Cordwood Stairways

Cordwood Stairways

Folks ask: “Can I mortar logs for a stairway into a cordwood wall.”  The answer is YES, if you do it using Best Practices.  If not done correctly, the stairs will loosen in the cordwood wall and cause degradation of the mortar. Above is an example of a...
Double Wall Cordwood

Double Wall Cordwood

In the mid-70’s Cliff Shockey of Vanscoy, Saskatchewan, Canada decided to build an energy efficient home of recycled cordwood, but since he lived where the temps would go down to -50, he decided to build “double wall.” He built a post and beam...
Best Woods for Cordwood

Best Woods for Cordwood

One of the most Frequently Asked Cordwood Questions is: “What type of wood can I use?”  At one time, the answer was, “Anything you got.”  But over time folks realized that there were good, better, and best options for wood selection.  To narrow...
Cordwood Cabin with a Rock Wall & Cordwood Tables

Cordwood Cabin with a Rock Wall & Cordwood Tables

Monte Loomis built a gorgeous cordwood floor in his octagonal cordwood cabin.  He proceeded to add a rock wall (fire resistance for his wood stove), cabinet doors made of birch bark, and cordwood tables. In the top right-hand corner, you can see birch bark used as...
Cordwood Flooring Jig Saw Puzzle Method

Cordwood Flooring Jig Saw Puzzle Method

Monte Loomis sent pictures and a video of his new method of laying cordwood flooring.  Needless to say, I was blown away by the beauty of his self-described “Jig-Saw Puzzle method.” “For my end grain floor, I used 3/4 inch-thick white cedar. Each...