PLEASE COMMENT ON MY DESIRE TO BUILD A HOME LIKE THIS:

**mhuye** · 06-09-2008, 01:13 PM

Ladies and gentlemen,

If you could visit my photobucket account and tell me if you think building a butt and pass home on one level would be an economical way to get my family in their own log home. With large overhangs, I don't think that multiple gables or corners would greatly affect the house as long as the moisture was taken away from the structure.

See album:

http://s182.photobucket.com/albums/x315/mhuye/?albumview=grid

I know that the images show homes that are not butt and pass, but I would of course change that building practice. I think the butt and pass is truly lovely and some of these homes fit nicely into what the butt and pass allow you to do.

Any of your comments would be greatly appreciated. I plan on going to a seminar as soon as I possibly can. I love the adirondack [bearfoot lodge] and the mountain west. I plan on doing a hybrid of the best of both.

God Bless you in advance...

Michael

PS. my wife and I are 'crunchy cons' and are trying to do as much whole foods, proper eating and correct lifestyle choices as possible. It is nice to see that so many of you are also interested in getting back to sound, practical living the way our Creator intended. Joel Salatin, Polyface farms is a great source for information on how to eat and live well...

Please contact me at
geauxdevelopment@gmail.com

**StressMan79** · 06-09-2008, 01:37 PM

with the exception of the jointery (or lack thereof), the B&P will allow you to do all of the features that you see in that home. You can do it easier/quicker if you forgo the impressive design features you see on that home. You can certainly do that, but it will take more time. I would get the shell done and livable and add design features as time and money allow. The logs looked dark, and the inside looked very dark for my taste. Also, the fireplace is maybe not the best idea, as you lose almost as much heat as is made up the chimney. Also, masonry requires much more skill than to stack logs and frame the roof (and I would say to frame walls, plumb, and wire as well). You'll change your mind about what you want if you take the class.

The short answer is "yes, B&P can give you that effect"

-Peter

**mhuye** · 06-09-2008, 04:33 PM

The Fireplace could be made to be ventless and the stone for effect. The pictures are dark due to poor lighting.
Thank you for your input. I appreciate anyone else that has an idea or two.

God Bless,

Michael

Dreaming of Montana, Asheville, Anywhere there are blue shadows on old mountains

**spiralsands** · 06-10-2008, 01:58 AM

Some of the stuff in your photos are very much Adirondack style. Before I came to LHBA, I was considering having Michael Bird make me a house on my Adirondack foothills property. He is an architect up there that specializes in that style. I contacted his office and they sent me some information but what was missing in the package was really intangible. Sure, I liked the windows and the unusual stick treatments, but I found that I didn't really want anything that 'crafty'. It seemed a little high maintenance for me. I really wanted simplicity. I can appreciate the craft look and am amazed at what some people can do with a log. In fact in the town near my land, there is a studio in an old factory where local artists display original one-of-a-kind Adirondack furniture.

Traditionally, the Adirondack camps were very dark inside but with the new style, windows are placed up high specifically to let in light. These butt and pass homes are pretty much perfect for that. Alot of people put windows in the gables opened up to a great room. There are some with stone fireplaces. I have a lot of stone on my land and hope to use it for a foundation facade, steup, fireplace, whatever I can imagine.

**Canucks** · 06-10-2008, 08:32 AM

The rustic feel of the photos is very appealing, a little dark too for my taste. You should be able to do a house like that in butt and pass style, the difference would be just the log joinery system at the corners and the chinking system between the logs. Depending on the wood you use for your logs, you should be able to keep them fairly rustic and characteristic. A one level house would be very economical as you would be only going up 10-12 layers, depending on the diameter of your logs. I agree that the creative stuff can come later after you have your foundation and your logs up, from there anything is feasible.

