Author Topic: Cordwood masonry  (Read 7776 times)

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Gresford

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Cordwood masonry
« on: September 21, 2005, 01:48:57 AM »
I recently came across a site (http://www.cordwoodmasonry.com/Cordwood.html) that supports an architectural style called cordwood masonry.  It involves using short logs laid widthwise in a wall held together by some sort of mortar.  Apparently there is a school in upstate NY that gives hands-on training in this style of home building.


It looks to be a cheap way to build a solid inhabitable structure.  From what I read on the web page, people have actually build a small cordwood masonry log home very cheaply and lived in it until their dream home was complete.


Does anyone have any experience with this?

« Last Edit: September 21, 2005, 01:48:57 AM by (unknown) »

crashk6

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2005, 09:54:37 PM »
"people have actually build a small cordwood masonry log home very cheaply and lived in it until their dream home was complete"


Actually some people's dream homes ARE cordwood.

Take a look at..


http://www.daycreek.com


Allan is a stand up guy, he's been doing allot of writing for the continental cordwood confence the last couple of years. We might even get a cordwood building code out of his and fellow proponents workings.


His house was featured on the cover of HomePower Magazine a few issues back.


Hmm.. this all reminds me... I owe him a log.

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crashK6

« Last Edit: September 20, 2005, 09:54:37 PM by crashk6 »

rotornuts

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2005, 10:01:04 PM »
Buy the book! you won't regret it. I've read his book many times and have seriously considered a cordwood cabin for my property. This guy has been doing this for years and any concerns you may have are answered in the book. It's labour intensive but each piece is light. He tells a short story of an elderly grandmother who built her own cordwood house walls. The house on the frontpage of the linked site is two story with an earthen roof which pretty much dispells any myths about strength. Cordwood masonary was popular in places like Quebec long ago so it stands up to the cold and some of the stuctures are well over a hundred years old and still standing. Wood is rated R-1 per inch so a cordwood wall 16 - 24 inches thick would have the same R value or insulation value as an average modern North American home.


I think their cool myself.


Mike

« Last Edit: September 20, 2005, 10:01:04 PM by rotornuts »

elvin1949

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2005, 04:48:18 AM »
I may be wrong But,

i think someone here built a-

round cordwood generator shed a while back.

later

elvin
« Last Edit: September 21, 2005, 04:48:18 AM by elvin1949 »

Cinosh07

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2005, 06:22:30 AM »
Hello,


I've already meet and visit Rob Roy's house in chasey NY (near platsburg). This guy give courses and have writen books about cordwood masonery. I have all of his book and you have plenny of information inside. For my side i plan to build a garage from this technic next year. It's a very good way to construct an house. The principal reason is because that's make an high inertia house. For example in winter if you stop to warm it, 2 weeks after that, the temperature remain confortably warm.


Cinosh07

« Last Edit: September 21, 2005, 06:22:30 AM by Cinosh07 »

MountainMan

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2005, 08:14:31 AM »
I wonder if this would be a suitable building method for a retaining wall.  Would have to seal it with something on the ends to keep the critters from eating it.  Sure would be nice to avoid spending all that money on real masonry.  Need to build a 120 foot long wall about 4 feet high.


jp

« Last Edit: September 21, 2005, 08:14:31 AM by MountainMan »

Arno

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2005, 03:46:04 PM »
Old issues of Mother Earth magazine have many articles on building cord wood projects.


Recent issues list books for sale on the subject.


arno

« Last Edit: September 21, 2005, 03:46:04 PM by Arno »

crashk6

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #7 on: September 21, 2005, 06:06:29 PM »
It can be done... However if you want it to be long lasting and not rot quickly take these steps. Dig a foundation trench and put some pea gravel in it and set stones or other salvaged rubble material as a frost footing, bring that up to ground level. Leaving 5-6 inches of space behind the wall apply a "filter cloth" to the face of the raw soil sheer. Water permeable landscap fabric works well... stake it to the top and run it right down to the foundation. Then start mortaring up your cordwood onto the foundation, at this initial stage take the time to intall a piece of pipe (iron, PVC, or copper) every three to four feet along the bottom of the first course, this allows water to go thu the wall at the base rather than push it over and/or keep the wood wet. Now just fill the space between the wall and fabric with gravel as you work up.


I've seen cordwood walls like this that have lasted decades with little sign of decay.

