| Exterior Log-Wall Completion and Propane Tank |
From "Build a Log Cabin"
episode BLC-102 |
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Exterior-Wall Completion As construction of the exterior log walls continues -- laying down one course of logs at a time -- the cabin structure begins to visibly take shape. The final two courses, numbers 12 and 13, are at a height above the tops of the doors and windows. They help to structurally tie all the shorter pieces of wall together and give our cabin its strength. The crew runs a string from corner to corner to mark off a perfectly straight guideline for the top of each wall (figure A). Care is taken to make sure that each log lines up perfectly with the one beneath it (figure B) and that the weatherstripping stays positioned properly when the two log surfaces meet. Since the top course of logs will need a flat top surface, the precut ridges (forming the "tongue" in the tongue-and-groove cut) will need to be removed from those logs. Each of the logs designated as a top log is set on a pair of sawhorses. A power planer is used to carefully remove the pair of wood ridges along the top surface of each log(figure C). It takes several passes to remove the ridges, but once done, each of the top logs has a flat top that is ready to support the roof. Each log in the thirteenth and final course is carefully lifted into place (figure D). It takes several people to lift the longest logs into position. Making sure the weatherstripping and caulking are properly applied, the crew carefully positions each log. Once each top log is in place, steel bolts are used to attach it to the row beneath. Installing the Propane Tank An above-ground propane tank was selected to supply fuel to heat the cabin in colder months. The above-ground design was chosen to avoid the necessity of digging a large hole and to minimize the risk of damaging the roots of the nearby oak trees. Some dirt is removed from the site where the tank will be installed to create a level surface and make it easier for them to level the 320-gallon tank. A remote-controlled crane on the delivery truck makes unloading and positioning the tank relatively easy (figure E). By lifting just the lower end, the delivery crew can support and level the tank in just a few minutes, using solid concrete blocks as supports for the tank's feet (figure F). The crew uses a trenching machine to cut a narrow ditch about 18" deep for the copper tubing that will run from the tank up to the cabin (figure G). Like the crane, the trenching machine saves a great deal of time. It would take several hours to complete the same job by hand-digging a trench. The flexible copper line comes in coils, which the crew unrolls as they work it down into the bottom of the trench (figures H and I). Since one coil of copper tubing can't reach from the cabin to the tank, the crew joins a second coil to the first using a special 1/2" flared connector. At either end of the trench where the copper pipe emerges from the ground, the building code requires that the copper be protected with tough ADS plastic sheeting. After the copper line has been installed, the crew tests for leaks by pressurizing it with 50 pounds of air. Later, it will be inspected before it's put into use. Filling the trench is done the old-fashioned way -- by hand and shovel. Later, grass seed will be sowed over the trench to conceal it completely. Similarly, the area in front of the tank can be dug up, mulched and planted with shrubbery to hide it from view as well.
RESOURCES :
Log Home Repair and Restoration Services
Log Home Repair and Restoration Services
Website: www.loghomerepair.com
Special Thanks for DIY Build a Log Cabin workshop
Blossman Gas
Website: www.blossmangas.com/
Propane
Propane
Washington, DC Phone: 202-452-8975
Fax: 202-452-9054
Website: www.propanecouncil.org/
The Complete Guide to Building Log Homes
ISBN: 0806974869
Author: Monte Burch, Richard J. Meyer, Lloyd P. Birmingham
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com
Log Homes Made Easy: Contracting and Building Your Own Log Home
Model: 0811728471
Author: Jim Cooper
Stackpole Books
Website: www.stackpolebooks.com
The Cabin: Inspiration for the Classic American Getaway
Model: 0879056711
Author: Dale Mulfinger, Susan E. Davis
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
Hands-On Log Homes
ISBN: 0879058056
Author: Cindy Teipner Thiede
Gibbs Smith Publishing
Website: www.gibbs-smith.com
American Log Homes
ISBN: 0879054581
Author: Arthur Thiede, Cindy Teipner
Gibbs Smith Publishing
Website: www.gibbs-smith.com
The Craft of Modular Post & Beam: Building Log and Timber Homes Affordably
Model: 0881791318
Author: James Mitchell
Heritage House/Hartley & Marks
Website: www.heritagehouse.ca/hartleymarks/hartleymarks.html
Small Log Homes: Storybook Plans and Advice
ISBN: 1586850431
Author: Robbin Obomsawin
Gibbs Smith Publishing
Website: www.gibbs-smith.com
Log Spirit
ISBN: 0879059257
Author: Linda Arms White
Gibbs Smith Publishing
Website: www.gibbs-smith.com
Inside Log Homes: The Art & Spirit of Home Planning and Decor
Model: 087905963X
Author: Cindy Teipner Thiede, et al
Gibbs Smith Publishing
Website: www.gibbs-smith.com
The Log Home Book: Design, Past and Present
Model: 0879056711
Author: Cindy Teipner Thiede, Arthur Thiede, et al
Gibbs Smith Publishing
Website: www.gibbs-smith.com
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