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Building a log home - by Vern
and Sara Street
Updated 05-21-2008
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In October of 2005, Vern and Sara Street decided to purchase 10 acres
located in western Creek County West of Sapulpa , Oklahoma on Highway 33. We lived in
Sapulpa in a real nice split level house on two acres. Why did we do
this? We really enjoyed the place all month long until the payment became due! Being retired
and on a small income, this was tough so we started looking around for a place we
could build or move something in and remodel and save some money. |
91st Street home
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Our new place had all we needed to start.
It had a 30 by 50ft shop (pole barn), on the property, a nice water
well, and two septic tanks, but no house. We figured we could
probably move in a house and spend a year remodeling and we could do
this on our budget as we could afford it. We have had some
experience remodeling - see Loft Apt.
We put our current house on the market thinking it would take six
months or so to sell, and we could build living quarters in the shop
building, however, the house sold in two weeks and all of a sudden
we were homeless! So the old 1972 Superior motorhome became
our home temporarily.
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1972 Superior
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So the next job was to get the living quarters ready before the
cold weather set in. In Oklahoma, that's about first of
December. The shop building was divided up to 10ft by 30ft
living, a small shop area of about 19 by 30 ft. The rest of
the shop was used to store all our stuff. Stuff which we will
looking thru for the next year or so every time you need something
you know you have but can't find. The old joke is, it's within
50ft! We built a very basic space with the bathroom, shower,
washer and dryer in the end of the space. The rest of the
space contained a small cabinet, a hoosier cabinet, refrigerator,
antique cook stove, TV hanging on the wall, and a Murphy bed that
can be folded up during the day. Everything you need. Oh
yes, also the computer desk. Can't do without the
internet.
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The Existing Homestead
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Speaking of the internet -- we moved out here in the country to
escape the big city life, but hi-speed internet didn't appear to
exist. SBC couldn't even find our address! Finally, we
got hooked up with a dial up connection but after a while we knew
something had to change and we begin researching for a better
internet connection. It appeared we would have to get one of
the expensive satellite hookups but in doing some research, I
discovered that WIMAX (a WIFI with up to a 30mile radius), was
available in certain locations and as luck would be, a company
located about 25 miles from us had a wireless internet setup with an
antenna only 3 miles from our 10 acres! This is really neat
stuff! We had to put up a 40ft antenna, (to get over the
trees), and wow - we have hi-speed internet. Not super fast
but about 350K. Much better than the 24K dial-up! Now we
can surf the net in style. We also eliminated the expensive land
line we had for a phone, and subscribed to the Vonage internet
phone. All this cost less the the SBC phone line. We are
planning on building a log home like they did in the 19th century,
but we gotta have our internet to find all the cheap stuff.
What's wrong with this picture?
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I can relate!
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While surfing the net one day, Sara discovered the website for
the Log Home builders
Association. Since we had to build something anyway and we had always enjoyed
looking at log homes, we signed up immediately for the two day
school in Monroe, WA. This was fantastic! Skip Ellsworth
has been teaching this school sine the 1960's, and has over 45,000
members in the organization, They offered a money back
guarantee and as far as I know, no one has ever asked for
their money back. The course was very intense for two
days and we took pages of notes of how to locate and procure your
logs and how to construct a butt and pass loghome that will last for
years. Just like they did in the early days. You also got an
education on the different types of log homes and log home kits and
why the kit homes are so expensive. About all you see here in
Oklahoma are kit homes as it is a project to find logs long enough
for the type of home we are going to build. If you are
interested in building a Log Home, or purchasing one, be sure to
spend some time on the Log
Home Builders website to learn about all the different types of
construction.
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August 2006
After completing the living quarters, we were forging ahead to
locate some logs. In Oklahoma, we don't have too much to
choose from except for some different types of Oak trees and most
are too short and crooked to use as a wall log. SE Oklahoma
has some pines but we were unable to track down a logger willing to
work with us. Most were contracted to some big company.
