im curious wether log buildings have any advantages over modern methods

I have some ideas for natural building. Modern techniqeus don't appeal to me

I've studied this quite a bit... it depends on how you configure the logs

the main problem with logs is how it traps mosture between logs, so it's better to design them in a way where the logs aren't touching, and you put chinking in between...

log homes, the way they're currently being built, require a lot of maintenance and upkeep, and aren't quite as efficient. I was enamored by them for a long time, until I discovered timber framing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln8lWPwnIHo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p89IPMYtcQI

that is a really good channel

yeah he does great stuff

if I were to build a log home, I'd be using his methods

i build houses but why would you want log

everything you see in construction is due to low cost...it also lends itself to simplicity

people like the aestheic of it

I think that's what it boils down to

ok well i asked you why would you entertain a log home

I used to be into it for the aethetics and the independence of it

something appealing about the idea of using moslty natural materials you can source yourself

ok and what is unnatural about milled lumber

look at the floorplan of log homes and tell me it isnt a sacrifice to live in one

because you're totally right... modern construction methods are more cost effective, and they end up being more simple if you conform to the conventional system

the stick and frame, 16 inch on center, two-by system

though I think if I were to go that route, I'd go with the "advanced framing" technique

is literally the best system...most homes are nuilt like garbage doesnt mean the design is bad

advanced framing is a literal meme

lol... I'd love to hear your thoughts about it

you're probably way more informed than I am

I'm just a software developer that dreams about building his own house one day

im not saying theres anything wrong with a log home im just saying they turn out like cuck sheds 9 times out of ten

yeah you're right

dude I've studied almost every method on log home building

most are crap

many of them just seem stupid to me

the most aesthetic I've seen is probably Robert Chambers' method but it's incredibly labor intensive

a regular wall is lets say 6 inches thick...maybe a little bit less over the actual floor and a log home would be something like 15 inches thick...you are literally losing about 10 inches on the perimeter of the house....its probably like a 15 percent loss on the total floor plan

and the potential for moistrue infiltration worries me

yeah airsealing is super important thats why i dont like log contruction

yup... and the more you seal it the more it ruins the look

i can build a stick frame wall in maybe 45 minutes from materials i can carry in my truck and lift with one hand

the chambers method, you're literally carving natural logs to fit like a glove on top of each other

logs would be literally an order of magnitude off from that simplicity and time

yeah his method is really complex

logs also deteriorate at the same rate if im not mistaken

but it ends up looking like a work of art... like the trees grew together into a house

they do when they touch and capture water in between the nooks and crannies

another point against log construction

Sometimes I get larpy tho... and I think about what kind of house you could build if you didn't have access to all these modern materials... like if it's just the individual craftsmen in the village working on it

if you really love wood and trees i dont believe in cutting a ton of them down for a house ...i dont really know about log construction at all but new methods are so easy and sustainable and habitable it makes me proud of my ignorance

and there's also the aesthetics of it

that's why my preferred system is timber frame

aesthetics to me really arent a virtue

but you cant build timber frame with out SIPS and they arent local made

well then it's just a question of what you value

I've been researching how one might be able to build it without sips

it can be done

our ancestors did it for hundreds of years

we have better methods and materials for the in-fill these days

yeah exactly i value practicality...a stick frame your children could build at 15 ...a log home well maybe after a decades of learning they could pull one off half assed

and lime plaster and lath is more labor intensive, but it produces beautiful, durable results

any surface finish wont matter if its not airsealed etc. plaster can turn to shit really fast

yeah I don't want to live in a bland box that's insulated with fiberglass batting

but that's just my own personal taste

well do you live in one now

haha touche

yes I do

im curious because where does this distaste come from

I don't really like it though

im not mad you dont see it the way i do

i really dont care there are more of you on the board than of me

oh I'm not mad either... it doesn't have to be a flame war

I think modern building is great.. I'm glad there are people out there who are pushing the technological boundaries to provide effective, affordable housing for most people

but when I dream big, I don't reach for what's ordinary

maximizing profits....but i dont think that we should hold the house as an ideal where it should be more of creating a home no matter the circumstances

I like the idea of learning the ancient methods that worked for centuries, that were achievable with very primitive technology, and then applying modern building science knowledge to those older methods

do you follow the work of Joe Lstiburek?

i dont want to get preachy but the housing market and the destruction of the family has always been done for ones own ideal and benefit not that of the coming generations....i have no idea who joe is can i get a quick rundown

yeah he's a civil engineer and building scientist who specializes in ventilation, mositure control, and air quality

and I agree 100% dude

the focus should be on family and home making

that's way more important than the way you put your sticks together

I'm 30 and I already have 4 kids

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld8pzIu45F8

another good one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkfAcWpOYAA

yeah i mean we should be kicking our kids out at like 18 or whatever but not into a cold uncaring world but into a home that they made and i just see that as basic but nice and simple ...most cannot create a timber frame or log and if they do id be worried that they made it majorly wrong and it wuold fail prematurely...other than that i cant really help if you need tips on building practices im here

I might just go with something more conventional in the end

but I do plan on attending workshops and practicing before I build my home

I'd rather have a smaller home that I build correctly with my own hands than a larger home built conventionally. If I'm going to build it conventionally I'd rather hire people out to do it

they have more experience and could probably do a better job

im not going to say either way you try its going to be insanely difficult...and experience is most useful in cutting corners

I've always been naturally good with my hands. I used to be an artist once upon a time. I've done a fair bit of wood working as well, and scultping. I have the natural aptitude.... it's just software development makes more money lol

so that's what I'm doing these days

but we're saving money away to buy land and build a house on it... even if it's just a modest home.... we're not jews. We're content with simplicity

haha i live near a bunch of jews...literally the safest realty around they are smart with where they live...but theyll anally rape anyone else...ok so building a house wouldnt you love to be able to no bs grab a nail gun and shoot in a 3 inch nail in .5 seconds out of all the other bullshit that could happen wouldnt you want an easy system to begin with...i literally want to know why people like timber frames cuz fuck me id build anything i just dont see the reason i could probably just operate a crane and build a house...im not against it

I honestly think it's the aesthetic appeal and the independence of it

once you know your war around the tools, you can build it from the trees on your property

the aesthetics and the romance of it

and the purity of it

there's something heroic about it

because you're absolutely right, my dude

taking a nail gun and just hammering out a frame out of milled two-by's is going to get the job done