Ian Schwartz

Ok thanks for the quick replies

This summer, I plan to use live trees as much as possible for a perimeter fence around my property. It will be 1 or 2 strands of hi tensile electrified wire. My main question is: when a tree is pollarded (they will be mostly black locust), will the trunk continue to grow in diameter? Or will it stay basically the same size and only put growth into the new shoots? I ask because I would like to attach ceramic insulators directly to the trunk without using an intermediary board like I have read about. I'm hoping that pollarding would keep the trunk from swallowing the insulators. I'd appreciate any experience/info, as I have not been able to find anything about it through Internet searches. Thanks

Great thanks for the help guys

Peter,

Any advice on a gypsum plaster recipe?

Haha well, my family is forgiving, but I really want something on it. I could maybe do an earthen plaster. I have enough lime wash in the garage that I could paint it with that to clean it up and limit dusting. Then maybe lime plaster in the spring. Main time constraint I see is making the lime putty. I know you should let that soak for as long as possible. But, would I regret only soaking for a night or two? If I could do that, maybe I could get it done in time. I saw a story on the mha website that said lime plaster was often applied to a warm stove historically. But, that seems to go against any other advice I can find online. Any suggestions of how to get a lime plaster on it within about a week time constraint would be really appreciated. Any other ideas also, of course. Thanks

I should mention that my heater is double skinned, so anywhere the plaster will go won't get terribly hot. I didn't put a thermometer on it last year, but I'm guessing it won't be over 200 degrees F

I am finishing up rebuilding my masonry heater. There are multiple reasons why I don't believe I can plaster it with lime. Mainly time: I need to start using the stove in the next week or so here in Ohio. Would using a gypsum plaster be a reasonable thing to use? I can't find much info on it. If so, would I simply go to the hardware store and buy it in the bucket? The same stuff I would use to cover taping when putting up drywall?

Hi Jay ,

thanks for checking in. I tried emailing you through some auxiliary website (i forget what it was), but I suspect it didn't go through. Can I just PM you? I'm guessing thats the logical thing to do. So I haven't followed up because I am going through some rethinking.

As far as the foundation being level with grade, I have some ideas, but am leaning more and more toward just raising it like i know is the smart thing to do.

But the big thing I'm going back and forth with in my head now is more about the basic construction. I had decided that I would go the traditional hewn log house route. As I mentioned, the original part of our house is an 1811 cabin of white oak. The fact that it is still here and more or less sound (one corner has sunk but to be expected since it is an 18x18, 1 and 1/2 story, with only foundation stones at the corners, on clay) means that it is a proven construction of course. We will be building our new house next door to it, about 16' away, connected by a breezeway. So, it of course would be asthetically logical and pleasing to build the same.

However, there are some problems and/or questions I have:

#1. I have 30 acres of wood, but nothing consistently big and straight enough to build the entire house out of the same species (something I have been told to stick to, and seems logical because of shrinking rates). So, my only other option besides buying them in, is to harvest them from the farm I grew up on 30 miles away. But, the only tree that fits the bill there are tall, somewhat straight eastern cottonwoods that grew very fast. I had convinced myself that these would still be an exceptable choice as long as I had good "feet" (most likely raised haha) and a good wide "hat". But now, after hewing a few and feeling how soft the sapwood is and seeing the bugs go crazy over them sitting in that field, I just don't feel good about it. I need this to be the only house I build for us. Am I right? have you seen 200 yr old cottonwood houses? Or am I giving up on log construction too fast?

#2. The chinking. Everything I have read convinces me that the chinking will be a constant problem. As I said in the original post, I have no intentions of giving in to conventional modern materials. If a natural, traditional chinking just needed to be dressed up once a yr or so, thats ok for me. I expect to and look forward to having an ongoing connection to our house and other structures we build. However, I do not believe I would be ok with constantly having drafts coming in and chinking crumbling and falling out a month or two after I repair it. I don't want to constantly be "fighting" to keep our house reasonably comfortable. I know you live in a log home, what is your experience? Would I be doomed to using metal lathe, caulk and cement mortar?

