Notes from Skip's Log Building Class
On March 2-3, 2002, Robert attended Skip Ellsworth's Log House Building Seminar. It was 12 hours each day and was held at Skip's 7000 sq ft log house in Monroe, Washington. It was intense and very focused on providing the students with the knowledge and confidence needed to build their own log house. There were students from all over the US that flew in to attend. Over the course of those two days, Skip showed us how to build. He started at the foundation and took is all the way to the roofing. He had videos, lots of hand drawn diagrams, and tools that he showed and passed around. While it would seem unreasonable to expect that the student would know everything required, is was very clear that all the students had the confidence that they could do this and had good understanding of the basics. Whatever questions that come up will be answered in one of four ways:
- Thinking it out based on the general knowledge and concepts provided by the class
- Consulting with other students or builders
- Asking Skip directly via email or phone
- Trying one method that seems reasonable. If it doesn't work, try something else
Following are some of the notes taken in the class. Robert took 24 pages of notes so what you see below is a summarization of the most important items. Many hand drawn diagrams are not included. We do want to make sure you don't think these notes are in any way a substitution for attending the seminar. Without question, YOU SHOULD ATTEND SKIP'S CLASS!! It will give you the fundamental concepts, you'll see actual log homes to lock the concepts into your mind, you'll meet great people, and you'll get the confidence you need to know this is possible. You can read about Skip, the Log Home Builders Association, and learn about the seminar by looking
here.
There are three basic methods of log home construction:
- Saddlenotch
- Scandanavian Chinkless
- Butt and Pass
Water is the worst enemy of the log home - not fire.
You don't need any preservatives if you keep the logs dry. You need large overhangs. At least 3 feet on the sides and 8 feet on the ends.
With a frame house, you add the house to the floor. With a log house, you add the floor to the house.
Plastic chinking doesn't breath so water is trapped inside to rot the wood. Mortar breathes.
The overdangles should be 1.5 times the diameter of the logs when finally cut off.
If you are going to build a notched house, you really need seasoned wood due to irregular shrinkage.
For butt and pass method, you can use green logs. No seasoning required.
Getting logs:
- Eliminate the middleman. Go to the loggers or owners.
- Find loggers by visiting the local tavern
- Tell the loggers you will pay cash, require no receipts, will take delivery after dark
- If needed pay them 10-15% above what the mill will pay them
- Insist that you want the option to pick your logs
Generally, you will need 20% more logs that you think.
Get the "Offical Log Scaling and Grading Rules" book by Scribner
To find out what the mills are paying, call five of them and act like you have a load of perfect logs to sell and see what they would pay.
A good rule of thumb is to look for logs with no more than 1" of taper per 10' of length
Following are types of logs that are acceptable for building log homes:
- Hardwoods
- Oak
- Hickory
- Ash
- Maple
- Birch
- Softwoods
- Douglas Fir
- White Fir
- Alpine Fir
- Lodgepole Pine
- White Pine
- Pondarosa Pine
- Tamarack
- Engleman Spruce
Tools you will need:
- Chain saw
- Block and tackle (6" triple block)
- Hand winch or come-along
- Alaska saw mill
- Hammer
- Sledge hammer
- Brace and bits (if you don't have electricity)
- 1/2" electric drill
- 100' of chain (3/8" in 10' lengths)
- 600' polypropylene rope 1/2" diameter
- Carpenters level
- Hand level for shooting elevations (or Abney level)
- Rebar cutter
- Pick and shovel
- Post hole digger
- 50' tape measure
- Peavey
- Swede hook
- Carpenters square
- Scriber
- Chisel set
- Bark spud
- Digging bar
- Log dogs
- Plumb bob
- Calipers
- Chalk line
- 30' extension ladder
- Construction knife
- Portable generator (if no electricity avail)
- 10" 'C' clamps
- Putty knife
- Mortar board
- Portable concrete mixer (nice to have but not required)
- 1000' white string
You need to lay out all the logs first.
The best time to peel logs is just after they are cut
As you are building the walls, measure the corners from time to time. They need to be within 1/2" of each other.
Create a log catalog of all your logs. For each one, number them and put the following in your catalog:
- Log #
- Diameter at the large end
- Diameter at the small end
- Length
- Description (ie. very straight, lots of knots, bowed)
- Location (create racks of logs that are numbered)
If you have a bowed log, put the bow facing out and but all bowed logs in the same wall
After you catalog your logs, pick the ridge pole. It should be the best log you have.
To season the logs:
- Cut the logs in the fall after the sap goes down
- Skid to the site with the bark on
- Don't skid freshly peeled logs
- Store on a couple of sacrificial logs
- Roll them 180 degrees each week for 10 weeks, then once per month thereafter for 10 months
- Seasoning racks should be in the shade
The pier blocks need to be 18" above the ground
Pier blocks are 7 feet on center
Blocks need to be below ground deep enough to be below the frost line. Talk to local people to determine how deep that is
Build the pier block forms from 3/4" exterior plywood. 3' at the bottom and 8" at the top. For corner blocks, they need to be 8" by 24" so both the butt and the pass logs can rest on it. Only put rebar in the pass log.
Use batter boards to layout the house. The batter boards need to be about 5' from where the house will be.
Build the batter boards out of 2x4s with one end pointed to go into the ground
Use a hand level to sight the tops of the batter boards to level
Line the insides of the pier block forms with plastic to help removing them when dry
Rebar needs to go thru the pier block up to 6" from the ground. It should not go to the ground.
On top of the pier block you put felt and then 2x10 treated plates for the logs to sit on.
Pour extra cement from pier blocks into 18" square by 10" deep forms to use for porch blocks. About 3" of rebar sticking out the top.
