The log moose house build

[moosehunter]

This project started 18 years ago. I'll fast forward to June of 2020.

 
500 linier ft of 8x8 cants were loaded up for a 25 mile ride to Labrador lumber in Owego NY. There they were milled into D shaped logs

 

 
And then for the ride back home.
8/6/20 the building crew showed up and spent the day preparing and adjusting.

 
Adjusting the dovetail jigs.

 
Building a jig to cut logs to length with a consistent repeatable cut. I'll post a pic next week of the 16" 220 volt beam saw in action. It's a beast!
Rudy and Ruben spent a number of years building log homes in PA before moving to NY. The rest of the crew is very excited to learn log home building from R&R. 
More to come,....
mh

[Sedgehammer]

Koolz!
What will those 'd' shaped logs be a sittin on when sittin?

[Don P]

Prolly on that floor in da pics 

[moosehunter]

8" ICF block foundation.

 
This was from working on the deck system last winter

[Sedgehammer]

Prolly on that floor in da pics  

Ha, ha, but so true. 
Thoughts were if that's a joist floor, lots of weight ain't it? 

[Don P]

Not really. Pine runs around 35 lbs per cubic foot. 8' tall wall 8" thick would run about 185 lbs per lineal foot. Perp to grain compression strength of pine is around 325 psi, a single rim without counting joists is 18 square inches per foot so around 5850 lbs capacity per foot. There are other loads, upper floor, roof but you can see it isn't anywhere close to a problem. I usually did a double rim but not really needed.

I'm not sure we aren't looking at an engineered floor system 

[Sedgehammer]

I really had no idea that it wood support that much wood...... ;D 
Thanks. 

[moosehunter]

Engineered floor system with reinforced / double rim. The rim is slightly over 4" thick of solid wood. There will be two interior log walls. They will be supported by 8x12 hemlock beams built into the floor system.

mh

[moosehunter]

 

 
Hard to get a high vantage point to get a good pic of floor.

 

 
The beam saw set up for end cuts.
mh

[moosehunter]

Yesterday s progress


 

 

mh

[moosehunter]

Taking on a little more shape .
 

 
 
mh

[samandothers]

Really looks nice!  Your long journey is a lot shorter than it was.  

Will you need to unstack and assemble the dove tails?  What are in the corners now, I can't tell from pictures and my lack of knowledge on building such structures leads to this question?

[moosehunter]

Dovetails are cut before stacking/ assembly. The guys are cutting the dovetails, assembling two corners then working towards the center of a wall. 
mh

[samandothers]

What you describe is what I expected, I see now the off set in the basement on the left side of above picture.  Initially I did not see that and thought there was no log wall yet on the left side.   :    Looks great.

[Bruno of NH]

Mh,
Are your log builders Amish?
I have never seen the dove tail on that style of log.
The ones I built notched a mortis in the logs and the over hang left d shaped.
Your way is much better to keep the ends dry.
Very nice work.
I miss my log building days.
We did it all grunt work no cranes. That's one of the reasons I have no knees.

[Don P]

Or back, or shoulders  :D

[moosehunter]

Yes they are Amish. They said it was ok to take pictures of them but they won't "pose" for a pic. I just try to keep their faces out of the pics.
mh

[moosehunter]

DonP, they are not using crane or lifting assistance. Just muscle power. 
On that note though, I spent part of the weekend running 4x6x14' beams for the ceiling system through my planner. Did 34. My forearms are on fire today! Oh well, only about 50 left to do. 
mh

[moosehunter]

Today's progress


 

 
The inspection team, they seem ok with the work so far

 
mh

[Crusarius]

That looks great, are you going to fur out the inside of the wall and add insulation?

[moosehunter]

No extra insulation on walls. 8" logs should be sufficient. Two bedroom walls will get sheet rock but the is just to cover the rounded portion of the logs. 
mh

[Crusarius]

I would think your still going to get a good amount of thermal transfer through the logs. Curious to know how it feels through a NY winter. Still looks really nice.

[Remle]

I know the Amish don't use any electric in their homes, but how are you running your electric ?

[Remle]

I would think your still going to get a good amount of thermal transfer through the logs. Curious to know how it feels through a NY winter. Still looks really nice.

My neighbor built his house out of red pine from the property, his logs are 5" flats, 8"in height rounds with a 1" spline in the center and 1/4" foam sill seal that he trimmed off to fit the profile and calked. You might think it would leak air, but it is just the opposite, no transfer of cold or drafts at all. It's so tight he had to install an air ex changer to eliminate the moisture from forming on the inside of his windows.

