Whether you want to build a modest vacation cabin or a grand multigabled manor - whether you want to chop down your own
trees or assemble logs from kits - you'll find out how to do it here, in the most comprehensive guide to building log homes ever,
Aside from the historic beauty of a log home, aside from the personal satisfaction of buiding it yourself, a log home offers enormous savings in return for your investment of "sweat equity." Even
if you build from a kit, you can save up to half the cost of a contractor-built home. And log homes often increase their value faster than conventional structures.
So let the experts at Popular Science show you how to:
buy land and draw up floor plans
choose log styles and joinery
select and use tools
shape logs - both by hand and with power tools
choose insulation, weather seals, and alternative energy sources
find contractors for difficult tasks
employ the latest state-of-the-art building techniques
You can get started right away with the clear, step-by-step instructions, the 800-plus exceptional illustrations, and the detailed photographs that take you through each phase of construction, all the way to interior finishing.Once you're done, you'll be delighted by your log home's energy efficiency. With thick logs, it will retain more heat in winter and keep you cooler in summer.
Best of all, you can browse through the special section on design options; there are lots more than you could imagine, including some truly unusual styles - vertical walls with a stockade look, or cordwood construction, which employs logs of firewood laid up in mortar.
Both of these alternative methods, and many others, are fully explained and illustrated.
In short, if you're looking for the most useful book on log-home building ever, this is it.
CONTENTS:
IS LOG BUILDING FOR YOU?
PLANNING AND PRELIMINARIES:
PLANNING: dream homes * outside limitations * house tour * estimating precut home construction costs
THE LAND: where to build * locating and buying land * potential uses of your land * your own stand of timber * utilities * access * proximity of jobs and services * taxes and cost of living * siting for the view * topography and cover * drainage and waste disposal *
weather * siting for solar exposure * water * subsurface ground conditions * possible garden locations * hazards * legalities * financing * sample finance plan * site plan * construction plan
TOOLS AND LABOR: the right stuff * logging tools * chain saws * chain-saw mills * larger saw mills * planer * tractor * labor and constructing savvy
LOGS, FOUNDATIONS, AND BUILDING SITES:
TIMBERS AND MATERIALS: your logs * logging your own land * preservatives
THE NEW HOMESTEAD: starting work * clearing the site * temporary electricity * taking delivery of a kit
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION: a solid support * foundation types * subcontracting the foundation * staking out the house * batter boards * excavating footings and foundations * building foundations * making the pour * perimeter footings and foundations * stone-faced concrete foundations * concrete block foundations * waterproofing the wall *
foundation drains * insulating the basement * pouring basement floors * sill anchors * chimney footings
HOUSE RAISING AND FINISH WORK:
HOUSE RAISING: FIRST LOGS a good start * sill logs * corner joints * joists * floor openings * termite control * flooring
WALLS: the new walls * round logs with chinking * chinkless round logs - without splines * round logs with splines * logs with flat surfaces * handling logs * plumbing walls * lining up logs * securing the logs * door and window openings
SECOND STORIES: a floor above * open cathedral framing * log floor joists * dimension floor and ceiling joists * upper story walls * lofts
ROOF FRAMING: logs or lumber? * dimension stock framing * roof venting and circulation * soffits and cornices * skylights * insulating
ROOFING: covering the top * decking * roof covering * flashing * gutters
DOORS AND WINDOWS: opening on the world * door and window framing * making doors * making windows * installing prefabricated door and window units * shutters
STAIRS: the right steps * planning your stairway * building the stairs
FINISHING THE INTERIOR: starting on the inside * finishing the logs * ceiling coverings * partition walls * finish flooring * insulation
CABINETMAKING AND MILLWORK: the new inside * cabinets * closets * trimming out
DECKS, PORCHES, AND BALCONIES: outside space * decks * balconies * railings * porches * steps and stairs * landscaping
EXTRAORDINARY LOG STYLES:
HEWED AND SQUARE-MILLED LOGS: yesterday and today * hewed log homes
OTHER LOG STYLES: many choices * stockade [vertical] log walls * post and beam * piece-en-piece * slab walls * cordwood
HEAT AND UTILITIES:
SOLAR-HEATED LOG HOUSES: sun houses * passive solar * active solar systems * greenhouses
WATER AND SEPTIC SYSTEMS: pure water * contractor-dug wells * pumps * driven wells * dug wells * drilling your own well * cisterns * well house * springs * testing your water source * developing a sping * a spring house * using stream, lake, or pond water * water disposal * septic tanks * lagoons * privy * composting toilet
PLUMBING: concerns unique to log homes * codes * planning * discharge systems * materials * sizes * installing the presuure-system water supply * fittings * finishing * water closets * sinks and lavatories * tubs * insulating the pipes
WIRING AND LIGHTING: turning on the power * understanding electricity * grounding and safety * the code * materials * planning * installation * lighting * point-of-use water heaters
BE YOUR OWN POWER COMPANY: on your own * generators * wind power * water power * DC current
HEATING WITH WOOD: home and hearth * which woods to use * wood stoves and installation * fireplaces * fireplace inserts * HAHSA * coal * wood and multi-fuel furnaces
LOG HOME KITS AND SCHOOLS:
KIT BUILT HOUSES: right from the box * wood * whole logs or cut logs? * log shapes * corner joints * solar * types of home packages
BUILDING A KIT HOME: starting out * taking delivery and unloading * technical assistance * getting started with the walls * electrical considerations * windows and doors * the roof * interior finishing
LOG HOME BUILDING SCHOOLS
APPENDIX: SOURCES FOR MATERIALS AND INFORMATION tools * doors and windows * interior finishing products * prefabricated kitchen and vanity units * plumbing * heating and cooling * alternate energy * log home kits, plans, and blueprints * log building schools
INDEX
An essential guide to the construction of every size and type of log home - from the simplest retreat on your own rural or wooded property to the year-round, fully-featured distinctive suburban or country residence.
Large paperback, 406 pages
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