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...
Cordwood as a Highlight

Cordwood as a Highlight

Cordwood construction is known as a building style for homes, cottages, cabins, saunas and outbuildings.  It can also be used as an “accent wall” or to highlight a portion of a room.  When this choice is made the wall is usually called Cordwood Siding. ...
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...
Off Grid Cordwood Cabin

Off Grid Cordwood Cabin

Larry Schuth shared his cordwood cabin adventure.  He sent beautiful pictures of the cordwood cabin he and his family built for $9,000 in the 1990s. The basic cabin is 20′ x 30′ with a 30′ x 10′ loft.  Just right for bringing family and friends...