Building a Log Home, chapter 15

It took a few weeks for the first floor to get erected on site and then the crew went back to the airplane hangar in the U.P. to work on the second floor. That took about five weeks and while they were gone we measured and planned for furniture, cabinets, kitchen cupboards and such.

The staircase was craned in and another crew put in the floor boards that would act as both ceiling for bathrooms, closet, and laundry room on the first floor and floor for the loft, bridge and bedroom upstairs. All of the other rooms on the first floor, bedroom, great room, kitchen, and sunroom, would have to wait for their cathedral ceilings.

The staircase was built to fit exactly, but after a couple of years the settling of the house required that the guys come back and refit them. That meant sawdust and blue chainsaw smoke in my nice house. We didn’t mind, though, because it was a treat to see the workmen again and the fresh pine scent overcame the exhaust fumes.

Building a Log Home, chapter 14

The men that worked for North Arrow Log Homes were the nicest craftsmen we’ve ever come in contact with. I can’t say enough good things about this crew. All of the tradesmen that worked on our home were fantastic, but these guys have come back several times to check on things, lower posts, refit the stairs, and caulk inside and out.

They were like gymnasts on balancing beams, walking along logs as if they were sidewalks and not treacherous round timbers. They joked and talked with us, shared meals, and prayed. They were all very active in their churches, one as a pastor and two as youth pastors.

The company has passed now from founder Lyle Kelley to Alex Rivers, a wonderful man who worked for Lyle for many years and was my personal favorite on the crew. If we ever were to build again we would hire Alex in a flash. Here’s his Facebook page.

Building a Log Home, chapter 13

Can you figure out what the plumber is doing in this picture? Because we were on site every day we were constantly thinking ahead and coordinating the sub-contractors. We almost missed one important thing, though, and that was how to get the oversized shower stalls in when the doors and windows hadn’t yet been cut out of the logs. We called the plumber and he hurried out before the second floor was started. He climbed on a ladder to lift the heavy shower up and over 15 courses of logs. We could have opted for a custom tiled shower, but with an expected six inches of settling we didn’t want to chance the cracking. We saved the fancy shmancy stuff for where people would see it.

Since plumbing comes up from the basement there weren’t any problems dealing with log walls. The shower enclosure was mounted on a framed wall which in turn was bolted to the logs but allowed for the shrinkage with sliding bolts. We needed air vent chases to run up to the second floor and through the roof; we hid the chase runs in our closet. The second floor has a bridge between the loft and the guest bedroom, but a full guest bathroom is on the first floor.

I designed the house to live both small and cozy for my husband and myself, when it’s just the two of us, and large and open when we have family and guests. Essentially it’s just a two bedroom house with 2950 square feet, but a third bedroom and bathroom is in the finished half of the walkout basement. So, with three bedrooms and the sleeping loft in the lodge, two bedrooms in the guest house and more in the bunkhouse we can sleep 22. But no, we are not a bed and breakfast, though it might be fun someday to offer a weekend getaway for other authors.

Building a Log Home, chapter 12

The guys at North Arrow Log Homes

used extremely long drill bits to bore down through several logs at a time. People always ask how you put electrical wires in a log home and this is one way. We took our plans to a lighting place before construction and spent hours marking the blueprints up with every possible outlet, plug, light, pendant, and sconce. Thus, the guys had to drill long channels in some places, short ones up from the floor in other spots, and they also made nifty hidden conduits along doorframes and then drilled sideways in to where light switches were needed. And, thanks to wireless remotes, fans and a few lights got to avoid some extra wiring.

They also ran wiring in the channels between logs in a few places. Even though we were meticulous in the planning there turned out to be one spot we missed. We discovered this only after it turned out that our kids liked to use the loft to play cards and games. We hung a light over the table and ran the cord along the logs which were later caulked. Ta da – invisible.

