We use mortar mix with a little bit of glue for our chinking material. We also add just a little bit of dye to color the mix slightly brown. 
I have yet to come back and add finish trim to the doors and windows. 
Here you can see the Butt n Pass method of log home building we used. 
Look at the posts I used for the future deck. I choose logs that were beautiful with the curves and burls. 
Sam and Elliot out chinking. 
Hannah joins Sam and Elliot chinking. 
We just cut this window out. As we were securing logs on the walls with rebar every 3-4 feet…we left spaces open without rebar for the locations of the windows and doors. 
Bonnie and Hannah chinking here. 
Here Jill mixes the mortar mix to be used in the chinking process. 
If you figure out how long you have to chink…the cabin is 34×28 feet…14 logs on the long sides…around 20 logs x28 feet on the gable ends….that is close to 4,000 feet of chinking…almost ONE ENTIRE MILE!! 
Building The Stairway Up To The Loft.
Posted: May 16, 2019 in 2018, Cabin, StairwayTags: log cabin, off grid, self build, Stairway
We cut a long log with a mill in half. Then cut a few inches off one side. We then began to add 3′ steps up that long log in order of a set of stairs. 
Here we are done with the stairs and making an effort to raise it. 
Here I am drilling holes to add the lag bolts to attach the stairs to the other side. 
Looks like both sides are lagged and John is working with our metal lift in raising the stairway. 
Wow…it was sure heavy…but the metal lift was more than up to the job! 
John, Cory and I show off in front of our new set of stairs. 
Here John is doing the brain work on the stairs. 
John is cutting the stairs to fit. 
Elk down below by the road! Pretty darn close for wild Elk!! 
Look at all those Bulls!! 
The big guy still has his velvet on his antlers. He’ll be a nice four point! 
Getting ready to lift the stairway up on to the loft log. 
I am sure happy at this point…it’s almost there! 
Jack is cutting off the extra log. 
October of 2016 we put up half of the 2×6 part of the roof/ceiling. That wasn’t enough. I had to leave so I gave the instructions to my team there to finish the 2×6 asap. Well…it started to rain and didn’t stop for several months. Things got wet and worse than that got moldy. Finally the 2×6 roof was done and a blue roof was installed. The summer of 2017 I hired a company to install the real roof. 8″ of insulation and metal roof was installed. WhooHoo!! Finally!! It is now a wonderful roof keeping both the cold and the heat out and maintaining a wonderful temperature inside the log cabin.
I cut a small doorway in cabin to walk through. Later we will cut the entire opening for our french door. 
Neal here sanding on ‘Big Red’. 
Both Neal and Cory are sanding ‘Big Red’. 
John sands on the Ridgepole. 
Pressure washer being lifted up the ladder. 
John is working on the balcony side wall wood. 
Sam does lots of work…here he is sanding off mold from the 2×6 ceiling. 
Here I am! 
Laying on a lawn chair in the middle of the river…what a life!!
Here is a nice photo of the two cabins being built. The garage is very close and the cabin is just being started. This was taken back in 2016. 
Enjoy!!
logcabinfromscratch 