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rockies
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# Posted: 1 Oct 2013 20:29 - Edited by: rockies
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This is for the lady on the island in Lake Huron. http://thenauhaus.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/1727/
Personally, I don't know that cordwood is the best choice for a cold wet environment, especially with all the cut ends of the wood wicking up water from the outside, but you probably know more about it than I do. It seems that the amount of extra effort you have to put into keeping the walls dry negates any possible cost savings of building it yourself or using wood cut from your own land.The main problem I've seen is that unless the wood is extremely dry it will shrink and pull slightly away from the mortar, leaving hundreds of tiny cracks around the logs. Wind blowing through might not be a problem, but any moisture (vapour, not just rain) that gets into those cracks and then freezes will cause the mortar to crack and blow apart the wall.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 2 Oct 2013 00:19
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Cordwood was on my long list of techniques to check out before we built. Like many alternative techniques it is too labor intensive for my likes. I do like the appearance. The shrinkage was also a concern. I did not want small air leaks. Shrinkage can be reduced/minimized with proper drying of the pieces. Adds to the total time involved... I was happier with rapid stick building. But to each their own.
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rockies
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2013 20:20
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The main problem I've read about is that the cut ends of the wood stick out to the exterior surface of the wall. Whenever I've seen programs with people replacing rotting wood it's usually because they didn't seal the cut ends and the water just "wicked" up inside the length of the board. I think that's why builders recomend starting the wall about two feet above the ground on a concrete stem wall and also have large overhangs. Also, I think you can't use a regular cement type mortar because it is too hard and will not adjust to any log shrinkage. I think you have to use a softer lime based mortar. It does look nice, but I would rather use it for a small shed or outbuilding rather than the main cabin.
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knittifer
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2013 21:40
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I am curious if you all have reasearched using rob roy's books. he thoroughly addresses these issues in his several books on the topic. we are planning to try cordwood.
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rockies
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2013 22:54
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I haven't read his books. There are many people that have built with cordwood and I'm sure they love it, but I fail to see the appeal of stacking cut bits of wood and having mortar between them and then leaving the cut ends facing the outdoors. I saw an episode of Holmes On Homes where some contractors had built a concrete basement wall and accidently left the wooden formwork in place so that it got cemented into the wall. They cut the protruding pieces off but left the bit that was wedged in the wall behind. Of course the wood wicked up water like a sponge and caused it to expand, then the water froze and broke the wall apart. If a cordwood building is built perfectly and never gets soaked I think the wood could probably last for decades, but the wall must be protected to stay as dry as possible and that seems unlikely. Why not use a more standard building technique with multiple layers of water, vapour and air barriers and save yourself the labour?
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