[Bruno of NH]

Log homes can be very energy efficient. 

[petefrom bearswamp]

Mike,
Saw the clothes and suspenders and suspected Amish.
Good lookin building so far and Im sure The rest will be good too.
Did you find your Hemlock?

[moosehunter]

No on the hemlock. I need to fix a minor mistake on my part. I'll use store bought 2x12 and joist hangers. Need to make twelve "bridges" between two floor joists because I put a 8x12" beam in the wrong place. I'll try to take pics of the mistake and my fix this weekend. I should put it in the" I did something dumb" thread.
mh

[Don P]

Sounds like wall support bridging?

For log R value this is the code referenced chart, to the right of the heavy stairstepped line passes. It is based on density and conductivity. There is also a longhand method on the facing page to this table, I've never tried it.


 

[Stephen1]

I would think your still going to get a good amount of thermal transfer through the logs. Curious to know how it feels through a NY winter. Still looks really nice.

Looks like a great build!
I am farther north, my logs are 10" average and it is always warm. ! corner is drafty on a windy night. I am rechinking the cabin after 10 years. it should really solve the draft. 

[moosehunter]

Notches cut for great room beam system ceiling/roof

 
DonP, yes to wall support bridging. Do you think that R value is a true indicator of a logs ability to insulate? I'm under the impression that R value doesn't take into account thermal mass and the ability of log to insulate is much higher.

mh

[Don P]

That table is taking mass effect into account, that is what the specific gravity on the left side is about. The heat capacity goes up as the s.g. goes up even though as you can see the R value is going down as the s.g. goes up.

There are a few pages to this section I can scan if you want to delve deeper but this section might help;
305.4.2 Applying the Thermal Mass Effect: When the wall assembly is determined to have sufficient thermal mass, the wall shall be deemed to comply with the code and is permitted to be further evaluated as a mass wall with integral insulation. The steps provided in this section are required for compliance with the International Energy Efficiency Code.

But as Stephen1 alluded to if you have infiltration you can't beat that with mass or insulation, draft control is the first order of business with any home. Log has many joints, that is usually the source of the problem when people say log homes don't perform well.

[Bruno of NH]

The drafty areas are what get you.
Good chinking helps a lot.

[moosehunter]

Hopefully drafts will not be a problem. The logs have a double t&g with a bead of log builders caulk on both inside and outside. The t&g is pretty tight.
mh

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I'm liking this build!

Is this your forever home?

Jon

[moosehunter]

Jon, it is intended as such. Hopefully the NYS property taxes won't drive us out of it when we retire!
mh

[Bruno of NH]

The drafts don't come from the logs on the ones I built.
They could show up at electrical boxes and wiring chases in the log walls.
You can buy airtight boxes.
With special care around exterior doors.
Top of log wall and roof transitions.

[moosehunter]

 

 

[samandothers]

Wow! Really coming together!  Looks great.

[moosehunter]

As a point of interest,... We live in the basement. Have for 2.5 yrs. The basement roof ( floor system) is covered with an edpm rubber roofing. It has worked fine for 2.5 years. I lot of thought went into trying to keep our home (basement) dry while the upstairs was under construction. There are a lot of holes that need to be drilled for wiring and such. We have had a couple of small rains but nothing of significance until this past Saturday. It rained hard for an hour or so. Our roof leaks!! The builder tried his best but I really didn't think he could do all this work without a leak or three. Or four. It's all good. A few more weeks and we will have a real roof and no leaks. 
mh

[moosehunter]

 

 
Setting the ridge beam.


 
The truss truck is here!!


 
I'm hooking the crane to the trusses.


 
The trusses are all up. Just over an hour.
mh

[Stephen1]

Now that is looking great! 
The taxes on water front are the killer, I am at that point also north of you. I will b renting the Cabin on Airbnb to help pay them. 

[thecfarm]

Looks good!! Progress is being made.

[moosehunter]

 

 


 
Only one more gable wall then the ceiling/ roof work starts.
mh

[scsmith42]

This is coming along nicely.  I'm enjoying watching your progress.

[samandothers]

Steady progress!  Looks great, I know you are getting excited!

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Looking Good!
Thanks for the progress updates.

Jon

[moosehunter]

Some porch roof rafters up 


 
Great room ceiling coming along nicely


 

[samandothers]

Really nice!  I like the wood in the logs and continued on the ceiling.  The knots are really nice.   What is the open area, some sort of ridge venting?  Y'all, I am sure, will love it!
Think you can get use to not living in the basement?

[moosehunter]

The ceiling wasn't done yet!