We discovered that I knew a guy in Mississippi, (thru motorcycle
events), that was a logger and had 3000 acres of Pine and Poplar
that were downed by hurricane Katrina. After a phone call
to him, we were assured we could get all the logs we needed by
summer of '06. He recommended the Poplar for various reasons
and we said great. We made a Goldwing trip to Mississippi to
personally see these logs. They were beautiful! We then
proceeded to level the site and prepare for the foundation. We
elected to use Log Home builders Assoc. 30ft by 30ft plans and would
use a 18 inch footing with piers. The summer was very busy getting
everything ready for the footing. Still thinking that the logs
would be here by Summer's end, we worked thru some very hot Oklahoma
days and managed to get the piers all ready for the logs, -- but --
they didn't show up. The logger had some kind of personal
problems and all of a sudden dropped out of sight. So, we were
back to square one on getting logs. Nice piers, but no logs!
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Okla Summer!
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Ready for logs!
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So, here we are - back in the hunt for logs. We decided
this time we would look closer to home as the price of diesel fuel
had risen considerably since Spring therefore trucking costs were
out of sight. We tried the internet and found the Missouri
Department of Forestry which contained a list of Missouri loggers
with their email addresses. I sent out probably 50 emails to
loggers in Southwest Missouri and most of them came back
undeliverable. We did receive one email after that exercise
from a guy in West Plains, Mo. who was very helpful. We
actually drove up there to meet with him. He was the typical
logger who worked locally but his truck was not legal to cross the
border - i.e., no insurance or license to cross over in
Oklahoma. I ran across this often but this gentlemen did send
us to the right people. He led us to a guy who bought and sold
property mainly to harvest the trees. He dealt mostly in Oak
and owned a sawmill which cut Oak into railroad ties.
Occasionally, he would have some groves of pine which he would stack
out on his yard until he got a call for Pine and then he would
shutdown Oak and saw the Pine. Anyway, we made a deal for
three loads of White Pine averaging about 12 inches diameter and cut
45 ft long. So, again, we have logs. This guy knew the
local truckers and fixed us up with a truck line to haul them to
Oklahoma.
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Nice Stack of Logs-
But still in Log Yard
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12-13-2006
To a future log home builder, there is no other sight more exiting
than to see your logs arriving at your building site! December
13th, the first two loads arrived. Yipee! They have
finally arrived. Now we have to figure out how to unload
them. This part of Oklahoma does not have an abundance of log
handling equipment and the truckers didn't have one of those neat
little log loaders mounted on the truck. But, as luck would
have it, my neighbor, who is in the heavy equipment business, had a
track hoe available and after a couple of broken logs, he had
figured out how to unload them. I hope I can borrow his track
hoe when it comes time to install the ridge pole 30ft up in the air. |
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Yea! Logs Arrived
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Unloading - Okla Style
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January 2007
Meanwhile, the logs are laid out on sacrificial logs and the
de-barking begins! However, the weather in Oklahoma in not
really great for construction of any kind. As can be seen in
the photo's to the right, it has some warming up and some drying up
before we can start laying the logs I have discovered
however, you can de-bark if the temperature is between 35 and 40
degrees. Anything lower than this, the bark seems to be frozen
to the log. So, we stop and work on the model! |
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De-barking in the snow
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Oklahoma Winter
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February 2007
Well, after an unusual cold January and most of February, it warmed
up, the wind came and dried up the site. It looked like we
would finally get to finish de-barking and stack some logs. We
inventoried the log pile and saved the length, butt size, and every
10 ft of each log into an Excel spreadsheet. We found by
sorting by the 10ft size gave us the best matches when comparing the
log sizes. A lot of the butts were flared and made the log
appear larger than it was. |
Pick out the first log
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February 22, 2007 - first log at last!
We got out the old John Deer and hooked onto the first log for the
piers. We originally setup our little Wheel Horse to pull the
logs over to the site and it's hydraulic lift would pick the
end of the log, as soon as tried to go forward the little tractor
just stood up. Not enough weight on the front end. Oh,
well, I will work on that later. The old JD did it and after
dragging the log over parallel to the piers, we hooked on it with
the front loader and lifted up and set on blocks next to the piers
to align the rebar up and mark where to drill the holes. Then
the tricky part starts! Trying to start the rebar in the
bottom of the log. Here we could have used more people.
But after a few tries and 30 minutes or so SHA-ZAM! We have
the first log! We're so excited. It works just like Skip
said it would!
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First log on the piers
We're off and running!
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February 28, 2007 - Four logs up!!