Building a Log Home, chapter 11

In this picture you can sort of see the white stuff that they laid across the tops of each log. Can you guess what it is? North Arrow Log Homes is in the Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where there are more than a few farms. What better natural insulator could they use than wool? Straight off the backs of those perky, bouncy sheep.

As each log was scribed to fit the one below it there would naturally be some pits and craters and hollow spots. The wool was crushed flat where the logs fit snugly, but stayed fluffy and filled the indentations where air might infiltrate. The tricky part was not letting it get wet or the mold would grow. Mold and mildew was a problem several times during the summer weeks of construction before the roof was put up. It was my husband’s and my job to scrub down the logs and apply a mildew killing spray if the black or green stuff showed up. Plenty of sunshine helped, too, and once the roof was on we had the logs sprayed outside with a honey colored stain followed by a clear coat. Inside we used a clear coat only so the natural look of the wood grains isn’t hidden.

Building a Log Home, chapter 10

With the help of those bits of paper stapled to the ends of each log, A-1, B-2, and so on, one guy was responsible for finding the next log needed. He stood on the stack of logs, directed the crane operator, and hooked the appropriate strap to the cable. Lifting the log from the stack was sometimes noisy and always dangerous as the logs shifted. Then, swinging the cumbersome log out and into position, the crane operator had to watch both ends, avoid a few live trees near the house, and lower the log delicately.

The two guys who set the logs carried on conversations yelling to each other from their separate positions. They often seemed to ignore the looming menace, but then ducked or stepped aside, patted the lowering beam, and easily coaxed each end into its scribed spot.

Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark 4: 35 – 41 Storms were and are common on the Sea of Galilee. This sea is an unusual body of water in that it is relatively small (thirteen miles long, seven miles wide), 150 feet deep, and the shoreline is 680 feet below sea level. Because the Sea of Galilee is below sea level and is surrounded by mountains, it is susceptible to sudden storms. Winds that sweep across the land, coming up and over the mountains, create downward air currents over the lake. Combined with a thunderstorm that appears suddenly over the surrounding mountains, the water can heave into violent twenty-foot waves, calm one minute and brutal the next. In this scripture, Jesus and his disciples did not set out in a storm and they did not expect one either. The text tells us there were other boats with him.

Read the story in the gospel of Mark and then tell me if this sounds like a good summary with a hint of historic flavor:

"Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they've seen the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep, for He spoke and raised up a stormy wind which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens. They went down to the depths. Their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man and were at their wits end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still so that the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven."  

Do you think that was a pretty good synopsis of this event where Jesus calmed the storm? Well, guess what? That was 107th Psalm, verses 23 - 30, written hundreds of years before the event. Further proof of the amazing awesomeness of the Bible.

Building a Log Home, chapter 9

This was probably the most exciting day so far. The giant crane managed to swing the hefty logs into position and two men guided the monsters into place. What took them a week to accomplish in the airplane hangar was re-erected in hours and we had the beginnings of our dream home taking shape before our eyes.

When all of the perimeter logs were set they took sledge hammers and knocked the corners until they were satisfied that every wall would be square. The corners locked together and not a single nail or spike was used. The weight of all the logs, so tightly interlocked, will keep the house on the foundation for a hundred years, probably more.

The logs are mostly Red Pines with a few White Pines mixed in. They were harvested from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and inspected to be sure they were free of disease and insects. The bark was peeled and they were dried for a year or so, but they still retained a certain level of moisture. The log guys told us that each log would shrink in circumference and the total effect of that shrinkage, aside from the loud cracks and pops we would hear for a couple of years, was that the entire structure would settle about six inches. (More about that later.) The effect of the shrinkage would tighten up the whole structure, making it stronger and stronger. The corners would lock so snugly that even if the house were swept off the hill by a flood it wouldn’t come apart. So who needs nails?

