Building the Traditional Hewn-Log Home

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ACQUIRING LOGS

While most books dealing with log construction recommend buying or cutting timbers during winter and allowing them to dry for six months to a year before building, Peter prefers the traditional method of harvesting logs in autumn and using them almost immediately-green. There are several good reasons for this.

First of all, green logs, while admittedly heavy, are also soft and easy to work, especially with hand tools. Furthermore, dried logs may develop splits that will hinder proper marking, notching, and joining. Finally, individual logs tend to twist as they dry—but if they're locked into a wall, they ain't going nowhere.

If you're buying your logs from a mill, you can count on their being green unless you specify (and pay extra for) dried timbers.

ALL LOGS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

Which species of trees yield the best building logs? Well, "best" depends on the geographical region in which you live and the kinds of trees found there. And it depends on your budget. In general, most softwoods are superior to most hardwoods for timber construction. (Peter's favorites are white pine, yellow pine, oak, and tulip poplar, in that order.)

No matter what species of tree you decide on, search out long, straight, largely knot—free specimens of approximately equal diameter—or ask for such logs if you're buying them. If you want cabin walls with a 6" hewn thickness, the tips (the smaller, top ends) of all your logs should be at least 9" in diameter.

If you're buying milled logs, keep in mind that log length can dictate how you build, and vice versa. If you choose to build full-length walls and cut window and door openings only after the pen is completed, all of your logs will have to be full wall length (two short logs can be spliced together, but too many splices can weaken the structure). But if you plan to incorporate door and window openings as the walls are raised, you can make use of logs in a variety of lengths. (Most mills can handle logs up to 18' or 20' in length.)

CAN YOU AFFORD TO BUY YOUR BUILDING LOGS?

Twenty-four years ago, it cost Peter and Polly Gott $700 to build their beautiful little one-and-a-half-story cabin-most of that went for milled tongue-and-groove flooring and windows—and Peter tells of an elderly neighbor who built a similar structure 50 years earlier for a whopping $6! Today, the cost of purchasing two-sides-milled logs for the average small cabin is around $3,000.

Sawmills sell logs by the board foot, with the price per foot varying according to the variety of wood, the diameter of the logs, the amount and type of milling you want done, delivery arrangements, and other variables. To determine the approximate cost of purchasing logs for the particular structure you have in mind, add up the total square feet of wall area, then multiply by five to get the approximate board footage (a board foot equals a square foot of lumber an inch thick). Next, check with your local lumber mill to determine the price per 1,000 board feet for timbers milled the way you want (1,000-boardfoot lots are what most lumber mills are accustomed to quoting prices for), then divide that price by 1,000 and multiply by the number of board feet you need.

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