After a rain and a few days of drying out, we continued to put the
first layer of logs on the piers. The problem begins when
trying to stab the logs on the rebar extending out of the
pier. We learned a couple of tricks. 1) Use a string
line and be sure the base of each rebar is in aligned with the
others. If not, make a note how far off and which way so you
can compensate when you drill. 2) Use the string and make sure
the height of the rebars are the same or they are stepped from one
end. You will need to start on the one that is the
tallest. 3) After the logs are drilled, pick the
log up in the middle with one strap with the log near
balanced. This way you can grab the end of the log, tilt it
down and guide it onto the rebar at a time. Then you can
gradually let the log down, keeping it slightly tilted until the
next rebar slips in and so forth. Piece of cake! This
works when you using a lifting device such as a front end
loader. Using the lifting poles, it would be a different
scheme.
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Four logs up on piers
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I also found an extremely good buy in 2X12's to use for my dimensional
lumber. 84 lumber had their 2X12 8foot for $2.00, 2X12 10
foot for $3.00 and 2X12 12 footer's at $4.00. One 2X12
makes 2- 2X6's which I will need a large number for floors and
ceiling. Will have to do my own Tongue and Groove, but I work
cheap when I am working for myself. I couldn't believe the
total board foot of dimensional lumber required to build a log
house! It was an eighteen wheeler load complete with his
little attached forklift.
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2X12's for floors & ceilings
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We spent a couple of days facing the inside edge of the first
layer of logs. We plan to do a wood floor and wanted the rim
joists to fit really snug against the logs to keep out the bugs and
critters. I purchased one of the little chain saw guides that
is advertised to use as a mini sawmill. I think that is a joke
but did well for my purpose. I screwed a 2X12 on top of the
logs and used it as a guide to true up the inside edge. Now
that I'm thru with the guide, I'll sell it on ebay and get most of
my money back.
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Mar-08-2007-
We are into laying logs and driving rebar. We are half way
thru round 5. It's starting to look like an impressive
structure. We now have people driving down the road stop and
just watch what we are doing. One guy, Tom, was so impressed
he decided to help us for the day to learn what we were doing.
He drove a lot of rebar! We also tested some demolition
hammers and chose a unit marketed by Harbor Freight . It
seemed to work and reduced to rebar driving to laying on the
demolition for a few seconds.
We have reached to limit that we can use the front end loader to
reach the top of the structure so we have to regroup and prepare for
the next step. The plan, at least for today, will be to mount
lifting poles in the inside corners and chain them to the
structure. We would have done poles to start with but the
ground is only inches from rock and didn't have the equipment to
drill the holes. We will now just set them on the ground
chained to the corners. This will give us lifting capability
plus alignment poles when placing the new logs on top. It will
allow us to just set the logs in place and keep the inside straight
with the walls.
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Working on 5th layer!
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Pounding Rebar!
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March 25, 2007
After a few days of rain we have now completed the lifting pole
installation and works very well. We still use the front end
loader to lift the log up and over the overdangles and then with the
log sitting on the top overdangle, we attach the lifting straps
around the log and use our small 12V cable winches to complete the
sitting of the log in place. This gives you very fine control
of the log and you can actually rotate the log in the straps or
slide back and forth to get them best match of knots etc. to obtain
minimum gap between the logs. I secure a winch to my jeep and
one to my tractor. That seems to be the best way as they also
carry around a 12volt battery. It's musical cars and tractors
when you complete a log and change sides.
We now have seven rounds up and rebarred. It gets slower as
you go up in levels as you have to climb further up the ladder
to do anything. Usually several trips up the ladders on each
end of the log are required before you are done. The lifting
poles also provide a nice stop for the inside of the wall. We
set the lifting poles true and tight in the corners to provide this
guide. The eighth round will require taller ladders! The
weather is not looking good for the next week. The red clay
gets real nasty when wet. Not the kind of mud you would want
on your feet when up on the log walls.
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Using the FEL to set
lifting poles |
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Sara standing at the
back door. Seven Rounds.
Note lifting poles in corners. |
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Sara is always watching for bargains in the local
newspapers, ebay, and craig's list. This month she has found a
large stock of used 4X8 sheets of two inch polyiso rigid
insulation for $5.00 a sheet. So, we purchased enough of it
for six inches in the roof and two inches in the floor. Of
course the problem as always is where to store this stuff. I
had to move some good junk out in the weather to make room under the
shed for the insulation. Also, while pouring over the classifieds,
she discovered scaffolding I could purchase for $35 a
section. I quickly checked my rental guy and discovered I
could rent the same for $50 per month. Didn't take long
to decide what to do there! This scaffolding will be nice when
chinking starts. I also ran across a buy on 5/8 poly
rope. It was used so I questioned the strength. To test
it, I used a piece tied to the FEL and around a 45 ft log
weighing appox. 1500-2000 lbs. and it didn't break! Therefore,
I feel OK about using it for block and tackle, safety ropes, and guy
ropes. I tie a rope all around the lifting poles to use as a
grab (safety) rope. I have used it a number of times
We are still waiting and looking for good buys on windows and
standing seam metal roofing.
