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[demonslaer]

someone I know wants me to build her a small cabin on her land 120 acers .
want to cut my owen trees. anyone have info on building one?

[mr_duh]

Give Tumbleweed houses a look for plans. He's got houses from literally 40 sq/ft to 800. I've been drooling over the Bungalow for a few years.

[Danl]

Neat just saw this thread.........
Bump........
Danl

[Claire]

Good bump, Dan'l.

http://www.abetterplan.com/cabinplans.html

Lots of leads to plans & kits on that page.

I'm especially partial to Cherokee Cabin Plans. Very simple, but clever, plans as small as 144 sq. ft. Very inexpensive to purchase the plans, too. (Drawings may need some modification to meet building codes, but this can be a minor matter. I know. My Cabin Sweet Cabin is an enlarged and significantly altered version of one of Cherokee's designs.)

[Danl]

It's amazing what a little bump will do......  What a great selection of neat little plans by Cherokee.  Any of these could be done using SIP (Structural Insulated Panels) which would make heating and cooling very inexpensive as well. 

So many great ideas...... So little time......

Regards, Danl

[Klapton Isgod]

Don't buy or build a kit until you have checked out Log Home Builder's Association.  They have a seminar that teaches you how to build a hand-crafted log home of superior quality and durability to ANY kit, and usually for a LOT less money.  (The cost involved many variables, not least of which is how fancy you want your home to be.)

[Hill_Top_Gunner]

i have built both kits (16) and from scratch (3 hand hewn). id have ta say with crappy weather or short seasons id lean to a kit (ive mostly built in the northern regions), they are fast and can be very efficient when the right type is used. with kits you have the ability to get into a shell fast, within weeks. using insulated panels for the roof will save allot of time and is very easy to work with. hand hewn has the more rustic feel, but very labor intensive and time consuming if you are building alone (which i have done with both). i spent 7 years building log homes and any ??'s ill try ta answer  HB

[Klapton Isgod]

When you say "hand hewn" you are talking about large timbers with dove-tail corners, etc?

Have you ever done butt and pass using whole logs (not hewn at all) with rebar pinning?  It can be done pretty quickly, even alone.  And you don't have any special settling issues to worry about for windows and doors, even using green logs.  (And I mean, REALLY green logs, makes no difference).

[Hill_Top_Gunner]

for both security and comfort i prefer the hand hewn (as in cut to fitt the log under it and saddle notch the corners). if as you had suggested it was stacked and pinned, it would leave an area between the logs narrowed (as in a bullet could slipp thru the narrow area). then there is the 'fire' issue, a hand hewn design (and sweedish coped kits) offers more mass where the logs meet thus increasing the "burn time". ive witnessed a log wall burn for an hour and not penitrate the other side (with proper chinking ofcourse). then there is the comfort issue, again the mass at the seam helps to keep the out out and the in in. i recomend at least 8" of depth on the cope or 1/4th the dimension of log.... hope that helps............ HB

[Devin82m]

Cool, thanks a lot of the useful links.

[Rarick]

Swedish saddle FTW, that is the way mine is done.  The corners overlap in the traditional manner since it is stronger than butt and pass.  The saddle pretty much eliminates the "chinking line" look and creates a good water shedding surface that uses "Shingle Logic" that keeps water flowing out and away without the need for really expensive synthetic sealers.   For the sake of air tightness I cut a groove down the length or the logs and incorporated a spline that is just a friction fit in addition to the neoprene foam chinking strips. 

[Klapton Isgod]

To be done correctly, chinkless building systems take a LOT more skill than butt and pass.  It also requires fully seasoned logs.  A properly built butt and pass home can be built with freshly-cut green logs and will still have no problems from shrinkage.  (The worst thing that happens is cosmetic touchups to the chinking).