 
They had to wait for me to finish painting the brackets.

[samandothers]

Very Nice!  Brackets look sharp.

[moosehunter]

 

 
All that work up in flames! Oh well can't make much out of the scraps. On the other hand it's almost time for a roof!


 
Spray foam dude was here today. Metal comes Monday 8)

[Crusarius]

so what'd you do? wrap the roof with tarps or rubber then spray onto that?

[moosehunter]

The great room ceiling has a layer of this on top of the t&g pine


 
Then the spray foam


 
Then a layer of bubble insulation, then perlins , then foam backed bubble insulation and finally the metal roof.

 
First piece of metal is up. Valley flashing.
mh

[moosehunter]

Had some logs left over. I tend to over do things sometimes just to make sure I'm not short. 

 
This fellow drove 3 hours and got a smokin' deal on 800 ln ft of logs. I'm glad they will get used and not sit here and rot.
More progress on the roof


 

mh

[moosehunter]

Windows!!!

 
Roof is 98%
It'll be weather tight soon.
mh

[Walnut Beast]

Looking Awesome 👍

[samandothers]

You keep this up you will have a home!

Looks great!  Dried in and air tight just in time.

[thecfarm]

The finished product looks good!!!

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I like your choice of color for the roof! ;D

[moosehunter]

Jon, I think the roof color was chosen about 25 years ago when we first started dreaming of this house.
mh

[Stephen1]

Looking very nice!

[moosehunter]

Need a little advise or direction. What would you do with this


 
Not a structural issue, just wondering if I should try to fill with something? I have a few of these around the house, some of them at a level where clothing could catch on them. If I were to fill and sand what would be a good product? @ Don P

[firefighter ontheside]

I would use something like Big Stretch caulk.  Its the same stuff they use for chinking on log homes.  It will always stay flexible.  I have used lots of it on my log home.

[moosehunter]

We used caulk between the logs but what am talking about is the defect in the face of the log. It is the interior surface. Outside I might use the log builders caulk. 
mh

[Don P]

I'm assuming it is the splintery, raised area above the check we're talking about. You can slide blue tape in the check under it, gently open it up and work some epoxy into the loose grain then duct tape it down till that sets. Then pull the tape and sand the next day. Once you start sanding it can turn into a whole wall thing.

[Crusarius]

I agree with Don, you could turn those into some pretty unique details by filling them with something that sticks out. You could also try the glue and sawdust mix and see what you can come up with.

My thought is stain will not stick to either so more than likely it is going to stick out like a sore thumb. So why not embrace it.

[moosehunter]

I'll try that Don. Let you know how it goes. 
We have " character" all over this build. The more knarley the knot, the more we wanted it front and center.
mh

[Magicman]

You could use a router and then inlay your own knot. 

[DWyatt]

You could just hang a picture there. :D

[Don P]

We had an electrician on one job, not sure what empty thought was going on his head but he drilled clean thru a log from inside to outside. I guess used to feeling the bit drop into a void in a hollow wall :D.  Yup, had to whittle down a branch to make a "knot". The grain around it sure didn't say knot though.

[moosehunter]

Speaking of electricians,  ours was here yesterday and I came home to this


 
We have some working lights now!! 
mh

[richhiway]

Very nice house.

[moosehunter]

Update. 

 
The shower in the guest bath. It will get glass doors. I have the other shower almost done.
Both bathroom floors done. The entrance/ hall should be done in a few more days then I'll be done tiling. I do not like tiling but don't like paying someone else to do it either!

 
Stairs are built and usable. I don't think we will finish them until most of the construction is done. Was hoping to be further along by now but the stairs and tile work really kicked my donkey. Things should move a little quicker as I move on to projects I am more comfortable with.
mh

[Crusarius]

The finish work always takes about 10 times longer than you think it should. Hardest part is being patient and just doing it right.

Looking good. Keep up the good work.

[River19]

Looks great.  My wife and I built our log cabin in northern VT back in 2009 in our early 30s when we had more time and and a little more energy.  We also documented it in a forum at the time and that helped keep us going for the 50 weeks it took to get it done.

The cabin will be plenty warm for those that mentioned that earlier in the thread.  Our logs are 6" D logs and once the cabin is warm it stays pretty darn toasty with a properly sized wood stove cranking along.

The checks and drafts will come and the maintenance will be there, it is what it is, we all know that going into a log home.

Of course there are some things we would have chosen to do differently if we did it again, but nothing that keeps us from enjoying the finished product.

Curious what your exterior finish product is going to be.......?

