THE RETURN OF THE CORDWOOD HOUSE

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In total, the wall construction, including the preparation and subsequent cleanup of mortar from finished work, required 1,247 manhours. In terms of man-hours per square foot of wall, calculations are: 1.25 man-hours per square foot or 0.80 square feet per man-hour. The total cost of the wall construction phase was $4,983.63. In terms of cost per square foot, it was $5.01 per square foot. The ratio of labor to material cost was 1.9:1.

Once the stackwall work was completed and the mortar well along on its curing process, the polyethylene enclosure was removed and the 2 X 4's used in the door and roof truss construction.

DOOR AND WINDOW CONSTRUCTION

The door and window construction is unique in that the units were constructed on site more economically than "factoryproduced" units. The double door and triple-pane window have performed very well to date and definitely should be considered forfuture projects.

As previously explained, the frames for the doors and windows were placed within the east wall during wall construction. It was decided that a two-door system be employed . . . one non-insulated outside door and one well-insulated inside door. Both were made windproof by placing polyethylene between the 1 X 8 layers. The outside door was made of 2 X 4's flatside, and 1 X 8's. The 2 X 4's were nailed in a rectangular form, with dimensions slightly less than the rectangular frame opening. Then 1 X 8's were nailed on the outside, long enough to cover the 2 X 4's and the frame itself. Polyethylene was placed on the inside of the rectangular form and 1 X 8's were nailed in place, forming the second side of the door.

The inside door was also made of 2 X 4's, flatside, and 1 X 8's. The 1 X 8's covered the 2 X 4 rectangle on both sides, and the gap was filled with discarded Fiberglass insulation from the AOSERP research trailers. The door fit entirely within the outer frame, flush with the inner wall surface. The 24" depth of the 2 X 6 frame served as a storm porch in that the outer door could be shut before the inside door was opened and vice versa. This stopped the flow of cold or warm air.

Both doors were hung by triple gate hinges and planed to fit more precisely. Then a propane torch was used to flame the wood, to prevent shrinkage and rotting.

The window was constructed within the already positioned frame, entirely on the middle set of 2 X 6's of which the frame was made.

For the window, quarter-round trim was nailed and sealed on the outer perimeter of the middle 2 X 6's. The sealant was applied to the quarter-round's inner face and the window glass placed against it. Further quarter-round was then placed on the inner face of the glass and sealed against it, then nailed. Thus, one pane was sealed around its perimeter on both sides of the middle 2 X 6's. This procedure was repeated twice, forming independent panes of glass surrounded by quarterround.

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