Blog

Cordwood Sauna: Grade Beam

by Richard Flatau | Jun 21, 2021 | Alternative Building, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, Green building, log end, Natural Building, Off grid, Workshop | 0 Comments

Dan & Kristen wanted a sauna on their 80 wooded acres in northern Wisconsin. They had previously hosted a very successful workshop at the 2005 Cordwood Conference which resulted in the construction of a beautiful cordwood maple syrup shed. They also wanted to have...

Tiny Cordwood Cabin in Nova Scotia UPDATE

by Richard Flatau | Jun 3, 2021 | Alternative Building, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, log end, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

Michael Fuller, the builder of this very fine cordwood cabin in Nova Scotia, has sent a much-anticipated update. Evidently, there are many fans of his cordwood creation! This is the original link to Michael's cordwood...

Reverse Alchemy with Cordwood Siding

by Richard Flatau | May 21, 2021 | Alternative Building, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

We turned our metal pole barn into a cordwood-sided pole barn. It blends with the other cordwood structures and gives a sense of having a fortress on site. Here is how we and others have "done" cordwood siding. It can be done with or without mortar. Use Ctrl + to...

Anchoring Posts for Cordwood

by Richard Flatau | May 21, 2021 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, log end, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

Anchoring posts in a post framed building for cordwood construction is a very important install. Not only does it keep the post from "walking out of plumb" during construction, but it also stabilizes the keyways, top plate and window boxes. Having a damp proof...

Owner Builder Magazine Cordwood Reveal

by Richard Flatau | May 6, 2021 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, log end, Natural Building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

The Owner Builder Magazine in Australia has an article about the White Earth Reservation Cordwood Home in Minnesota. There is also an article about Thea Alvin's lovely stone sculptures, Earthships, stone homes and earth render. This issue was published in 2014 and...

Cordwood Sauna in Sweden (Part 2)

by Richard Flatau | Apr 23, 2021 | Alternative Building, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, Green building, log end, Natural Building, Off grid, solar, Tiny home, Workshop | 0 Comments

Pelle Henriksson has recently added these wonderful pictures of his backyard sauna in Sweden (including the finished exterior with new decking). Below is the very attractive handmade door with live edging. The hinges are creatively forged and add a unique dimension to...

Cordwood Home “Bottlewood” in Homer, Alaska

by Richard Flatau | Apr 8, 2021 | Alaska, Alternative Building, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, log end, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

BOTTLEWOOD! Lee and David in Homer, Alaska are pleased to be sharing their cordwood construction project with the group. This is a "best practices" build from start to finish. Note the tight mortar joints and random log placement of various sizes. This speciality...

What if a Bottle Brick Breaks?

by Richard Flatau | Mar 27, 2021 | Alternative Building, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, log end, Uncategorized | 0 Comments

It doesn't happen often, but what do you do if a bottle brick (bottle end) breaks? It's a matter of chipping out the broken glass. Establishing a relatively clean line, and then infilling with another piece of bottle end (cut with a tile saw or using the hot and...

Camp Cordwood

by Richard Flatau | Mar 24, 2021 | Alternative Building, Cob, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, log end, Off grid, solar, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

Wayne Higgins took us to see some of the outstanding cordwood building that has been built in the Keweenaw Peninsula of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Wayne is not only a fine tour guide (his knowledge of the area is phenomenal), but he takes genuine pleasure in all...

Cordwood Tips, Tricks & Hacks

by Richard Flatau | Feb 17, 2021 | Alternative Building, cordwood, Cordwood Construction, cordwood house, Green building, log end, Off grid, Tiny home, Uncategorized, Workshop | 0 Comments

Cordwood Tips, Tricks and Hacks to help you build better cordwood. Keeping your wall level? Try using a swinging plumb bob. Usually, a plumb bob is hung on a string to show vertical plumb. This idea is courtesy of Don Gerdes (engineer) who devised it to help keep...