The Charm of Cordwood Construction

Image Gallery Author Roy Rob and his wife, Jaki, used the age-old technique of cordwood masonry to construct the main living quarters and outbuildings on their homestead in West Chazy, New York. ROB ROY

Unabashedly, I admit to two great love affairs in my life: with Jaki, my wife of 30 years, and (this one is shared with Jaki) with cordwood masonry construction.

This ancient building style—many references date it back 1,000 years—has known a substantial rebirth since the first articles about it appeared in Mother Earth News a quarter of a century ago. In cordwood construction, walls are constructed of log-ends—short logs, 12 to 24 inches long—mortared up transversely in the wall, similar to the way firewood is stacked.

In Canada, it's commonly known as stackwall building. Log-ends can be cut from wood that is unsuitable for other purposes, such as fire-killed standing wood, ends and pieces from a sawmill, logging slash, and curved branches and trunks. Portland cement, mixed with sand, sawdust and builder's lime, generally serves as the mortar between the "courses" of cordwood.

WHY BUILD WITH CORDWOOD?

In 1974, Jaki and I bought land in northern New York to pursue our vision of a self-reliant lifestyle. In those days, the "natural building" structure of choice was the log cabin. We had helped with constructing a log home, and we knew from experience that fitting and hefting the large logs was a lot of hard work. We also knew that in our area, 15 miles from the Canadian border, we would not find logs thick enough to provide adequate insulation against the harsh climate. And building another internal insulated frame inside the log walls seemed to defeat the purpose of minimizing the use of materials.

About this time, we stumbled upon the April 1974 issue of National Geographic, which contained a picture of a cordwood home in Skowhegan, Washington. Immediately, we knew that we had found a method of building that satisfied our criteria. Building with cordwood masonry would be cheaper and more efficient than building with conventional methods, as we could salvage "unsuitable wood" to use for construction and we could build the home ourselves. Cordwood's thick, stalwart walls also would buffer this region's temperature extremes. However, it was probably the unique beauty of these buildings that sealed the deal for us.

Over the past quarter century, Jaki and I have built four homes and innumerable outbuildings with cordwood masonry. In November 2002, we completed a beautiful new sunroom addition to Earthwood, our primary home and the home of Earthwood Building School, where we give workshops on cordwood construction. When people ask us why we're so enthusiastic about cordwood masonry, I am fond of listing what I call the "5-E Advantages."

1. Ease of construction. To lay up a cordwood wall, the builder need never handle anything heavier than a firewood log. Mortar is easily mixed in a wheelbarrow. We have found that the novice owner-builder readily learns the skills. For years, I have been saying that children, grandmothers and beavers can all build cordwood homes ... and they do!