Log Cabins

[David13]

...



here I am a few months ago, trimming the 'overdangles'.

*I did not consult OSHA before starting this project.

I was thinking, that your ladder was approximately one half inch too short right there. You have not been recuperating from a chainsawectomy, have you.

I tried to enlarge your photo a bit as I thought you seemed to have some short hair and a very dark skin. I had definitely thought of you as being somewhat of a long haired white person. Or did you mention some American Indian genealogy?

No offense intended.
dc

Oh, also, I did notice some very large spaces between some of those logs. Am I to understand that this would not be one of these newer type low air infiltration homes?

[mudflap]

No offense taken- white, red hair, sunburns easily.

The gaps get filled with insulation, then covered with mortar.

24' ladder, just not long enough, even stretched all the way out. I made do...

[Silver Pie]

I was thinking, that your ladder was approximately one half inch too short right there

I was thinking more like a foot or two. Mudflap, I'm glad you were okay cutting like that. It also looks like the wall posts helped steady you.

[mudflap]

I was thinking, that your ladder was approximately one half inch too short right there

I was thinking more like a foot or two. Mudflap, I'm glad you were okay cutting like that. It also looks like the wall posts helped steady you.

git-r-done is how I did it. I also have a large term life insurance policy.

This one is from 33' up. I'm straddling my 58 foot long x 10,000 lb Ridge Pole. Had to strap my 18' scaffolding to the wall, then add the 24' ladder (also strapped it down to the scaffolding) - just to get up here. I've got my fall harness on as well. Using a 10 lb sledge hammer to beat in a 3/4" x 2' long piece of rebar is pretty scary at this height. My wife and daughter are down on the ground sitting on the rafters in this pic (for perspective):



I'm not afraid of heights. just afraid of falling.

[Silver Pie]

Wow! It needed to be done, but still . . . Wow!

[mudflap]

I made a new slideshow - pictures of how we got the logs for our cabin:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuTmKmQJHXI[/youtube]

[mudflap]

Tried to stain the fascia board from the roof- I don't like how it turned out- the wood got sunbleached in between installing it last year and now. Anyway, I can't see being able to sand it effectively from the roof, and my 24' ladder won't reach (see it fully extended over there on the left?), and neither will my 18' scaffolding, so I bought a 40' ladder that I'll be trying out when it stops raining. The 40' ladder will also help me finally scrape the bark off the ridgepole that I somehow missed getting off when this monster was laying on the ground. Actually, I know why I missed it- because I couldn't roll this 10,000 lb log over to check it.

Don't tell my wife, but a 40' ladder also means I can reach the rafters and sand them as well....

[Silver Pie]

I'm glad you're getting a taller ladder. That will make your work so much easier.

[mudflap]

almost done with 1st coat of stain - just finishing up the back wall last night. The logs in the middle are the ones that I haven't gotten to yet- I'm doing the high ones, wife is working on the ones closest to the ground:



(a post for those tired of all the propaganda on covid19). you're welcome.

[True]

I wish we could all come and help. So bored here and the kids are trying to change the balance of power! Help!

[mudflap]

I wish we could all come and help. So bored here and the kids are trying to change the balance of power! Help!

lol!

the fun part (stacking logs) is all over now. Just boring staining, insulation, chinking, and interior framing is all that's left.

[righteousrepublic]

Here is a very large LOG for a youngster's playhouse. Just build a hollow replica and install inside steps to get to the top portion where an, inside, flat surface can be built for playing. Even a couple of small glass windows would give it some class. A playhouse like this will gain attention and be the talk of the whole community.

What is it4.jpg (124.71 KiB) Viewed 2255 times

[Juliet]

I made a new slideshow - pictures of how we got the logs for our cabin:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuTmKmQJHXI[/youtube]

This is really incredible. Wow. Way to go with hard work! How did you weld that metal frame to be so strong?

[mudflap]

I made a new slideshow - pictures of how we got the logs for our cabin:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuTmKmQJHXI[/youtube]

This is really incredible. Wow. Way to go with hard work! How did you weld that metal frame to be so strong?

Thank you! I think it is 2"x2" x 3/16" steel tube - really tough stuff. (It can't be my welding skills....lol!)

[mudflap]

Here is a very large LOG for a youngster's playhouse. Just build a hollow replica and install inside steps to get to the top portion where an, inside, flat surface can be built for playing. Even a couple of small glass windows would give it some class. A playhouse like this will gain attention and be the talk of the whole community.

What is it4.jpg

I'll give it a like, but it's pretty gross.

[Silver Pie]

I'll give it a like, but it's pretty gross.

Yeah, it's ugly, but the idea is interesting.

[righteousrepublic]

I'll give it a like, but it's pretty gross.

Yeah, it's ugly, but the idea is interesting.

In addition, a small porta-potty could be close by for increased aroma authenticity. Or simply build a smaller version of the playhouse and put the porta-potty inside it like a honey-bucket shack. Use a trap door in the rear for easy access to the doo-doo container. At that point everyone living close by will think your yard has piles. Perhaps they'll wonder if the Jolly Green Giant came by having abdominal pains.

