DIY ProjectsDIY Cordwood Building

DIY Cordwood Building

Check out these diy projects that were built with cordwood and in some of them thatch roofing is used. If you love the look of cordwood you could build a shed, studio, or office out in the back yard like the one in the picture. Or if you are looking towards building a home as a diy project and saving a lot of money you can do that as well. Mother Earth News has an article by  Richard and Rebecca  Flatau on how they built their cordwood home in Wisconsin.

DIY Cordwood Building
roofthatch.com

 

Cordwood buildings are fairly inexpensive to build and they are made from mostly natural materials. They are nice and warm due to the way they are constructed. To build a cordwood building you use lengths of logs that are 12 inches long. You use a mortar mix to cement them in place. There are two rows of the wood pieces with space in between the two rows, that space is filled with some sort of insulation. Using sawdust is a natural way and least expensive. You can use fiberglass insulation as well, if that is your preference.Many types of roofs are used. from thatch to regular shingles, like this house from Cordwood Construction.

DIY Cordwood Building
cordwoodconstruction.wordpress.com

In the home the Flatau’s built they bought red cedar wood for their home because of the ”   fine insulating qualities (with an R-value of about 1.25 per inch, or 6 times that of common brick) in addition to being naturally decay resistant. Too, it has a light, pleasant appearance, a refreshing fragrance, and—most important to us—it is readily available at reasonable cost here in northern Wisconsin.”

Once you have you logs you need to peel off all of the bark because lots of insects and their eggs and young live under the bark and if you left it on those insects would be eating your wood. For a cheaper alternative to modern house building , the cordwood method which has been used for centuries is a great way to diy and save a lot of money on building a home or even just an adorable shed in your back yard.  There are a few good books to help you get started including Cordwood Construction Best Practices, by Richard Flatau.

Read more>>>>>>>  DIY Cordwood Building

Paige Raymond
Paige Raymond
Raised in rural Montana and educated in Mechanical Engineering and Sustainable Development, Paige Raymond combines a practical mindset with a passion for self-reliance and sustainability. With expertise ranging from mechanical solutions and food preservation to emergency preparedness and renewable energy, Paige is a proud author with more than 5000 published articles.

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