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Log Home / Cabin Construction Guide

STACKING THE WALL LOGS:

Not that you have the starter course installed you are ready to start stacking the walls.

• GASKET: As you stack your walls you will want to apply gasket at every point log touches log. The gasket comes in 50' rolls and is adhesive on 1 side. Most customers will use a single strip of gasket along the top of each log and also over the saddle notched corners. All customers should apply caulking or chinking on the interior and exterior seams in addition to using the gasket. We recommend the above method to help seal between your logs. Some customers with larger diameter logs will use 2 strips of gasket approximately 3" apart from each other. Using more than a single strip of gasket will hold up the log slightly higher than using a single strip of gasket will hold up the log slightly higher than using a single strip. It will also slightly increase the potential for settling.

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• APPLY GASKET TO JOISTS: As you prepare to splice 2 wall logs together you will want to apply 1 or 2 vertical strips of gasket to the end of the logs. As long as the 2 logs that are butting against each other are cut square the gasket will provide a weather-tight seal. Some customers will also use Log Builder caulking in addition to using the gasket.

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• FASTEN THE LOGS TO EACH OTHER: Most packages include Oly-screws or Log Hog screws. Before lagging a wall log down you may need to apply a screw diagonally at the wall log splice to pull the two logs tight. A typical log package requires a 24" to 36" on center screw spacing. It is a good idea to install a screw within 6" of the end of a wall log. Check the engineering specifications for the required type of screw and spacing on your log package. It is also smart to keep fasteners at least 6" away from door and window openings. Mark the location of fasteners near all openings. This will help you to avoid hitting them when you cut the rough openings later.

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• NOTCHES ARE OVERSIZED: The saddle notched corner notches are oversized to make sure they do not fit too tight and hold up the log above it. Sometimes the gap in the saddle notched corners are extra large due to shrinkage, improper installation or a combination of variables. Center the notch so that clearance is equally distributed and not all to one side. It may be necessary to stack gasket on top of itself in some of the corners to ensure a weather tight fit. Do not install too much gasket. It might cause the gasket to hold up the log above it. Gaps will be hidden once the corners are caulked or chinked.

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• DRILL FOR ELECTRICAL: Some customers will install their outlets in the floor of the home rather than in the log walls. If you are putting electrical outlets in the log walls the outlet is typically installed in the 2nd course of logs. The time to drill the chases for the electrical outlets is after you have stacked 2 courses of log all of the way around the home. Mark out on the floor where you want outlets to be and drill a hole from the top of the 2nd course of log down into the sub floor. Then drill a hole horizontally into the side of the 2nd course of log that terminates in the vertical hole you just drilled. Now you have a chase. Check with your electrical inspector to find out if you need to install conduit in the chase. Most residential codes do not currently require conduit, but some commercial codes do require it. It is a good idea to mark the location of screws that are near electrical items. You may want to push a pin or thumb tack as a temporary method of marking these locations.

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• STAGGER THE WALL LOG JOINTS: As you are stacking your walls you will want to stagger the joints in the wall. As a general rule of thumb, keep your joints a minim of 2 feet away from other joints.

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• SQUARE CUT LOG ENDS: You will need to cut an exact length at least one log in each course of each wall. You can make a reasonable straight cut with a sharp chainsaw. Electric saws work well and are inexpensive. You can also make a straight cut by marking where you need to cut the log in several places. Use something slightly larger than the diameter of the log (such as a Sonotube, stove pipe, etc.) to slip around the log and trace a line to follow. You can also take several measurements from the factory end of the log and mark sure the line is consistent. The idea is to mark the log in several places so you can see if your cut is straight.

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• KEEP PLUMB AND LEVEL: It is important to keep your walls plumb and level as you are stacking. It is a wise idea to install temporary 2x6 braces to stabilize the walls and use as a reference point for plumb and level. When the wall logs are installed against the bracing they have a tendency to crowd the brace out of level. The brace should be installed slightly away from the wall and the space maintained in order to prevent crowding the brace out of level. Constantly check the walls and bracing with a level as the logs are being stacked.

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• LEAVE ROUGH DOOR AND WINDOW OPENINGS: We recommend waiting to cut your final door and window openings until after your roof is installed. Much of the settling that will occur in your log structure will happen while the home is under construction. Waiting will cause less settling to occur in the final door and window openings.

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• RUN TIE LOG THROUGH OPENING: We recommend running a tie log through openings that are taller than 5' in order to tie the 2 walls together and keep the walls stacking level. We typically do not supply tie logs long enough to run through a wide opening such as a garage door.

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• HEADERS IN LOG WALLS: Be sure to span openings with at least as many continuous logs as your engineering requires. Most headers only need 1-2 continuous logs without a splice, but sometimes the engineer will specify more than that, especially if there is a bearing load directly above the opening such as a ridge beam. Sometimes headers for long spans such as garage door openings are overlooked. Check your Load Sheet to ensure that headers have been specifically ordered for openings wider than 11 feet.

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• ROOF OVERHANG LOGS: These are sometimes referred to as wall purlins. These are the top wall logs to help carry the roof overhang on a gable end. Most packages have 2 courses of log that continue out far enough to carry the roof overhand. Stick framed truss roofs typically do not need these roof overhang logs other than for aesthetic reasons. Check your engineering specifications to see how many courses are needed to carry the roof overhang.

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• GABLE ENDS: Gable ends are the triangle-shaped portion of your wall that start at the top of the wall and continue to the peak. A wise way to build a gable end is to install a story pole and using a string line as a guide for where your final gable will be cut. As you are stacking the gable walls you will want to run the bottom of the log 6" past the final cut location. Keep your screws 6" from the location of the final cut. This will ensure that you do not cut into a screw when doing the final gable end cut.

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• CUT GABLE ENDS, DOOR AND WINDOW OPENINGS: A Lumber Marker is a tool that is designed to make straight cuts with a chain saw. It is a guide that bolts to your chain saw and uses a 2x4 or 2x6 piece of lumber as a guide to make straight cuts. Keep your screws 6" from the location of the final cut. Doing this and marking locations of screws near openings will help to prevent hitting a screw when cutting the final door and window openings.

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• NOTCHING A LOG IN THE FIELD: Cutting a notch in the field is not as difficult as one may think. A veritas scribe will transfer a pencil line onto a log and mark where the notch needs to be. After using a scribe to transfer a line on to a log then use a hammer and a chisel to punch out a line all of the way around the pencil mark. This will help prevent tear-out when the log is being notched. Use a chain saw to cut a series of rip cuts in about 1/2" of the pencil line that you just chiseled. Do not cut past the pencil line. Take your hammer and knock the rip cut wood out of the notch. Then use a chisel and chain saw to remove the remainder of the wood necessary to have a tight fit. Be careful to not notch any deeper than necessary in order to keep the notch strong.

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