We Built This Six-Sided Oak Cabin For Just $120

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At the level of the twelfth log-about 7'10" above the floor joists-we set the loft joists in place. These members extend from the corners of the building to a 15'-tall cedar pole that we'd earlier raised in the center of the dwelling (Fig. 5). As with the main floor joists, the loft joists are tied in place by means of mortise and tenon joints. (The resulting "spoke and wheel" arrangement makes for an exceptionally solid structure.)

Finally, to complete the upstairs and downstairs floors we [1] nailed 2 X 6 oak boards on two-toot centers between the spoke-like main floor joists, [2j spiked roughhewn log sections between the loft joists, [3) overlaid both floors with 1" milled oak, and [4j covered the oak subflooring with a layer of particleboard.

Last of all, we "evened up" the cabin's walls at the top (or 16th) log layer by adding half logs to the three "low" walls.

THE ROOF

Twelve oak saplings-each approximately 4" in diameter-come together at the apex of the building to form the roof's skeleton. (This gives our loft a ceiling height of 7' in the center and 2-112' at the walls.) We bolstered these rafters with 2 X 4 oak stringers spaced two feet apart (on center), then finished the roof off by nailing down [1) 518" particle board and [2) 30-pound rolled felt paper. At last, we could move into the cabin and forever abandon t he soggy tent we'd occupied for seven long months! (Felt paper, of course, isn't a permanent roofing material . . . but it'll get us by in true Arkie fashion until I can rive some oak shakes.)

Incidentally, our experience over this past winter has been that a sleeping loft is well worth having if you intend to live in your cabin year round. A few 15° nights taught me the value of being able to sleep where the heat sleeps ... up over the stove!

CHINKING

Once the floors and roof were finished, we began the time-consuming-yet rewarding-task of chinking the walls (that is, filling up the numerous gaps between the logs).

The traditional method (the one we used) was passed on to us by George, our 73-yearold construction advisor. It involves splitting one- to two-foot-long sections of log into wedge-shaped pieces, hammering those pieces into the cracks in the wall, tacking them in place with 6penny nails, and then daubing the area with mud (Fig. 6). The wisdom of this method is apparent when you realize that [1] the resulting mud/air/wood/mud barrier has much better insulating properties than mud alone (or cement alone), and [2] the materials are ecologically appropriate and (best of all) free for the taking.

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