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crashK6

« Last Edit: September 21, 2005, 06:06:29 PM by crashk6 »

nothing to lose

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #8 on: September 23, 2005, 07:55:09 PM »
I have thought of this in the past and it's not all that hard.

Basically the round logs are used in instead of bricks or rocks.


R value of wood varies by type of wood. White pine is supposed to have an R2 value per inch so a  12" wall would be R24 in theory ? Ya, R24 would not be correct at all. Only the wood has the R value, not the masonary filling in the gaps between logs. This of course applies to any wood or R value. If your wall is 75% wood and 25% mortor holding it all together, then what is the R value?


Start with good clean log sections of the lenght you want, say 24" for a 2' thick wall.

Debark all the pieces and let season/dry. Wood shrinks when it dries and you don't want it shrinking after you build a wall and it has been mortered in place, that's why alot of log homes crack out the chinking the first year or 2, the logs were not aloughed to dry and shrink enough before chinking them.


I like Picsters log homes, Scandanavian Scribed logs. That type does not need the mortor chinking and as the logs shrink the home becomes much tighter and seals itself basically. Thats real log house though, not cord wood.


As with any masonary work, the walls should be built so that it would hold together just the same even without mortor. In other words, you should NOT use mortor to glue the wall together, the wall should stand on it's own. Mortor fills in the gaps and helps hold things in place, but it is not supposed to keep it from falling apart. I see many "supposed" professionals building rock walls, they don't have a clue! They glop on mortor and slap down any rock not carring rather it actually fits, then glop down more mortor and another rock. In 2-3 years (maybe sooner) the wall starts falling apart and they claim it was because the owner did not have the wall back filled correctly and the pressure from the ground broke it. That often is not true but sometimes it is. Many times it is because the wall builder did not fit the rocks together. Any Masonary work should be considered a gaint jigsaw puzzle of odd shapes, find the pieces that fit the holes! If the mortor were to fall out or be washed away the wall should still stand on it's own!! That includes any type of arches for doors or what ever.

Course block or brick walls are all flat sided other than arches or such and don't actually count. But rock, logs or what ever, find the peices that fit to build a self standing wall and mortor those into place.


Mortoring logs. They should be seasoned air dry, normal moisture content. Lay a bead of mortor on the inner and outer ends of the logs, perhaps a few inches in from the ends, dampen a dry log with a wet rag and tap into place in the mortor. Wetting the log slightly prevents the log from sucking the moisture out of the mortor, something you don't want to happen, it also helps to create a better bond. Use should also moisten blocks, bricks, rocks or whatever if building with those. Again I see "supposed" builders laying them up dry all the time, then wonder why morter cracks latter.

 If you want you can fill the space between the mortor beads with a strip of fiberglass insulation for better wall R values as you lay the logs. This would be good for housing, not needed for a large shed or barn probably.


 Waxing the end of the logs will seal them and help to keep out moisture and bugs, other things can be used also.


Well I gotto run, someplace to be soon. Buying  books on how to do it right is a good idea of course and finding people that build them right that you can learn from is great too. Perhaps the above I wrote will help those building smaller buildings or even homes that don't have books or such to learn from. How you start a wall and what you build and such varies alot by design. But that's the basics of building a wall.


 Dry the wood, debark it, find the piece that fits the hole, dampen it, lay 2 beads of mortor, tap log in place. Seal the ends to prevent bugs and moisture. Using fiberglass if desired.

« Last Edit: September 23, 2005, 07:55:09 PM by nothing to lose »

finnsawyer

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #9 on: September 26, 2005, 09:44:46 AM »
I wonder how the result would be if instead of mortar one used expandable plastic foam, maybe the type that's put along side windows that doesn't push against them.  The R value would then be fantastic.  I'd like to point out that they are now using foam to cap mine shafts.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2005, 09:44:46 AM by finnsawyer »

Hoskald

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Re: Cordwood masonry
« Reply #10 on: July 28, 2006, 09:50:15 AM »
If you used the foam instead of the mortar then the strenght would be suspect. however, if you fill the void between the mortar lines with the foam, then you have one rightous wall.  Or you can do like Alan did at Daycreek and use double wall construction, using lime and sawdust in the wall voids, and the spray foam between the two walls.  Now that's super insulated.


We decided to use strawbale for our house mainly because we don't have the time to do cordwood, though we are looking at for some parts of the house. I think that cordwood is better for a number of reasons, but it is very labor and time intensive.


Cheers!

Hos

« Last Edit: July 28, 2006, 09:50:15 AM by Hoskald »