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Phase 3: The logs arrive and are put into place.
We are now approximately three months into the project at the Double Eagle. We’ve secured the necessary permits,
poured a concrete foundation and capped it off with an I-joist subfloor system. The site has been cleared for the
pre-construction crews and is now ready for the logs.
Two trucks delivered the logs that would be used to build the 2,377 square foot home we designed with the staff of Golden Eagle Log Homes, project co-sponsor and general contractor. It was a rainy day when the logs were lifted off the truck at the golf course lot the Double Eagle was being built on. Cold temperatures and snow would arrive soon as Wisconsin hunkered down for another winter season.
But it would be a mild winter, at least in Wisconsin terms, and that meant an almost uninterrupted winter work schedule. To see how Golden Eagle staff and subcontractors made the log shell a reality, continue reading.
LAYING THE FIRST LOGS
Before the first course of logs could be laid, the interior walls, exterior doors and windows were mapped out on the subfloor. Pre-made 2x6 bucks (bottom left) took the place of doors and, later, windows.The bucks were checked for plumb and square before the logs were cut. Golden Eagle project manager Bob Strosin says it’s better to take extra time laying out the windows and doors than leaving it to guess work.
“It will save you headaches down the road,” he says. “It’s better to spend an extra two to three hours on the layout than to spend more time pulling logs out later because it doesn’t work.”
Each 8-inch log was anywhere from 8 to 16 feet in length before being carefully measured and cut. A field-routed groove received a foam gasket to create a snug fit and a gasket sealant was applied to the groove to prevent air infiltration.
Each course was installed around the perimeter of the footprint before another course was started. Crews installed bucks
(also plumbed and squared) when they reached window openings. At the corners, the logs were cut and notched to create a butt
and pass system. With a fullround profile, the logs extend about 21/4 inches beyond the foundation.
Precision was key throughout this phase. The walls were checked for plumb and level often. “It’s easy to have a log slip and, if it’s off 1/16 of an inch on the first row, it will be off by a number of inches later,” Strosin says. If a log was off, the crew shimmed or planed it to fit. Strosin says it was important to watch each log, bottom to top, until the wall was finished. “You have to watch it to make sure somebody didn’t come by and bump it or swing a log and hit something out of plumb,” he says.
The number of door and window openings and the size of the crew — as well as weather — determine how long it takes to erect a log shell. At the Double Eagle, the log raising took a week with a four-man crew. Strosin says that’s probably longer than most homes because of the plan’s angles and jogs.
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A A gasket sealant is laid between each course of logs to prevent air and water infiltration.
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B Caulk provides further protection against the elements.
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C The log is put into place. This log's position between an interior corner and a window means it requires an extra precise cut and fit.
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D Each log is checked for plumb and square before a 10" Blue Ox screw from Sashco is screwed through the stacked logs (The screws, which have a 1/4" washer head, provide the holding power needed to pull the logs tightly together). Even after it has been checked initially, the log will be checked a number of times toensure a properly-laid course. Even the slightest bump can put a log out of plumb and create bigger problems later.
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PUTTING IT TOGETHER: THE LOG RAISING
Golden Eagle’s crew started the log raising in December, when cold Wisconsin weather presented extra challenges.Throughout the course of the log raising, snow had to be shoveled away from the work site and crews had to break to warm up.“We also had to melt snow in some areas where guys had to climb,” Strosin says. Building in December in Wisconsin wasn’t exactly ideal.
“You try to get the roof on before you get snow,” Strosin says, adding that the Double Eagle’s steep roofline accumulated snow often — and prevented his crew from working on the upper level until the snow had melted.
The Double Eagle’s angled design (the garage sits at a 45 degree angle to the home) presented other challenges, especially since the kitchen sits inside the angled walls. “It had to be laid out so the cabinets fit precisely, wall to wall,” Strosin says. The unusual shape made for more intricate measurements. “With a regular kitchen, you go in and you’re thinking in half inches. But with this kitchen, we were measuring in eighths.”
The bumpout that would eventually hold a jetted tub in the master bath also posed problems. It was finished with split log that matched the full logs used on the rest of the first floor walls and required a special corner cut to replicate the butt and pass corner found on the rest of the home.
This article previously appeared in Log Home Design Ideas magazine.
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