully-paid-for home. You might even be able to downsize your career- spend more time with your family. Not having debt opens a lot of possibilities.

I'm not some awesome builder (well...maybe I am now , but not when I started). My biggest project before this house was a chicken coop. Sure, I helped my grandpa renovate some rentals as a teen, but I have no professional building experience.

I have a blog and a youtube channel - in my profile.

This is amazing!