Ernie Slatter attended our Cordwood Construction workshop at Kinstone Permaculture Academy in Wisconsin and then went back home and built this beautiful sauna in British Columbia. The sauna is called “Sea Bluff Sauna.” The latest picture with daffodils blooming. Ernie built it for a friend and made sure he had all the tools and training to do it properly. He planted 200 daffodils on the roof!
Notice how he used a few large rounds and then many smaller pieces. This makes for a random rubble look. He also “exploded” pieces. Which means he split the wood first and then mortared it together so it looks like a whole piece. This wall also has OWL EYES.
The setting in British Columbia with their 10-month growing season is wet and warm.
When building a round building, the roof goes on last, leaving the building out in the elements. If you finish a small build quickly, there is usually no problem, but if your cordwood infill takes longer, the cordwood can suffer degradation. We advise putting a framework and a roof on first.
Should you wish to learn how to build a cordwood cottage, cabin or home, please visit www.cordwoodconstruction.org While you are there, click on the pictures, read the brief articles, check out the latest workshops and newsletter and if you are interested click on the Online Bookstore to see all the cordwood literature available in print and ebook format. If you have questions that aren’t answered on the website you can email me at richardflatau@gmail.com
Readers have requested a brief bio, so here goes:
“Richard & Becky Flatau built their mortgage-free cordwood home in 1979 in Merrill, Wisconsin. Since then, they have written books, conducted workshops, facilitated the 2005, 2011 and 2015 Cordwood Conferences and provided consultation for cordwood builders. Cordwood Construction: Best Practices and Cordwood Conference Papers 2015 are the newest publications available from their online cordwood bookstore. www.cordwoodconstruction.org