Justwondering .. are those wood logs you're setting in cement? or motar mix? are you using wall ties to keep things planted to the wall? .... and if they are logs .. won't humidity and re-drying cause cracking and eventual failure?? Sorry about all the questions .. I just never seen that type of work before. Looks really nice tho.
Thanks for the compliment! The construction technique is called cordwood.
The logs are set in Mortar mix (3 cement, 2 lime, 9 sand, 5 to 9 damp sawdust, water)
We are using wall ties on these walls. They are 'half' walls using only 6 inch logs set in mortar with insulation behind it. The tyvek behind it is covering the sheathing on the backside of the mud room/wash room/shower/bathroom. So there are 6 inch studs behind the sheathing with R30 in the walls.
The other corner of that side of the house has 18 inch walls (6 inches of mortar/6 inch gap filled with insulation -- dry sawdust mixed with boric acid/and 6 inches of mortar). There is no need to tie the walls since the full length of cordwood is used.
The wood was cut, bark removed, and it set up under tarps to dry until we had the foundation complete and the i-beams/posts in place. So wood is dry.
Humidity is only an issue if water streams across the wood for great length of time. We have 12 foot overhangs (veranda over 75% of the walls. The other 25% will have a 18 inch overhang == unless I come up with enough month to extend the veranda all the way around. Means rain doesn't pound the wood.
Logs do check and crack. If the checks are too large, I go ahead and split the wood. If things shift or crack after installation, I use permachink or something similar to block the air flow through the checks.
We live in a rural area and wanted a log house; however, not one prone for burning up in a fire. Fire requires 3 things --1. air, 2. fuel, 3. heat source. The butt end of a log is very dense, compared to the side of the log. Takes a sustained heat source a very long time to get the log end to burn-- not likely in a fire. Not enough air and fuel mixing.
If it does catch on fire, it will burn until it hits the mortar where it loses its fuel. Still has the air, still has the heat source, but no fuel.
Our land has plenty of western red cedar so the expense was sweat equity and chain saw fuel/chains. Time for curing the wood. Now sweat equity and some sand/cement/sawdust/lime. Takes a lot of patience.
Actually, upper 20's for highs is about the normal for this time of year, not the crap we have been getting.