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2 inch polyiso insulation |
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Testing the 5/8 rope-
lifts the 45ft log - |
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4-18-2007
Well, more rain and more waiting time to dry out. Not too much
to report as we are just lifting logs when the conditions
permit. One of the problems as you go higher is the longer
ladders. Earlier, I would just go up on the log wall carrying
a few sticks of rebar but as you get higher this takes a lot of time
so I built a rebar "quiver" like an arrow quiver. I
can now carry enough rebar to do a complete log with one trip.
We have figured out that it is quicker to place a whole round of
logs with just enough rebar to hold them in place and then carry the
"hole hawg" up and drill the complete round, then set all
the rebar, and then carry the rebar driver (Harbor Freight demo
driver), up one time and drive all the rebar. It only takes
about 5 minutes per log to drive the rebar and this only
requires one trip up on the wall. We have finished round 10
and have two logs up on round 11. Then the rains came
again! But, good news - Fred Casey and his son-in-law Chuck (LHBA
forum user Freeloader), are coming up this week for some hands on
experience. They are getting ready to start their home in
Midway, TX. We should get a lot done with two extra
helpers! Now if the site will just dry out!
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04-19-2007
Well we managed to get round 10 up and rebarred after some time to
dry-out. Thursday the 19th, Fred Casey and his son-in-law
Chuck came up from Houston, TX. They arrived about 9:00 AM
after driving most of the night. Amazing what log home
builders will do to get to work on a log home project! They
are starting their log home in Midway, TX and figured they
would get some experience setting logs. That's a good thing
for our project! We managed to set round eleven including
drilling and rebar. It sure works better when you have four
people working. Both Fred and Chuck got to drill, place and
drive the rebar. Something they can look forward to in their
project. They are building a 40 X 40. Wow! Longer logs and
more rebar! They spent the night in our guest house, (1972
motorhome), and left early Friday morning to return home. We
really enjoyed and appreciated their help. If anyone reading
this is planning on building a log home, I would highly recommend
spending a day at another site to expose yourself to an actual
project. You can learn a lot.
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Fred drilling with the
"Hole Hawg" |
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| Chuck - setting rebar |
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The whole crew -
Vern Sara Chuck Fred |
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WK of 04-23-07
Well we had a few days of nice weather and Sara and I managed to to
complete round 12 and rebarred. It then appeared that our
lifting poles would be too short by a foot or two. We couldn't
lift the logs above round 13, and we have to have room to lift 15
rounds. The walls would be 14 rounds, and we still have to
lift the ridge pole above the round 14 in order to get on top of the
log walls. It was apparent that the lifting poles had to be
taller which means undo all the rigging, guy ropes, etc. Sara
asked me "can't you just raise the lifting poles?"
This is why you have a team - two brains are better than one!
Of course I can raise them - just like raising the RPSL's (Ridge
Pole Support Log), up to top of the foundation. Simply tie a
chain hoist to the top of the walls; tie the lift chain to the
lifting poles, and crank it up - leaving all the guy ropes and
rigging in place. We raised each of them 3 foot and placed a 3
foot cutoff piece of log under them. Piece of cake. We
now have lots of room to lift 15 rounds and I have practice lifting
the RPSL's when the time comes.
We managed to lift round 13 logs on three sides before the promised
week of rain started. It started on schedule about three pm
Monday the 30th and has rained every day since. There are lots
of puddles all around the site as I update this site. We are
now patiently awaiting dry weather! Then will come round 14
which is the top of the walls in our present plan. Of course
plans can be changed.
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Going up - round 13
Sara & Coby operating
lift controls |
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Round 13
Clouds moving in! |
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Week of 06-04-07
Most of the month of May was consumed with rain. We broke
records with more the 10 inches of rain total. We did manage
to get in a few days work on the project. We're hoping that
with the rainy weather maybe the summer will not be as hot as
usual. Wishful thanking!
