My $25.00 Log Cabin

(Page 3 of 3)

May/June 1970
By Lawrence Goldsmith 
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You are now ready to fill in the cracks. Whatever couldn't be done with thin logs and scrap wood or bark I filled with mud. This was done by digging a foot into the ground for mud richer in clay than humus and mixing it with straw, dry grass or stringy inner bark. Balls of this were made and shoved into all open spaces. This took more time than imagined and if you can invite friends over for a chinking party it wouldn't be a bad idea. If you over-hang your roof a foot or more on each side you will protect these walls from heavy rain or snow. Although much rain, snow and wind has blown against the cabin, the chinking has held well.

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I would recommend a wood burning cast iron stove over a fire place. It is inexpensive, easy to install, burns for a long time, throws off sufficient heat and is as asthetic as it is functional. Place sheet metal or asbestos underneath and around near walls in case of sparks and excessive heat. Then cut a hole in the roof with a keyhole saw leaving at least 4 inches around the stove pipe and extend it higher than the peak of your roof for the best draw. Fittings which connect the stove pipe to the roof are illustrated and further explained at many rural hardware stores or supply companies.

If you want extra warmth inside, place corrugated cardboard over your floor and place padding and rugs over that. On the walls you can also place rugs, material, dyed burlap bags or blankets. For even more insulation place a layer of plastic in-between the material and the wall. I did this for warmth but make sure the roof beams and other logs still showed to retain the natural beauty of the log interior.

Further information can be secured from books such as How to Build your Home in the Woods by Bradford Angier and by visiting log cabins or talking to old timers who may have built some.

As my cast-iron stove begins to heat, I write by the light of a kerosene lamp and hope that your log cabin is as cozy as mine.

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  • Talon 9/19/2007 9:27:46 AM

    i am attemping to build a log caben on 5 acres of land.i am only 13
    but i helped my dad build our house.we get a snow level 4 inchs a
    year good ideas.wish me luck!

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