The Log-End Cave: An Earth-Sheltered Cordwood House

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A sturdy post-and-beam frame, combined with a plank-and-beam roof,supports the heavy loads that wet winters place upon this earth-sheltered, cordwood house.
A sturdy post-and-beam frame, combined with a plank-and-beam roof,supports the heavy loads that wet winters place upon this earth-sheltered, cordwood house.
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Natural light floods the open-space living/dining/kitchen area all year (the sunshine reaches other areas, too, by means of three skylights)
Natural light floods the open-space living/dining/kitchen area all year (the sunshine reaches other areas, too, by means of three skylights)
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The wood burning stoves get combustion air from outside, via 4
The wood burning stoves get combustion air from outside, via 4" under-floor vents.

Folks who read “The Return of the Cordwood House” in MOTHER EARTH NEWS may recall that–back in ’75–my wife Jaki and I built a stackwood cabin, within a post-and-beam framework, that we called the Log-End Cottage.

Well, in February 1978–after two years and two months in that structure–we moved 100 feet west into our new earth-sheltered cordwoodhouse, which we have since dubbed the Log-End Cave.

We had several reasons for building a new dwelling, primary among which was our craving for more space, privacy, and energy efficiency. But–though we were starting over–we simply couldn’t build without including cordwood in the construction. The fact is that we’re totally enamored of the warm and beautiful appearance of log-end-paneled walls.

Live and Learn

Though our little cottage hadn’t been difficult to heat, we knew–from research and experience–that we could build a roomier house that would be more energy efficient. Our goal was to go from heating 700 square feet on seven cords of wood a year to warming our proposed structure of 924 square feet (1,050 square feet gross) on three cords. Since we plan to homestead on our piece of land for a long time to come, the potential saving of four cords every year could mean the elimination of a lot of work over a lifetime … and even eventually provide an income from the sale of the “surplus” firewood.

  • Published on Jan 1, 1981
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