We now concentrated on installing the Ridge Pole Support Logs (RPSL's)
and the ridgepole. Since we were going to be working inside
the structure, we cut a temporary door. Notice the slant -
proof what a dull chain on the chainsaw will do. We really
tried to cut it straight!
The RPSL's were set up on stands and cleaned up somewhat as it
is much easier down on the ground.
We then slid the RPSL under the wall until it was inside the
house. We then placed the bottom against the pier and the
lifts were tied on the top of the pole and lifted up! Worked
as expected. Then the RPSL was trued up using a plumb bob as
gravity still pulls straight down! After plumb, the RPSL's
were bolted to the walls using 5/8 inch all thread every other
log. As some of my logs are curved slightly, I used a shim to
insure the bolt could be tightened. See Loghome
Pictures for more detailed pictures.
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Nice straight temp door! |
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Slide RPSL under wall |
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| Tie to lift cables and raise
it. |
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The Ridge Pole is set up on stands and cleaned up along with
stretching a tight string across the top to locate where the
rafters will sit. It will be much easier to do here
rather then 30 foot up in the air. I did a few notches and a
few shims. Now, if I can only get it placed with the correct
side up! The ridge pole (small end), is placed up on the log
wall using the corner lifting poles. The front end loader now
pushes the pole upward onto the wall until the log is almost
teetering over. The opposite lifting poles is now
connected to the top of the ridge pole and using the lifts and a
chain hoist attached to the opposite wall, the ridge pole is pulled
across the structure and rolled over to the RPSL's. The lifts
are now placed from the top of the RPSL's to the ridge pole and the
lifting begins. This worked better in theory than it really
worked. As the ridge pole gets closer to the top, the angle of
the cable gets smaller and therefore using a little geometry, causes
the lifting to become harder. I almost overdid my
system. #1) I should have had taller extensions on my RPSL's,
#2) I should have had stronger lifts. #3) Why didn't we rent a
crane? Anyway, by 8:30 PM and almost dark, we managed to roll
the ridge pole over on the RPSL's - talk about an adrenal
rush! The next morning, I used the bucket truck to get on top
and pound the rebar thru the ridge pole into the RPSL. I also
tied a safety rope across the RP to tie my safety harness to when
setting the rafters.
Today, 6-8-07, we set the cap logs and double butt logs
completing the walls of the structure. Whew! I am
ready to do something besides lifting logs! I am now
close to needing the 24 ft 4X10 rafters. I just can't wait to
sit up on the RP and pull the rafters up!
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Set rafter locations |
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Set small end on top |
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Push the pole up on walls |
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The lifting begins |
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Rebar the RP to RPSL |
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6-20-07
Well, we managed to find a few days of dry weather and installed the
center RPSL, and eventually the second floor girder. The center
RPSL had to be picked up from the Ridge Pole, and actually picked up
higher the RP in order to set the RPSL down on rebar extruding from
the pier. Then the RPSL was carefully lowered on the
rebar. By using ropes tied to the top of the RPSL, we managed
to pull the pole exactly under the RP. This is much easier to
say then to do, but after a few misses, we managed to get it just
right. Then, it's up on the RP and pound in a piece of rebar
thru the RP into the RPSL.
Next, the second floor girder was brought up and after
carefully measuring the locations, the holes were cut in the walls
for the girder to slide thru. By using the lifts and the
backhoe for a little push power, the girder slid into place right
next to the center RPSL.
Now, we really need rafters -
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| Slide the center RPSL into
postion. |
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| Push the girder thru the
building |
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| Here it is in position. |
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7-28-07
Dry weather at last but we are never happy, Now it is
hotter than blue blazes! It must be July! I
expected to have a roof on by July therefore working in the shade,
but didn't happen. After two months of being promised our
24ft 4X10 rafters, we called our log supplier and was told he
still has more logs. We will pick them up and with a $100
extension added to our little sawmill, I will cut my own
rafters. I managed to find enough logs in stock to cut 5
rafters so now I have some to play with and learn how to raise
them. See additional photos here.
I will have to pick up the additional logs next week. We will
need 11 sets of rafters and it takes a 11 or 12 inch tree at the
small end to cut one.
