Pioneer Log Cabin - Baseworks

[TeeDee]

Hoping to pick the brains of the collective mind , I've a friend who has been given permission and has the land and resources already to build a Pioneer Style Log Cabin - her question is how does she start the actual base works element of the structure ?? I mean do the base logs sit on something ?? A stone and Clay base foundations maybe??


All contributions welcome.

 

[Janne]

You should go down to frost free depth with the foundation stones.

Wooden houses have always been the norm in Scandinavia.
You can build the lowest part in brick, or concrete, then do the visible part from rock. No need to do a continuous foundation, a foundantion stone every 2 meters or so is enough. Depends on the strength ( thickness, type of wood) of the bottom log.

 

[Janne]

The size / footprint of the foundations depends on the soil and weight of the building.

 

[bopdude]

As Janne says, you'll need some sort of concrete foundation whether it be a slab or pillars, if pillars then set an anchor bolt /s deep enough in and long enough to come through the first log, only know this from watching too much building Alaska, those guys rock

 

[daveO]

What will the cabin be used for? I assume it doesn't come under Building Regulations?

Dig a trial pit on the site down to a suitable bearing layer and get someone who knows what they're talking about to check the bearing capability of the soil as well as how well it drains or where the water table is in case you need to get water away from the build site. There are various ways to make a foundation depending on the trial pit results, the size and weight of the building and the expected lifespan (and budget obviously). Check the planning approval too as some might insist on a 'leave no trace' foundation. You can use timber piles if you can get a timber with good rot resistance, or you could use natural stone to build up to above ground level which would look nicer than concrete or similar. Other options could be trench blocks or even recycled bricks/blocks. Concrete will probably be your last resort for this type of build. The construction of the building will dictate where it needs bearing on the foundation though. Timber floors should always be suspended and well ventilated with at least 150mm high ventilated void underneath and you'll need some way to supress weed growth under there.

 

[Janne]

Those timber buildings are the most common old buildings in Sweden. I recall many have a thick layer of large gravel or a layer of flat stones there.
If I build one I would use pressure treated first layer of logs, type old telephone poles.
And treat the outside with Stockholm tar.

There is an excellent TV program on called Cowboy kaken on Swedish tv, about a musician that built his own house mainly by himself, from scratch. Worth watching even if you do not understand Swedish.

 

[sgtoutback]

out here in the woods there seems to be 3 different types, a stone wall type foundation to a frost free depth, a gravel and stone rubble style ( often closer to river beds with available pebbles/gravel) and a stone pillar type. all have benefits and drawbacks. but its great to work out what works best for the materials at hand.

 

[Robson Valley]

Besides frost heaves, one concept to remember is to keep the bottom log dry.
Building a log home is just as serious an undertaking as a city house.
Plans exist by the hundreds here. Picking one out ought to be an entertaining thing to do.

These are log homes which are reassembled all over the world
Dang
website to follow.

 

[Robson Valley]

See if this works:

https://www.pioneerloghomesofbc.com/galleries-videos/

They are just finishing a log home in Moscow, Russia. 88,000 square feet.

 

[Janne]

See if this works:

https://www.pioneerloghomesofbc.com/galleries-videos/

They are just finishing a log home in Moscow, Russia. 88,000 square feet.

The Russiand have built veritable palaces from wood.
Plus peasant hovels, and everything in between!

 

[Robson Valley]

The big house is Canadian Western Red Cedar. Totally built in BC, then apart, shipped and simply reassembled on site.
Same as they did for their log homes sold in England, Wales and Scotland. No big deal.

If by "pioneer" the house plan is a single huge room and a loft, they are really snug to live in.
I did, on the Churchill River in Sask, upstream from Otter Rapids and Missinippe. on The Lake of the Dead
('Nipew,' in Cree). You get used to the mice and the carpenter ant sounds.

 

[santaman2000]

The first logs need to be off the ground or they'll rot. There are dozens of ways to do it; the most common here used to be pillars whereas now it's a floating concrete slab. The most practical for you would be to follow whatever is local practice for any other wood building.

 

[TeeDee]

Ok , I'll try again a different way , - what method did ( if any ) the old pioneers use? No slabs , or pillars of concrete etc.

Was a cabin simply then an abode that would decay quite quickly?

 

[santaman2000]

Ok , I'll try again a different way , - what method did ( if any ) the old pioneers use? No slabs , or pillars of concrete etc.

Was a cabin simply then an abode that would decay quite quickly?

Usually? Yes. They were more concerned with getting it up quickly that having it last more than a decade. They would often lay the first course of logs directly on the ground (the topography of the local area would determine if that ground was rock, soil, sand, or whatever) In the northeast they basically copied the native Americans log construction of the Long Houses.

 

[Janne]

And the second cabin/house was constructed in the way like back home. The first cabin then became a place to house your mule/horse, cow.

 

[SiWhite]

TeeDee - have you seen this book?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shelters-S...&sr=8-3&keywords=shelters+shacks+and+shanties

Some great details about pioneer construction in there - I had a copy arrive last week but haven't had much chance to study it, but I'm sure there will be some great info in there. Everything from one night debris shelters to elevated platform houses built over water!

 

[daveO]

Ok , I'll try again a different way , - what method did ( if any ) the old pioneers use? No slabs , or pillars of concrete etc.

Was a cabin simply then an abode that would decay quite quickly?

The log cabins I've seen had sill logs laid on the ground in parallel and the floor was built onto that and levelled, then the walls built up over the floor. The sill logs allow ventilation through under the floor but obviously are still the first bit of the building to start to rot. The wood choice is obviously very important for those if you want the building to last.

Of course the pioneers had a good choice of where to build and could pick a site that had solid and hopefully drier ground, probably somewhere nice and rocky. If you have to build where the cabin has been approved then it might not be such a prime spot and you should adapt your foundations to the ground type.

You haven't really said what the building is for though and if it contains sleeping accommodation then it will most likely require Building Regulations approval and then it doesn't matter what the pioneers used but rather what the Building Inspector will accept. If it was me I'd use a private Building Control body as they aren't answerable to the government so have a bit more flexibility in what they allow. I trust it isn't in Wales and doesn't require compliance with the new sprinkler system regs? That is going to rain all over a lot of peoples' parades when it comes to off grid houses sadly.

 

[Robson Valley]

I had a summer, lakeside house in SK for decades. Built 1912. Lifted for ventilation, just dirt underneath.
The foundation consisted of several dozen limestone glacial erratics, 6-8 of them roughly the size of pianos.

Just keep your bottom course dry. Even if you employ children to hold it up.
Can you imagine jacking up a log home of any size to replace the bottom log?

 

[Janne]

I had to fo that to a house we owned in the Czech mountains, a so called ’roubenka’.
Hydraulic jacks attached just on the outside of the second course.
Jacks series connected to the pump. Lifting was easy. Took about 3 days to replace the bottom course, including the new foundation.

 

[bearbait]

Your friend may find some ideas in one or other of Lloyd Khan's books Shelter, or Tiny Homes, or Home Work, etc. They're nice books to have anyway to look through and dream "One day...".

I suggest Shelter may be a good start.