We had some wonderful visitors during our 4th-6th rows for sure. Jeremy had some friends from FSU traveling by bicycle from Calgary Canada to San Diego CA. He knew they were biking through WA but had no idea where they were…and they didn’t know he was in WA. So we pull up to a stop sign and two bicyclists ride across in front of us. Jeremy goes nuts and yells out the window. It turned out to be his friends from Florida! It ended up we invited them up to the cabin where they stayed a few days and helped us chink our garage! Thanks Jacob and Marcella…it was a ‘win-win’ kinda thing for sure. We also had a short visit from the Zorns family from Florida. Shared a campfire and they were off for CA. We even had a mother and her sons visit from Germany. I’ve included some close up photos of the chinking on our garage. First…we waited for two years to chink at all. That is to let the logs shrink. We stuffed insulation between the logs first…then we cut 1” strips of 1/4” hardware cloth(fine mesh wire) and wedged them over the insulation. This keeps boring bugs from boring holes into your structure. Then we hammered nails at 4” apart and bent them inward for the final layer of chinking to attach to. You can use several compounds as your chinking…synthetic type material is one…I am choosing to use just plain cement. It is less expensive. I will end up using a dye to color the cement. Note: Jack has hammered by hand the nails over the years…I am intending to try out a cordless nail gun instead. That will happen later this summer. Stay tuned.
Pretty exciting to watch the logs go up row by row. It all happens pretty quick really since most of our lower logs were over a foot in diameter and it only takes one log per side to move on. Jeremy was still here on a ‘working vacation’ from Florida…thanks for all your help Jeremy! Swinging an 8lb sledge all day long made Jeremy a believer that building a log cabin was work. Sam has been a welcome addition to our work force as well. In a couple of the pics you see Jack and I wedging our saws in between logs cutting off knots that have kept the two logs from fitting together as tight as possible. The tighter the fit the less chinking will be relied upon for insulation. 1/2” rebar was pounded in every four feet with the exception of door and window locations…then allowances were made so as not to ‘run into’ rebar while cutting an opening at a later date. All total there will be over 800 pieces of rebar driven into the walls of this cabin. That is a lot of Icy Hot!
All work and no play makes Dave a cranky boy. Jeremy got to try out his new camera.
OK…if you haven’t already heard of Jack and Sharon Tipping and their Onalaska Log Building School…you are in for the best kept secret this side of Oxnard CA(I just like to say that name). Jack and Sharon built their first log home over 32 years ago and now have 11 log structures on their property. They are not just teachers of a school…they are passionate about the skill of log building and dedicated to making their students successful. Even after the class is over Jack and Sharon will do what ever they can to help you through the exciting process of building your very own log cabin. No, they haven’t paid me for this endorsement. Are you sold? You should be. Did I say that when you take the class you can visit Bonnie and I on the following day! Bonus right! OK…maybe not but…
The second row of logs are pinned down with rebar. 1/2” this year…two years ago the engineer said use 5/8”…which was twice as hard to pound in with a sledge hammer. Not sure why the change of heart but we are glad for the smaller diameter rod. Placed every 4’ a 1/2” hole is drilled through the top log only…a length of rebar is chosen that will reach through the top log and penetrate into the second log half way. For example…if your top log is 12” and your second log is also 12” you will need an 18” length of rebar to correctly pin your log. Once the rebar is in the log will begin to shrink around the bar and form a very strong connection. Again…I said SHRINK…not SETTLE. I have a stack of over 500 pieces of rebar in varying lengths. I chose to have them cut at a small expense…you can save money and cut them yourself with a bolt cutter if you choose. The corners have extra rebar…one horizontally and one at a diagonal. We do quite a bit of knot cutting once the log is up and we find the right ‘fit’. Remember, this technique is called BUTT AND PASS. One log passes past then the next butts up against that one and passes on the opposite end…and so on and so on…
Kara, Kristof and I had fun building a fort out of concrete forms for the GKids. With 6 hinged windows and doors they had great fun as was the nautical wheel and periscope. Next will be a loft and fireman’s pole to slide down. Our river is great for activity and of course a campfire and s’mores are just a must have.
The most exciting row and definitely the most effort. Since it’s the ‘sill’ row(first) it needs to be attached to the foundation wall by 3/4” AT(all thread) in our case. Every 4’. That means that holes need to be drilled at precise locations in order to lower the log over all rods at once. There are different methods for sure but since our AT rods were NOT set in the concrete walls evenly and in a straight line we decided to lift the log over the rods…mark the locations…bring the log back to the ground and drill holes…then pray like crazy. Well, it worked well surprisingly. My strong suggestion is to position your rods in a precise line. Goes without saying I’m sure. You can see all the 2×2′ pads inside the foundation…where the floor posts will be set. We are using 2×8 floor joists as floor bracing. Milled lumber will be easier for floor level.
Father’s Day was great this year. Besides hearing from my kids during the course of the weekend we spent the day with some friends from church. We went to their parents home out the Wynochee Valley and watched the last NBA playoff game between Golden State and Cleveland. Kristof and I were rooting for opposing teams so that made it even sweeter…since my team came away with the win. Before the game we drove up river and found a spot to swim…ok…just me and Levi got in because of the cool temp…way to go Levi! Oh yeah…the big smile on Kristof is the fact that he is driving a stick for the first time. Now maybe he can park those Lamborginis.
For a romantic get-away Bonnie and I left early in the morning and headed up the Olympic Peninsula towards Solduck Falls. This was where I proposed to Bonnie seven years ago. After spending some time at the falls we decided to keep heading west and completed the complete circle of the Olympic Peninsula. We stopped for dinner at Klaloch Lodge and saw some wonderful Washington coastline.
To lift our logs onto the foundation stem wall we use lifting poles. One in each corner. Buried 3’ into the ground and extending longer than your highest wall log. In our case we needed poles reaching over 24’ into the air. Once in place and buried you’ll need to climb up as far 20’ and double wrap chain to hold the upper pulley. Above that you’ll need to tie two lengths of rope that will stretch out like a circus tent at angles to hold the poles from bending to far inside. Then you’ll need two more ropes extending from top of pole to bottom of next pole over to provide more lateral support. Anyway…lots of stinking rope! First year I used 1600’ of 5/8” poly rope and this year I’ve gone through over 500’ more. Cheaper than a boom truck! $125 for a spool of 600’. We started to build a form for a sidewalk around the foundation but went with a layer of gravel instead. We have used 6 sets of pulleys to lift our logs. Most of my pulleys I found at garage sales, eBay and just getting the word out. You’ll also need lots of lengths of chain…with hooks on each end preferably.
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