What do you think? Our other building style besides the obvious stick building is timber framing. As a novice professional timber framer it would be logical to go that route, but I do not like the uninsulated traditional style around here with the lathe and plaster and such. I fear straw bale infill, but i have access to unlimited free bales (my family bales wheat straw), so I havent talked myself out of it yet. The light straw clay seems like a more proven form, which goes well with my native materials: timber frame worthy hardwoods, straw and clay. And the more I maul over this, I think I would rather build something where the frame and insulating parts of the house are somewhat seperate. If the straw bale or light clay straw is ruined and needs to be replaced in 50 years, the frame will still be there going strong if I kept a good roof over and foundation under it. If the log walls rot, the house is doomed. I might as well burn it down and start again. Any thoughts on that logic?

And please, anyone chime in, I didn't mean this to be exclusively for Jay.

thanks Jay and anyone else who can help straighten me out haha,

Ian

I apologize ahead of time, this will be a long post. I have some questions about my foundation and roofing choices. I am a novice timber framer in Central Ohio (I have 3 structures under my belt, along with a current 1200 sq. ft. cabin mid construction) that is planning to begin construction of my families future home this summer/fall. I named Jay in my subject line specifically because he seems to be very much inline with the thinking that I have settled into in the past 5 years or so of attempting to not constantly try to reinvent the wheel, pay attention to what my predecessors did in my area, and to try to break free of the modern misunderstandings and misleadings about moisture, rot, longevity, etc. (vapor barriers, cement, plastics, etc.). But, I of course, would greatly appreciate input and guidance from anyone that has ideas/knowledge of ways to build a home while respecting the above mentioned goals.

My current design is basically a log/timber framed structure approx. 20'x36', 2 story, with a sod roof and earthen floor. I would like to do a form of the raised earth foundations that Jay has advocated for in other posts. I will just section my subjects in paragraphs to try to keep from getting too confusing:

FOUNDATION: In my area, as with much of Ohio, hardwood log cabins were the norm, then timber frame, then stick builds. The home I live in is an 1811 18'x18', 1 1/2 story log cabin on stone feet at the corners. The floor is typical wood planks on joists. My problem with doing this in my new build is both practically and philosophically driven. Number one, they are cold unless insulated. I don't see a natural, non-synthetic, affordable insulation option other than straw or some other fiber, and I don't trust them to not create mold, rot issues under there. Also, I'm guessing the raccoons and other animals will simply tear it all up and make it ineffective in short order. Number two, I love earthen floors in general. Their feel, look and "connectedness" with the ground is what I am after. I also feel that although they are not technically insulated, their mass along with their tendency to stay the general 55 degrees or whatever would make it warmer than an uninsulated wood plank floor. I plan to use rot-resistant wood sill beams to surround and "hold together" the earth floor, then build up from there (most likely a mix of log and timber framed crucks.
My main struggle is that I want to keep the floor the same level as grade. I do not want it raised. I want the floor and the surrounding ground outside my front door to be all but seamless if possible. My possible building materials are wood, limestone from the local quarry (which I would love to forgo, but will give in to long before giving in to a synthetic vapor/moisture barrier), clay, fibers (straw is the easiest, as my family farms). My building site is next to the original cabin in which we currently live. It is a high spot with no danger of flooding or water buildup. Jay, (or anyone else), could I realistically do a raised earth-style foundation without it being raised? I've been trying to come up with different configurations using stone to not only stop moisture from coming up from below the floor, but also from the sides. And, although I know its putting the sill timbers in a more vulnerable position, I would like them to surround the earthen floor instead of stone, thus, making the top of the sill plates level with the floor and with grade. Mainly this would be for its insulative affect that the wood would have compared to using stone to surround the floor. Would it be as simple as using gravel between the sill plates and the surrounding earth? Or possible flatish stones pointed up to surround the sill timbers? Is there another natural option that I am missing to help keep the sill timbers dry in this position? Is it just not worth it to have the timbers below grade for the added insulating affect they will have anyways? Am I stupid for not just raising the darn thing off the ground like Jay's postings have illustrated haha?

The library computer is about to kick my off so I will have to end this one. I'll probably just sign back on and make a separate posting to ask about the earth roof design issues. Thanks in advance