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9-08-07
We did a flying trip back to Birch Tree, Mo. and picked up 13 logs
cut 24ft each to cut rafters. The 13 will provide the extra 17
plus several spares. I will make floor joists out of the rest
of them. We spent a few days milling the rafters and waiting a
few more days watching the site dry out from more rain. It
never rains in Oklahoma in August, but guess what - it did this
year! We were able to complete the rafter installation
during August even after our bucket truck died for a couple of
weeks. The telescoping cylinder started streaming oil and so
we had to go from log home builder to truck mechanic. This was
supposed to be an eight hour job for someone who knew what they were
doing, but it took me considerable longer than that!
Putting up the rafters turned out to be quite a
challenge. If you look in the manual, Ellsworth (LHBA),
provided two pages devoted to installing rafters and referred to the
guy on the ridge pole with 4 baggies; nuts, bolts, washers, and
lunch. In my case, he should have included a suitcase to
spend the night!
We only had two people, Sara and I. I would get all the ropes
aligned up with the Jeep tied to one side, and the tractor tied to
the other side. I would then get up on the ridge pole and Sara
would drive the Jeep and the tractor and raise the rafters until
they crossed up over the ridge pole. I would then drill thru
the rafters and bolt together with an all tread. After bolting
together, I would slide the rafter across the ridge pole to the
correct position with Sara moving the rafters ends as I moved the
top. This all sounds easy and probably would be if you have a
nice smooth Douglas Fir ridge pole, Our white pine RP has a
number of outcroppings of knots about every three foot.
The rafter had to be lifted over these with a pry bar. The
best we were able to do was two sets per day. And, we dropped
a couple of them, but only one broke. The first ones we did,
we chained the rafters to the cap logs until we got the top
bolted. This was an extra step and took a lot of time.
I then learned you can attach a block to the end of the rafter
so that when it slides into position, the block drops over the cap
log and holds it for you. See the picture. One other
thing I did was to build myself a rebar ridge pole saddle to sit in
why I struggled with the rafters. It sits over the ridge pole
and has a place for my feet. You can stand up and work and
much more secure than just sitting on the pole 34 ft. in the air. Now
the rafters are up, we are going to setup one of the porch supports
and start decking on it as the slope will be smaller and I can walk
on it before starting up the steep roof. While I was waiting
on rafters and broken equipment, I installed the porch
piers. 10-20-2007
We now decided to construct the porches to provide a walkable area
to use as a base to start the decking up the slope. This
turned out to be a very good plan since the roof has a 12/12 pitch
and would otherwise require scaffolding. We also took a couple
of logs (future 3rd floor girders), and made a walkway up to the
porches. A lot easier than climbing ladders when carrying a 12
foot 2X12 with which we used for the decking. We were
originally going to use 2X6 tongue and groove but decided to go with
the 2X12's since we picked them up at a great price and they cover
fast. Some were wet and drew up a little so we just covered
the deck with 15# tar paper to seal between the living space and the
insulation. |
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11-21-2007
With the decking completed, it is time to build a roof on top of the
roof. First six inch sleeper rafters are installed on four foot
centers which will be filled with 4X8 sheets of polyiso rigid
insulation. A total of six inches thick. I then covered
the insulation with the new hi-tech double bubble radiant
shield. According to their specs, this reduces the radiant
energy by 97 percent and also adds some R factor. I thought it
would be worth the 31cents per sq. foot cost.
Then, the whole roof was stripped with 2X4's every 3 foot to attach
the metal. At first, I was going to use a standing seam product
but it required a solid substance, i.e., plywood or osb board, and
cost twice as much money. I decided to use the tryed and proven
method of standard 36 inch metal attached with screws. My roof
is a 12/12 pitch and is so steep I'm not worried about any leaks. Much
less money and a lot less work to install.
With the help of a fellow LHBA
member, Randy Titus, we now have
the North side completed and are ready for the snow. The South
side will be started shortly and will be warmer to work on during the
coming winter.
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Sleepers ready for
insulation |
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| Metal has arrived! |
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Randy pulling up
another sheet |
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11/26/2007
With the help of my grandson, Aaron Manuel, we completed the sleeper
rafters on the South side. Randy Titus returned on Saturday the
24th, and we continued by stuffing the insulation, 6 inches of Polyiso
- 72 4X8 sheets as seen in the picture. Then the
bubble rap was installed, stripped with the 2X4's, and the metal was
installed. Whew! Randy worked my rear off daybreak to dark
but we got it done. I owe him big time when he builds his log
home.
Next step is to complete the metal on the porches and install the
trim.