[mudflap]

This story resurfaced while we were looking for some photos – It is from a student who, together with his wife, built a mortgage-free home in only 9 Weeks! It was published in an old Builder’s Journal…
Check it out – it is a great story…
(The attached image ran with the original article)
Ken was an investment adviser, trained to advise people in purchasing stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and the like. In seeking out his dream for a log home for his family, he attended one of the Log Home Builders Association classes. After the class, he was ready to get started – and for this LHBA Member, it happened fast.
Ken and his wife closed on their land on July 12. The very next day they got to work cutting all the trees needed to build their log cabin right from the property (except the rafter poles). They went on to use 45 logs to build the entire house (excluding rafter poles).
All in all, Ken said it took he and his wife 9 weeks to build the shell of their home – mostly 9 Saturdays, four Sundays, and one or two hours of building each evening.
Their 27’ x 27’, two story finished home totaled 1,458 sq feet.
They went on to install their own electrical, plumbing, and their own septic work. The inspectors and building code authorities, who approved their work, were ‘very easy to get along with,” Ken said.
Using the butt and pass method they learned at the #lhba course, they completed their home for $7,500 ($10,000 if you include getting the power lines to the house). It passed final inspection, and they were able to move right in.
Many people think that our building style, and the claims that you can be mortgage-free while living in the home of your dreams, is too good to be true…
But it is true, and student stories like these keep us teaching these courses.

good stuff.

[mudflap]

Latest blog post: staining logs: https://loghomejourney.wordpress.com/20 ... ning-logs/

[mudflap]

LHBA: making "building a log cabin" so easy, a child can do it:



lol.

[mudflap]

A lady told me she carries a picture of a cabin in her purse. But now she’s “too old” to live her dream. This makes me sad. Sorry for the loss of a dream for her. It should be motivation for the rest of us though.
IMO, for many things in life that require a lot of effort for a short (3-4 years) period of time-

don’t wait until you "have more money" (you probably won’t)
or "more time" (you probably won’t)
or "more motivation". (you lose steam as you get older)

Don’t wait until
" retirement",
“the kids are gone”,
“the perfect piece of land”.

Don’t putItOff
until next year
until next summer
until next week
or even tomorrow.

DO PUT IT OFF:
if your spouse or significant other is not on board (a cabin is not worth a divorce, IMO).
if you have to go into an insane amount of debt to do it (but there are ways to build cheaply)
if your family will suffer significantly (letting the kids see you go through a build process is probably the best LifeLesson they can learn)

Do SOMETHING today to reach your goal. Maybe research online. Maybe draw floor plans. Maybe cut down one tree. Maybe call the city to find out about permits. Maybe do a search for some land. My friend was going to build with me- two cabins on a piece of land somewhere. He got cancer and died. I got certified to build log homes the very next year. I often think of what he would be saying while I’m building (“you dummy- what did I tell you about…?” - all in fun of course). makes me smile to think of him. I asked him one time while we were renovating a historic home he just bought- “how do you keep it all straight and get it all done?” He showed me his notepad- “I write down all the stuff I need to do here. At the end of the day, I check off what I got done. Everything I didn’t get done gets moved onto the next page for tomorrow. I add to the list as I go. When I run out of things to do on the list, I’m done.” So simple. so powerful.

I used to work at the phone company. I talked to a guy who was waiting until retirement to buy a Harley and ride across the country. It was his lifelong dream. Soon he retired. He bought the Harley and brought it into work. We all went outside to admire it. He was set to leave within a week. He had a heart attack 3 days later and died. I was very upset over this - for him, for his family, and for his dreams. It changed my life. Later, after helping to completely gut a warehouse and turn it into an 800 person call center in 3 months for the same company- working 12-14 hrs a day, 7 days a week - the CEO came to congratulate us. I spent 3 months of my life running cable into a large phone closet- it was beautiful- 1.5 million miles of cable, all cables were neatly laid down, tied in, “waterfalled” beautifully. The CEO was scheduled to tour our work - but at the last minute, “he had to go”. Don’t give your life to a company job. Make a life for yourself, and fund it with money from your job. You be you; don’t let them pigeon-hole you.

now go build a cabin.

motivation LifeLesson sundaySermon (on Monday, lol)

[mudflap]

13 years ago I took a chance, flew across the country, and married the love of my life at the county courthouse. We had only known each other maybe 2 1/2 months, and it was only the second time I'd seen her in person. fast forward 13 years- tonight, I mixed up some concrete to raise a few piers an inch or two (used a string level the first time, and I guess the string sagged over 40', so....). we were both divorced when we met- she was on her 3rd marriage, me on my second, with kids and in-laws complicating things, and ex'es rooting for us to fail. Here we are 13 years later building our forever home. God moves in mysterious ways.

[Silver Pie]

Here we are 13 years later building our forever home. God moves in mysterious ways.

That's awesome!

[mudflap]

starting 1st row of chinking. It's mostly a practice row, since some of it will be below the subfloor. But gives a good idea of what it will look like. I've been kind of iffy on whether these crooked logs will look good chinked. But after working on this row, I'm getting excited. The chinking looks like a grey river flowing between the logs. I think it's neat.

anyway, it's just a teaser for now- I'm only doing this one row, then installing joists and subfloor, then frame in the gables, cut out doors, windows, rough electrical, etc. THEN come back and finish the chinking. Reason being, once the subfloor is in, some of the areas that need chinking will be hard to reach.

[mudflap]

floor joists. The goal is to get them all completely level over a 40'x40' area. A bubble level isn't accurate over more than a few feet. I would only trust a string level over about 20 feet. I'm using my water level. I've found it to be accurate over any distance, down to about 1/16". I check it against the piers and other joists that are already level when adding a new section. I'm accounting for crowning in my beams as well. I'm also watching to make sure the joists line up with each other over that same distance. Saturday, I reached my center RPSL and GSL (Ridge Pole Support Log and Girder support log) - they hold up the roof and second floor respectively: