flowerbug
Garden Master
with AC!
Baymule’s 2021 Garden
- Thread starter baymule
- Start date
with AC!
flowerbug
Garden Master
Close but no prize!
chicken freezer camp sendoff platform?
- Thread starter
- #153
baymule
Garden Master
I’m thinking about building a house. BJ is not enthused about it, but that has never stopped me. It would be a several year project, cutting trees, milling lumber, letting it dry and so forth. It would take a couple of years just to get the lumber together. I want a post and beam frame and have enough large pine trees here to make that happen. It might involve moving to another property and BJ doesn’t like that either. But I dragged him here and I can drag him somewhere else.
DD and family moved away, our reason for being here. She just got a new job in Corpus Christi and will probably stay there awhile. Don’t really want to move there, I love east Texas. Son has 35 acres close to Crockett, seriously thinking about that. Someday I’ll be old and will need family nearby.
So my thoughts are to use the resources we have here, Neigjbor has a sawmill. His place backs up to our place, easy enough to drag logs with tractor. I’m just kicking it around, but will more than likely kick it into gear and do it, come he!! or high water.
I want a cordwood house, that’s lengths of split and round logs, mortared at both ends, insulated in the middle, infilled between the posts, set 8’ apart. I’ve been wanting to build a house like that for about 15 years. Really thinking hard on this. Google cordwood house and tell me what you think.
I don’t know what I’m doing but when has that ever stopped me? I have books and friends!
DD and family moved away, our reason for being here. She just got a new job in Corpus Christi and will probably stay there awhile. Don’t really want to move there, I love east Texas. Son has 35 acres close to Crockett, seriously thinking about that. Someday I’ll be old and will need family nearby.
So my thoughts are to use the resources we have here, Neigjbor has a sawmill. His place backs up to our place, easy enough to drag logs with tractor. I’m just kicking it around, but will more than likely kick it into gear and do it, come he!! or high water.
I want a cordwood house, that’s lengths of split and round logs, mortared at both ends, insulated in the middle, infilled between the posts, set 8’ apart. I’ve been wanting to build a house like that for about 15 years. Really thinking hard on this. Google cordwood house and tell me what you think.
I don’t know what I’m doing but when has that ever stopped me? I have books and friends!
flowerbug
Garden Master
so you are thinking of building it on the 35 acres using the lumber from where you are at now?
need to make sure of what zoning laws there might be for the 35 acres and if there is decent ground water for a well. sometimes local politics play a big role in permitting.
also not sure how electrical and plumbing works in such thick walls, but i'd like that over a frame wood house like what we have here. even well insulated there's too much heat and cool getting in and out here. i want thermal mass and something that won't rot. rocks, cement, two layers, insulated in between. bricks on the outside. heck, i don't care, it could be mud and straw bales, but those aren't cheap for us here either.
on my day-dreaming times i think about a laser cutter and putting all these rocks to use and having them all like big rock blocks that i could use to completely reface the entire house. solar panels to collect juice for the laser. it's only probably cost 50-100K... maybe... really haven't looked into it... but i'd get a cellar out of the deal too. it'd probably be more like a dungeon, but closer to above ground with our high water table...
and a rock fountain. i really like having some running water some place even if it has to be run on a solar pump and batteries and isn't much above a trickle. there's some pretty small pumps these days that don't draw a huge amount of power but can do it. if i do it right i can set it up to filter the water and have the water used as a perpetual birdbath and then have the water that comes out of the birdbath end up in a garden where the plants like plenty of water and then suck the water back out from a ways underneath that so that the garden and soil filters out all the birdie waste. and well, since i'm dreaming i could make it bigger and have several water falls and a nice shallow spot to sit and cool off myself too on some of these hot days. in the winter it would have to be temperature controlled switched off so the things wouldn't break in the froze. hmm... yeah, i can do that. or if the sun is out enough have a solar hot water collector and have a bit of a warm tub... yeah, right, but...
don't mind me, i'm just daydreaming at the keyboard here...
need to make sure of what zoning laws there might be for the 35 acres and if there is decent ground water for a well. sometimes local politics play a big role in permitting.
also not sure how electrical and plumbing works in such thick walls, but i'd like that over a frame wood house like what we have here. even well insulated there's too much heat and cool getting in and out here. i want thermal mass and something that won't rot. rocks, cement, two layers, insulated in between. bricks on the outside. heck, i don't care, it could be mud and straw bales, but those aren't cheap for us here either.
on my day-dreaming times i think about a laser cutter and putting all these rocks to use and having them all like big rock blocks that i could use to completely reface the entire house. solar panels to collect juice for the laser. it's only probably cost 50-100K... maybe... really haven't looked into it... but i'd get a cellar out of the deal too. it'd probably be more like a dungeon, but closer to above ground with our high water table...
and a rock fountain. i really like having some running water some place even if it has to be run on a solar pump and batteries and isn't much above a trickle. there's some pretty small pumps these days that don't draw a huge amount of power but can do it. if i do it right i can set it up to filter the water and have the water used as a perpetual birdbath and then have the water that comes out of the birdbath end up in a garden where the plants like plenty of water and then suck the water back out from a ways underneath that so that the garden and soil filters out all the birdie waste. and well, since i'm dreaming i could make it bigger and have several water falls and a nice shallow spot to sit and cool off myself too on some of these hot days. in the winter it would have to be temperature controlled switched off so the things wouldn't break in the froze. hmm... yeah, i can do that. or if the sun is out enough have a solar hot water collector and have a bit of a warm tub... yeah, right, but...
don't mind me, i'm just daydreaming at the keyboard here...
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ninnymary
Garden Master
WOW Bay, that's a big project. As I get older I want less of big projects. In fact I chose to just paint my kitchen walls and cabinets instead of getting another new kitchen. I'm happy with less now LOL. I'm even rethinking my garden. I think I want to focus on perhaps less but better quality. I don't know I just want a garden that will take care of itself!
I'm so tired of critters eating my hard earned efforts. I figure I can grow enough veggies and plants to keep me occupied and the rest I can buy at our local Farmer's Market. We are lucky that we have one on Tueday and Saturdays. It will give us something to do and support local farmers.
Mary
I'm so tired of critters eating my hard earned efforts. I figure I can grow enough veggies and plants to keep me occupied and the rest I can buy at our local Farmer's Market. We are lucky that we have one on Tueday and Saturdays. It will give us something to do and support local farmers.
Mary
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heirloomgal
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I
I Googled 'cordwood house'.....WOW, just gorgeous! It's like a work of art!
seedcorn
Garden Master
Could go by Amtrak as they have a $299 special going on. Train adventures are fun.
Cordwood house looks nice. My luck, I’d get it built only to find out I broke zoning laws...get being near family as we age.
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- Thread starter
- #158
baymule
Garden Master
In Texas, out in the county, pretty much anything goes. I can build whatever I want.
I’ve always been a bit of a maverick and the idea of a contractor built home that is identical to millions of other houses doesn’t appeal to me at all. Nor does the attached price tag for something that won’t last until the mortgage is paid off due to substandard materials and lackadaisical building skills sound like anything I’d want.
I love our neighborhood but DD and family will never come back. The pay scale for this area is low. They can have a much better quality of life and do more than just scrape by in Corpus Christi. I get it. They can put in their work life and retire to somewhere else. I’ve looked at land for sale, flat, either no trees or some scrubby stuff that I’d call brush. I’m an East Texas gal.
At some point, I will need family nearby. Due to family genetics I’m likely to live into my 90’s or past 100. I want that to be on my terms and I intend to be prepared for that before it becomes a “ what to do with mom”
A cordwood house is right up my alley. Different, artistic, something I can do myself with little hired help and a little help from friends. I will mine this place for everything I can use, plus my scrounging pack rat DNA will be on high alert for things I can incorporate into building.
This will take at least 2 years to assemble materials and probably 2 years to build and finish. I’m gonna make it happen!
I’ve always been a bit of a maverick and the idea of a contractor built home that is identical to millions of other houses doesn’t appeal to me at all. Nor does the attached price tag for something that won’t last until the mortgage is paid off due to substandard materials and lackadaisical building skills sound like anything I’d want.
I love our neighborhood but DD and family will never come back. The pay scale for this area is low. They can have a much better quality of life and do more than just scrape by in Corpus Christi. I get it. They can put in their work life and retire to somewhere else. I’ve looked at land for sale, flat, either no trees or some scrubby stuff that I’d call brush. I’m an East Texas gal.
At some point, I will need family nearby. Due to family genetics I’m likely to live into my 90’s or past 100. I want that to be on my terms and I intend to be prepared for that before it becomes a “ what to do with mom”
A cordwood house is right up my alley. Different, artistic, something I can do myself with little hired help and a little help from friends. I will mine this place for everything I can use, plus my scrounging pack rat DNA will be on high alert for things I can incorporate into building.
This will take at least 2 years to assemble materials and probably 2 years to build and finish. I’m gonna make it happen!
Rhodie Ranch
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very very cool....
digitS'
Garden Master
Cordwood construction was something that attracted my eye recently. It sure seems a doable DIY project. At your own pace.
When I built my cabin in the woods the entire idea of using cordwood might have been an unknown for me. The logs for the little barn (and temporary home for digitS') were from standing dead lodgepole pines. The cabin was from living trees and after 18 months of being cut, still did some shrinking after the cabin was built.
Codwood should dry more quickly. Chinking and daubing between the logs may have cute names but, I gotta tell you, it is a very tedious task.
I had experience building frames for pouring concrete so that basement work went okay. Later, I did some masonry with concrete blocks and clay bricks - so much better than chinking and daubing! So ... I'm thinking that mortaring the cordwood should be okay. However, a LOT must have to be used! Mixing mixing mixing - then transporting and applying ... you will have some strong muscles after this heavy work.
Depending on your trees, stacking wood may not require as much vigor. Peeling isn't really very difficult. Flat shovel, good balance walking on a log, a little touch up with a drawknife - done enough. Lodgepole are small pines but nice and straight. I had a "standard" of 7" to 9" which limited my cabin wall size. That wouldn't be much of an issue with cordwood and varying the diameter throughout would add to the beauty. And, that kind of construction can be beautiful!
Steve
When I built my cabin in the woods the entire idea of using cordwood might have been an unknown for me. The logs for the little barn (and temporary home for digitS') were from standing dead lodgepole pines. The cabin was from living trees and after 18 months of being cut, still did some shrinking after the cabin was built.
Codwood should dry more quickly. Chinking and daubing between the logs may have cute names but, I gotta tell you, it is a very tedious task.
I had experience building frames for pouring concrete so that basement work went okay. Later, I did some masonry with concrete blocks and clay bricks - so much better than chinking and daubing! So ... I'm thinking that mortaring the cordwood should be okay. However, a LOT must have to be used! Mixing mixing mixing - then transporting and applying ... you will have some strong muscles after this heavy work.
Depending on your trees, stacking wood may not require as much vigor. Peeling isn't really very difficult. Flat shovel, good balance walking on a log, a little touch up with a drawknife - done enough. Lodgepole are small pines but nice and straight. I had a "standard" of 7" to 9" which limited my cabin wall size. That wouldn't be much of an issue with cordwood and varying the diameter throughout would add to the beauty. And, that kind of construction can be beautiful!
Steve