Building a Log Home, chapter 8

When the first floor was completed in the airplane hangar, a little piece of paper with a letter and number was stapled to the end of each log. One of the log guys coordinated the letters with the corners and wrote them in on the blueprint. Accordingly, a corner might have log P-1 overlapped with log Q-2 which had log P-3 above it and then Q-4 and so on. Once that was checked and double checked they disassembled the logs and placed them all on long flatbed trucks. The ones they would need first would be on top.

As I told you before, our driveway used to be an old logging trail, so . . . shouldn’t a log truck be able to make the curves? Leaving nothing to chance we had the owner of the log company and his truck driver come out a year in advance to see what they thought. We wanted plenty of time to widen the tight spots or create a straighter way in. Both assured us that there wouldn’t be any problem for the experienced driver and we could keep our picturesque lane as it was.

See this picture? It’s the log truck sitting off in a grassy spot at the beginning of our drive. A new and inexperienced driver had replaced the old-timer and this guy couldn’t get up the nerve to take the turns, squeezes, or the final hill. Solution: off load each log onto a smaller truck using the crane they brought with them. This killed a day, but they got the logs on site after several separate trips.

Building a Log Home, chapter 7

The blue or yellow straps were used to maneuver the giant logs into their places several times. The first setting allowed the guys at North Arrow Log Homes to scribe the log to fit the one beneath it. Then they used the crane to move the log back to an open area where it sat at work level. Next they used their smelly and loud chainsaws to work their magic. Sometimes the logs had to be craned back and forth for re-fitting, re-scribing, and re-cutting several times until the fit was tight and to their satisfaction. You can see the straps hanging in the photos, ready for the final lift when they would be carried to the log trucks for transport to our site.

My husband is standing in an arch that leads from kitchen to hallway. We had arches carved into other openings as well, where doors weren’t needed. In the other picture I have my hand on the corner logs that were cut in an in-and-out effect as opposed to the ones at my back which were cut flush with one another. The two styles were used to define particular spaces.

Summer/Winter Promotion at Smashwords

For one month only, thousands of Smashwords authors and publishers will provide readers deep discounts on ebooks, with coupon code levels for 25%-off, 50%-off, 75%-off and FREE.

At one minute past midnight Pacific time on July 1, a special Smashwords Summer Winter promotion catalog will appear on the Smashwords home page.  Readers can browse the catalog and search by coupon code levels and categories.  At the stoke of midnight Pacific time on July 31, the catalog disappears.

All of my books that aren’t already $.99 will be 50% off at check-out. Have fun shopping at Smashwords. Here's my author's page at Smashwords.

Building a Log Home, chapter 6

Excavating for the basement turned up a huge number of rocks all destined for our fireplace. My husband and I combed the miles of trails on our property as well and picked up close to 13 tons of rocks. Whew – a big job, but we had the help of our trusty “Argo”, a six-wheeled vehicle that has been a lot of fun on the trails and a little workhorse when we attach a trailer to it to go rock hunting.

The view in this next picture shows that we planned a walkout basement. The building in the background is our garage/guest house where we stayed to oversee the project. We were our own general contractors, a task that two teachers who had handled thousands of students were able to do quite efficiently. More about that in a later post.

 

Building a Log Home, chapter 5

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, er, woods, site prep continued. We have a driveway that was originally an old logging trail or “two-track”. It meanders through the property and makes a scenic and winding half-mile seem like forever. There are stretches where we can get up to 30 miles an hour, but mostly we're driving between trees and turning sharply. 

Friends and relatives told us we’d never get large trucks between the old pine trees or around the S curves. But we’re not stupid. My husband made sure the way was wide enough for fire trucks, ambulances, and cement trucks. The tricky part is when you meet another car or truck coming or going. Right of way goes to the larger vehicle.

We love the privacy. We have deer, turkeys, coyotes, raccoons, porcupines, bobcats, and plenty of squirrels and chipmunks, but no neighborhood noises like lawn mowers, leaf blowers, booming stereos, loud mufflers, screaming kids, or annoying traffic.

See! The cement truck is proof we can get large vehicles through the woods.