Good luck.

http://s277.photobucket.com/albums/kk50/lafrance_2008/

Canucks

**Kola** · 06-10-2008, 08:41 AM

Building something like those homes with B&P would be a cakewalk. It's all about personal choice. You have to build what you like. Personally I love the dark rustic look too and it really looks cool with proper lighting. I love this picture on the bottom right (and the German Shepherd too!):
http://s182.photobucket.com/albums/x315/mhuye/?albumview=grid

**rocklock** · 06-10-2008, 11:23 AM

I have several comments...
This looks like a very small cabin - way too little space for the amount of work.
The fire place needs to be inside the cabin or its just a gigantic heat sink.
A more pitched roof will allow a loft which could double the square footage.
but its just MHO... Take care and have fun...

**GENE13** · 06-10-2008, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by mhuye

Ladies and gentlemen,

If you could visit my photobucket account and tell me if you think building a butt and pass home on one level would be an economical way to get my family in their own log home. With large overhangs, I don't think that multiple gables or corners would greatly affect the house as long as the moisture was taken away from the structure.

See album:

http://s182.photobucket.com/albums/x315/mhuye/?albumview=grid

I know that the images show homes that are not butt and pass, but I would of course change that building practice. I think the butt and pass is truly lovely and some of these homes fit nicely into what the butt and pass allow you to do.

Any of your comments would be greatly appreciated. I plan on going to a seminar as soon as I possibly can. I love the adirondack [bearfoot lodge] and the mountain west. I plan on doing a hybrid of the best of both.

God Bless you in advance...

Michael

PS. my wife and I are 'crunchy cons' and are trying to do as much whole foods, proper eating and correct lifestyle choices as possible. It is nice to see that so many of you are also interested in getting back to sound, practical living the way our Creator intended. Joel Salatin, Polyface farms is a great source for information on how to eat and live well...

Please contact me at
geauxdevelopment@gmail.com

I believe your question was : "visit my photobucket account and tell me if you think building a butt and pass home on one level would be an economical way to get my family in their own log home". The pic in your bucket was a 2 story home, not a one (1) level home, if you wanted to stay with a 1 level home and still have the same amount of sq footage, it would cost you more to build. The most inexpensive way to build is UP, it will save you the extra cost on the foundation and roof. However, by building the butt and pass home, you may find it to be so economical for you, that the extra expense may not be that important to you............. :-)

**CB y CB** · 06-10-2008, 03:43 PM

You must have been very dedicated at choosing your house logs, how are they so perfect? Peeled off site or by a company or something? I was scrolling through your pics and was stunned! Very nice

CB

**Yuhjn** · 06-10-2008, 08:13 PM

Honestly that house looks like it was built on a Hollywood set. The porch supports have bark on them! It appears much less a live-able space and much more a work of art built to be photographed.

(Edit: please note your photobucket house is actually at least 3 different houses, only one of which has unpeeled logs build into it)

A skip style house is all about effeciency. The aestetics come second. Form follows function. That house you have shown is form first, function second. It looks like it jumped right out of a Tolkien novel, but it would be much harder to maintain and much harder to live in than a well built LHBA home.

Skip says "do your deck in pressure treated lumber". Why? Because it lasts longer than logs and that saves you money and effort. That house has unpeeled logs as deck supports. Why? Because it LOOKS REALLY COOL! (and it does look cool!)

Can you make your BnP house look like that? Well sure! BnP only "looks" a certain way because of the corners. A "Skip style" house has many features, each of them designed to maximize the effecinecy of the home. Does Skip build HUGE overhangs on the roof cause it looks cool? No, he does it because it keeps his walls dry.

The fact that a Skip style home looks as cool as it does is probably quite a bit of coincidence. I have a feeling if building a house that looked "ugly" was the cheapest, easiest, and most effecient way to do it that that is exactly what Skip would teach. It's just lucky for all of us that they look amazing as well :)

On a serious note though, taking the class changed the way I look at a home, especially a log home. If you take the class that photobucket home will look different than it does now. Some people claim Skip's class is a life changing event for them. In fact that's quite a common sentiment. I know it was for me.