A triple gang sawmill is great for cutting lumber from logs. Usually, the guy will cut for free if you go halves on the lumber that was cut.
5 basic principals of construction
- Level
- Plumb
- Square
- Parallel
- Same plane
Don't sharpen the rebar used to pin the logs. This would cause the logs to split.
Only drill the top log when pinning. Use sledge hammer to pound into lower log
Drive the rebar pins in 12"
Use log dogs to hold the logs in place before drilling and pinning
Use your level on the inside wall as you go up (at the corners)
At about 5 feet, attach your level to a 2x4 for making sure the whole wall is level
For any interior lumber (such as roof car decking and window/door frames, stain it before installing
Rather than having a bedroom in the loft, you can have an "unfinished storage area with a ladder".
Make the openings you cut for the window and door frames 1/2" wider on each side. Use shims when installing
When the logs shrink, the centers of the logs will remain roughly in the same place and the top/bottom will draw towards the center.
Check code for side of doors and windows.
Most people get 41' logs because they can be hauled without a permit. That will allow them to build a 35' house
Steps to success:
- Draw your plans
- Build a scale model
- Make a materials list
- Do a cost analysis based on the materials list
- Redraw the plans to fit your budget
Cut your logs when they are hardest to peel
Floor rim joists are lag screwed to the sill log
Might want to make the pier blocks wide enough to support the rim joists
Lag screws every 2 feet on rim joists. Use 6" by 1/2" lag screws
Metal joist hangers on 16" centers
Nail 1x4s across the joist hangers on the bottom to hold the insulation sheets
Use polystyrene insulation sheets to R-19 or more
Put 7 mil visqueen on top of the insulation sheets IN the cavaties stapled to the sides of the floor joists
Use construction adhesive under the floor boards. This prevents squeeks.
Use 2x6 tongue and groove car decking for the floor
Second story floor joists are 4x10s
Get joist hangers fabricated for 4x10s
Use hot dipped headless nails to blind nail the car decking in place for the floor
RPSL - Ridge pole support log is thru bolted to every other wall log with 1/2" all thread
RPSL sits on the floor for small building but for a larger one, make the center pier blocks big enough to sit the RPSL on them.
To get the RPSL straight and level, use a tripod 50' away with a white string and plumb bob. If windy, put the plumb bob in a pail of water
Corner lifting poles. Dig 4 foot deep hole at the corners on the inside and tamp the dirt really tight. These have to be removed later rather than just being cut off. Remove by jacking them out.
Attach guy lines from the top of the lifting poles to the bottom of an adjacent lifting pole for stability.
Nail 2/4s to the side of the top of the lifting poles to prevent the chain from slipping down.
Check with Pacific Iron and Metal in Seattle to get block and tackle
Get 3 pulley 6 or 8" blocks
When lifting the logs, use nylon straps since they will be easier to get off the log when it is in place
When you submit your plans to the building permit people, 'by mistake', attach a copy of your LHBA membership card and a note from 'someone' saying that these plans have been used and approved in every county in the state.
Use 4x10s for roof rafters. They are thru bolted at the top and spiked into the top wall log at the bottom.
Put in 4x10s pieces between rafters at the top of the walls for 'bird blocks'. Spike these into the wall with 2 rebar spikes
Use 'C' clamp to hold two rafters together as you bolt them together.
Raise all the roof joists at the same place and then side them down after they are bolted together.
Might want to place a 2x10 from the ground to the top of the wall to create a ramp for the roof joists top ride up as you pull them into place.
When pulling rafters, use a couple of pieces of rebar in 3/4" holes on the top wall logs to guide them up. Can easily remove to slide the rafters over after bolted.
Put 2x6 T&G car decking on the roof joists. Tongue up, groove down.
Don't use any construction adhesive. If someone is walking on your roof, you want to hear it :)
Nail 2x4s on 2 foot centers to the car decking to create something you can nail the 2x8s to that will create the insulation pockets.
Use 2x8s on edge nailed to the 2x4s to create a 8" pocket. These are on 2' centers
Metal roof attaches to the 2x8s. There is not a sheathing before the metal roof. Talk to the metal roof people to get exact instructions on what they really want. It might be different from the above. They might want the 2x8s horizontal rather than vertical
Window frames. Build around the window so you get a perfect fit. Then put them on the wall and mark the hole you want to cut with the chainsaw. Remember, 1/2" on each side and use shims. Windows should be at least 2' from a wall corner.
For chinking, get 6" by 1" sill seal fiberglass bat. Cut into 1" wide strips. Lightly push into both sides of the crack. Leave an air pocket between the two pieces of fiberglass.
Nail hot dipped galv. finishing nails on angle into the crack on the lower log. Bend them up towards the top log. When the logs shrink, the chinking will pull away from the top log. That makes it really easy to touch up the chinking later.
Chinking nails are every 3 inches
Mortar mixture
- 1/2 part lime
- 1 part portland cement
- 3 parts masonary sand
- Add water to the consistency of peanut butter
Cover the top of the mortar board with plastic stapled to the top
Push mortar into the cracks from the mortar board with a cake spatula or putty knife
If you want to use any stain, use the oil based type. However, Skip feels that any sort of preservative is not needed. Only for looks.
Gabel ends are framed. You can do it with logs however that is harder.
Gabel ends are constructed as follows (looking from the outside in.
- Board and batten
- 30 lb felt
- Polystyrene insulation sheets to proper R value
- vapor barrier (7 mil plastic)
- Dead air space
- Board and batten
A study at the University of Fairbanks calculated that the R value on a 12" log is R-48. Wow!
If you use logs for the gable ends, nail 2x4s on each side to guide your cut.
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