The Charm of Cordwood Construction

By Rob Roy
Published on February 24, 2009
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Author Roy Rob and his wife, Jaki, built their home with cordwood construction using the age-old technique of cordwood masonry to construct the main living quarters and outbuildings on their homestead in West Chazy, New York.
Author Roy Rob and his wife, Jaki, built their home with cordwood construction using the age-old technique of cordwood masonry to construct the main living quarters and outbuildings on their homestead in West Chazy, New York.
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Jaki and Rob Roy, pictured in their cordwood home.
Jaki and Rob Roy, pictured in their cordwood home.
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Mortared, square log-ends called quoins provide stability and structure, while preserving the character of this hand-hewn home.
Mortared, square log-ends called quoins provide stability and structure, while preserving the character of this hand-hewn home.
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A cordwood wall under construction at the Sage Mountain Center, a holistic living center near Whitehall, Montana.
A cordwood wall under construction at the Sage Mountain Center, a holistic living center near Whitehall, Montana.

Learn about the advantages of building a home using cordwood construction.

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 Construction?

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.

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