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Randy and Aaron
installing insulation |
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| Metal on South side! |
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01-02-2008
A lot has happened in the past month including a record ice storm for
all of Oklahoma. Winter has finally hit us and not good for
outside construction. I did manage to complete the roof
including the trim. I have removed the walkup ramps and ready to
start inside on the floor. It is good to finally start working
on the inside. Now if the weather will warm up - Ha, not a
chance: It's January.
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| Roof with trim complete |
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01/17/2008
It is really nice to start the floor - at last, I will be working
inside instead of crawling around on the roof. First, the rim
joists are fastened to the bottom logs via 8 inch lag screws. I
had previously cut the inside of the bottom log flat so the rim joists
fits tight to keep out the bugs and critters. I used
construction cement to be sure of a good tight seal.
Again, my good friend and certified log home builder, Randy
Titus showed up to help me finish the floor. Construction sure
goes faster with two people working.
I ended un using eight foot 2X12's for floor joists; not
required, I could of used 16 footers, but I had the 8 footers - see
earlier postings about the eighteen wheeler load of 2X12's. So,
I have a very sturdy floor.
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| Starting the floor |
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| Down goes the subfloor |
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Now that the floor is in, it time to start working on the 2nd
floor. I had to cut some more 4X10 beams for the 2nd floor
joists. They sit on the 2nd floor girder and attach to the log
walls via some handmade brackets made from angle iron and lag screwed
to the log wall.
Randy, and my son-in-law, Jimmy, fabricated a heavy duty door made of
2X12's (I've have lots of them). It is nice to just leave the
tools inside and lock the door. Now if I just had the gable ends
finished, I could heat the place. Today it is 30 degrees out
there, that's why the website is being updated.
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Hanging the 2nd
floor joists |
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| Joist hanger |
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01-29-2008
The 2nd floor joists are installed and 2nd floor decked with 2X12's
after installing a temporary stairway. The 2X12's were sized on
the table saw and fitted but not nailed down yet. Some are wet
from being stored outside and will probably shrink some. I'll
let them lay there in the building for a couple of months and they
will be tightened up and nailed. Hopefully no gaps or
cracks. Tongue and groove would be better but I had the
2X12's. After the floor was down, the 3rd floor log girder is
stuffed in the open gable and supported via 2 chain hoists ready to
raise to the correct level. Wow! This is really up high!
The wind really blows thru the gable ends up here! After the 3rd
floor is completed, I'll close in the gable ends.
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02-06-2008
With more unusually nice weather in February we managed to continue on
with the third floor. Randy helped me on a beautiful weekend to
raise the 3rd floor, floor joists and fastened them to the rafters up
in the slope. The 12/12 pitch still allowed considerable space
above the 3rd floor. The width of the 3rd floor is about 14 foot
that you can stand up in and still leaves room under the slopes for
some storage cabinets. The joists were decked with the last of the
2X12's. It's hard to believe there is an eighteen wheeler load
of 2X12's in this house!
The 3rd floor also provides a great beamed ceiling for the 2nd
floor. Much better than walls on the 2nd floor going all
the way up to the top of the slope. This is the main reason for
the third floor in addition I gained about 350 more sq. foot of floor
space. It's awesome! The view from the 3rd floor demands
that I have a small deck to watch for storms or just enjoy the
sunset. Another design change but so what! We will
probably be changing the design until we are done. It's a LOG
CAB IN!
Next, we can close up those windy gable ends!
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02-12-2008
Randy and I started the framing of the gable ends on Saturday.
Great weather allowed us to completely frame the East end which is the
most difficult as it is opposite the open area, i.e., only has the
loft on one side. There working off the tall ladder on one side
and Randy in bucket truck on the outside, we
"Got-R-Done".
Sunday, we braved 25 degrees, (Feb is still here!), to install some
OSB board on the East gable end. Randy rigged up a pulley and a
temporary handle on each sheet of OSB board, allowed us to lift it up
and screw it into place from the bucket truck, (a great
investment). Every sheet made a big difference in the cold air
blowing in the open end. By the end of the day, it warmed up all
the way to 30 degrees! Brrrrr! Later, we will install
board and batten over the OSB.
We started the framing of the West end until we ran out of
daylight. It will be much easier on the West end as we have 2nd
floor on both sides to work off of plus the 3rd floor for the
upper section. Now, if it will just warm up!
May 21 -2008 We are behind in our web update - see
loghome pictures for updated pictures.
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