Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Blacktail on July 04, 2013, 03:29:33 am
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does any one know what differant kinds of log cabins there is...also what is the hardest and easyest to build...john
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Look up dick proenneke on YouTube his cabin is very simple he built it in 1968 with all hand tools I believe and lived in it til 2000 he passed away but his cabin still stands I don't know what kinds of cabins there are but his is very simple my dream is to do somethin like he did
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I built one with my father-in-law last summer. It was one of those prefab kit log homes from a local company called Riverbend Log Homes. It was all cedar logs that were cut to length and had grooves on the bottom and ridges on the top so that they would fit together tight. You had to run sill gasket along the ridges of each log and run a bead of caulking wherever two logs came into contact in order to seal it up good. Then you had to drive ten inch spikes down through each log into the one below it. Makes for a rugged building, and well sealed compared to other log homes. Would recommend it to anybody.
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I just watched a couple of the youtube vids on Dick Proenneke. Very interesting. Thanks for the tip, Joe.
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I would definitely go with Cedar logs. And large diameter logs! Other wise you don't get the "R"value of insulation.
There are many log kits out there, check them out. Some like above, have a ridge, some have a groove, into which you put a two by six, or eight. Some are round, some are square, with various notching. Round, saddle, etc. But know that the kits, are only the shell! No interior rooms. That is all up to you. So if the price seems OK, remember it's for the shell only. So you need to add the cost of the interior. Material, labor, etc. . They are a lot of maintenance , Also I would strongly recommend you go with a metal roof, on whatever type of house you decide on. That being said, they are beautiful, and just go well with a wooded area. But the key, is large diameter logs, ten inch diameter at least. But they are also expensive, for just a shell. :( There is a beautiful log cabin across and not too far down the road from my house in Montana. It is large diameter logs. BUT, again it was just the shell, and it cost him almost $three hundred thousand, if not more! :o I never got an exact price, but it was in that ball park. You would be better off to go with a frame with cedar siding, and use two by six studs, and insulate the snot out of it, including the walls, floor joists, as well as the ceiling. Also get the insulated windows. They ain't cheap. ;) But neither are the heating and cooling bills. It will pay for itself the first winter. My house, during the summer, I leave the windows open at night, and close them during the day, and the house stays cool all day, and evening . My Brother and Sister n Law came out one hot July, and she asked me if I had central air. I told her nope, I just insulated the heck out of it, and open the windows at night , and close them during the day. It also helps in winter, and had my one brain cell lit up earlier, I would have saved a lot of logs, by turning on the ceiling fan. ::) But I will be ready this winter. But think about the costs, and upkeep, and weigh them to other conventional homes. I had thought about building a log home, as I had always wanted one, but for me it just wasn't practical to do. I still have in the back of my mind,the idea of building a small one, and using it for a shop for custom play stuff, like muzzle loaders, horns, leather work, bows, arrows, knapping, and so forth. But if that ever becomes possible, due to finances, it will be far down the road. And..... like any of us, I don't know how much road I have left.... ::) ;D ;D
But check out the various companies, and their prices, and shipping, etc. . Ease o difficulty in assembly, will you need a crane, etc. There are a lot of companies, just do a search, and you will come up a bunch. ;) Think also where you will store the kit, when it comes. ;)
This is just my humble opinion, from what I have found out on my own, and deciding not to go with a Log house. It may suit you just fine, and since you are the one living in it, go with what makes YOU happy. If you can find someone living in a log house, especially an older log house, ask them, about initial expenses, and upkeep, insurance, heating, and cooling etc. ;) But what ever you go with, the one thing you do not want to skimp on is "INSULATION"!! ;) ;) ;)
Good luck with your decision, and home. :)
Wayne
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Insulation isn't super expensive. But it more than pays for itself.
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Didn't need a crane for the kit we used. Even the bigger logs were small enough to be handled by two guys.
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How big is your building, Slackbunny? And how large in diameter are the logs? Just wondeering how much I could handle if I were to build one. Thanks.
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Sorry for the slow reply. I lost track of the thread.
The cabin was fairly small, about 20 feet by 24 feet. Then we added a deck. I believe the logs were six inches tall, but the backside of them was squared off to give you a flat wall inside the building. Here are some pictures. You can see some of the individual logs lying around in some of the pictures. They are all precut to size and numbered. Putting them together is kind of like playing with Lego, except that you need a sledghammer and 8 inch spikes :laugh:
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/547896_387473914648220_20711114_n_zps4e57fed4.jpg) (http://s1166.photobucket.com/user/Slackbunny/media/547896_387473914648220_20711114_n_zps4e57fed4.jpg.html)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/562822_387474017981543_1111390742_n_zps28ef4175.jpg) (http://s1166.photobucket.com/user/Slackbunny/media/562822_387474017981543_1111390742_n_zps28ef4175.jpg.html)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/481976_387474041314874_140457900_n_zpsf8827aef.jpg) (http://s1166.photobucket.com/user/Slackbunny/media/481976_387474041314874_140457900_n_zpsf8827aef.jpg.html)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/598595_433435146718763_2048567570_n_zpsf8a459bc.jpg) (http://s1166.photobucket.com/user/Slackbunny/media/598595_433435146718763_2048567570_n_zpsf8a459bc.jpg.html)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/3922_433435176718760_2071665120_n_zps5226bf0b.jpg) (http://s1166.photobucket.com/user/Slackbunny/media/3922_433435176718760_2071665120_n_zps5226bf0b.jpg.html)
(http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q611/Slackbunny/9682_433435233385421_595967793_n_zps8d1063cd.jpg) (http://s1166.photobucket.com/user/Slackbunny/media/9682_433435233385421_595967793_n_zps8d1063cd.jpg.html)
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Here is a few photos of a log home I am building.
Kleinloghome.shutterfly.com
I attended the Log Home Builders Association course and went from there. If I do it again, I will build smaller. This one is 3600 sqft (including the walkout ICF basement) built with logs that are 14-16 inches on the small end and 20-22 inches on the big end. The Ridge pole is 48 feet long and weighs about 3000 pounds.
I have been able to keep construction costs down to about 23 dollars a sq ft, which I am pretty proud of. We are in the home stretch and hope to move in within a month.
Patrick
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I just noticed you are in Hamilton. We are between Livingston and Gardiner. If you are ever in the area and want to see a real log home let me know.
Patrick
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I built our home out of poplar logs that had been in cabins and barns some of them 175yrs old. I framed my place like a pole barn with laminate beams, where I wanted the logs I left out the center laminate and cut the logs to slide in. Very much like timber framing letting the old logs show, and giving me 6'' of insulation space on non log walls. I covered the other interior walls with old barn lumber. The outside is red barn metal with the front being the exposed vintage logs. I had the look we wanted without the problems that often come with old log homes.Whatever you decide good luck.
Keith