[moosehunter]

Leaning toward Outlast Log Oil for exterior finish. That is what the folks that machined my logs recommend. There are tons of choices, Outlast seems to be one of the least labor intensive, especially repeat applications. 
mh

[River19]

Leaning toward Outlast Log Oil for exterior finish. That is what the folks that machined my logs recommend. There are tons of choices, Outlast seems to be one of the least labor intensive, especially repeat applications.
mh

We went with Perma-Chink products for stain and sealer.  We are on top of a hill and the back left corner gets the prevailing wind and sun.  That long side and back require constant maintenance in the harsh climate of Northern VT.  Definitely additional clear coat each year and stain touch ups on the tops of the logs especially.  Of course caulk and check maintenance as well.
One side of ours has a 6' covered porch and honestly if we had to do it again I would do a covered porch around the whole thing, it just protects the logs so well.
Not sure what your pest situation is where you are but finding a couple carpenter ants inside early on got us on a regular pest control schedule with a company.  Peace of mind.
I will have to check out Outlast products just for giggles.  We can't really stray from Perma-Chink easily at this point and overall I can't complain, just takes the extra maintenance we always knew it would.
Good luck !!!

[moosehunter]

We met with the kitchen builder this morning. We were trying to impress upon him that we wanted "rustic". He showed us some hickory that was very nice but we asked if he had hickory with knots? Then we talked about a few other options. After a while he says let me go get something. He came back with this 


 
Spalted Maple. PERFECT! 8) No more discussion needed. 
All that was left was writing a check for the down payment $$$ :'( It's going to be an awesome kitchen when it's done.
mh

[moosehunter]

 

 
Got the kitchen floor down. Only about 800 sqft left!!

[samandothers]

You are on a roll! Keep getting it!

[moosehunter]

https://youtu.be/6Tcyb6SMcVs 
Ready to move in. It's been a long haul. 
mh

[Weekend_Sawyer]

That's great, I'm about 50% on mine. S L O W going for me.

[trimguy]

Looks like a very enjoyable place . You did a good job.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Very nice.
Long haul but I'm sure worth it.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Mike, I skimmed the thread again, but didnt read it thoroughly.
Are you in Tompkins County?
Do 8" logs meet code for sidewall insulation spec?
My grandson just built conventional and complained about the codes constantly.
You mentioned a hot tub on the deck.
What size joists? I couldnt tell by your vid.
Ill bet you researched it but I am curious.
My 6 person tub weighs just over 1-1/2 tons filled.
Joists are 2x10x10 spf on 16" centers, 2x6 decking

[moosehunter]

Pete, my hot tub is much smaller than yours. 2x8 joists, doubled on the rim. 
I had no problem with code. I did have a problem with the "blower door test". I had not heard of it until the code guy said " how did your blower door test go"?
When I had the test done I failed with flying colors!! 
The main problem was that the sheet rock ceiling was not properly sealed to the log walls. 
Yes to Tompkins county but answered to the Newfield code guy.  Every town and every inspector can be different.
mh

[petefrom bearswamp]

Did you get it sealed up?
My grandson was worried but fortunately his passed.
Houses now have to be so tight an air exchange system is probably a good idea.
He is town of Groton, code guy was good to work with.
I was incorrect on the joists on my deck, they are syp treated.
30 years ago when cca treatment was used.

[SwampDonkey]

Beautiful home Moosehunter, never stumbled across it until just now. Enjoy the years ahead.

[moosehunter]

The never ending quest to "finish" the house!
The kitchen/ cooking deck is done and a stone patio between the two decks.



 
Finish the house, I make myself laugh  :D
mh

[Walnut Beast]

Looks fantastic!!!

[richhiway]

Great job. enjoy your beautiful home for many years!

[moosehunter]

The dining set and counter stools.
Ordered in May, picked them up Saturday.


 


 


 
And the "ad on" buffet


 
Horning's furniture in Penn Yan NY built this. Great folks to deal with. Beautiful work. 
The buffet story; when we went in May to order this we sat at a similar table and told them we wanted this table with the finish that that buffet has has. We were not after a buffet. When we went to pick up our furniture the buffet was still there. My bride said to me " we can get it if you want, it is your decision". I saw the look on her face, I'm very sure that there was a right and a wrong decision! I chose the right one!!
mh

[Walnut Beast]

Absolutely beautiful! Great decision!

[SwampDonkey]

Looks great, all that nice wood to show off. 

[petefrom bearswamp]

Wow beautiful stuff
enjoy your home Mike

[Magicman]

Outstanding !!!  8)

[Stephen1]

They are outstanding!