Log interior walls?

[RJones]

Hello everyone, I hope your projects are going well. I am curious and hope this isnt a stupid question. Why arent people using logs for the interior walls? I am guessing that the floor wont support it. I just think a log home looks so good and the introduction of sheetrock clashes hard with the logs. I know you can use T&G and that looks great, but it would be really nice to have all walls made of logs or log appearance.
One more question for the staff:
When the heck are you going to hold another class, your killing me???? Kidding!

[panderson03]

welcome Mr Jones:)
some here do use log walls as well...others' think its just too much log. there are other structural and financial reasons as well for not having full log walls.
if you sign up for an email notice of the next class you'll be one of the first to know when the next one will be:)
again, welcome!

[RJones]

I love the looks of wood and particularly logs. I have signed up for the email alert about a month ago! Thanks for your response!

[loghousenut]

Hello everyone, I hope your projects are going well. I am curious and hope this isnt a stupid question. Why arent people using logs for the interior walls? I am guessing that the floor wont support it. I just think a log home looks so good and the introduction of sheetrock clashes hard with the logs. I know you can use T&G and that looks great, but it would be really nice to have all walls made of logs or log appearance.
One more question for the staff:
When the heck are you going to hold another class, your killing me???? Kidding!

Logs can be the perfect material for building the shell of a house. If properly done, the outer walls can be energy efficient and strong enough to support a structure that requires no additional support from interior walls. Log walls are also fairly thick, eating up interior floor space and extremely heavy, requiring a beefy foundation directly under them.
Once your log shell is up and your roof is on, stick-built interior walls can come and go wherever you want them without changing anything but the plumbing and electrical. By the way, framed walls are easier to fill with plumbing and electrical than interior log walls. It's all covered in hour 7 of class.

[hawkiye]

All wood interior tends to darken the interior quite a bit. Sheet rock can lighten the place significantly. It is really preference. Log interior walls would require much more foundation work and hassle. If you really want the effect just put log siding on the interior walls. However if you want the appearance of un-milled logs inside like your perimeter walls you will probably have to cut them yourself or have someone do it.

[RJones]

Ok, that is kind of what I figured. I didnt know if people were doing something different to get that log look on their walls in the home. It makes alot of sense about the logs darkening the room up alot, I didnt think about that.

[Basil]

The only walls in my home that are stud walls are the ones that are carrying water, drain, hvac, electric, etc. And the gable ends, which i just felt like would be too much work to stack up to the peak of the roof in logs

[mickeywingnut]

Log interior walls could be fairly simple if you plan ahead for them.
...But the class teaches building a simple SQUARE log supporting structure similar to how God builds (See Revelation 21:16) for a whole number of reasons which definitely expanded my mind :) Then you can put thin inside walls anywhere you like filled with plumbing, electrical, etc. If you frame it in and the wife says I want this room bigger once she sees it, you just move a wall out a bit. But if it is a log wall and she says move that wall over you might just end up divorced.
I've been in two finished members homes who used no sheetrock whatsoever. They both look very "log" on the inside and seem fairly light with light colored stain and lots of windows. One did tongue and groove on the interior walls, the other did board and batten. They aren't log, but it gives a nice logish look while still keeping things easy.
-Joel

[RockEngineer]

One reason for not doing interior log walls is just simplicity. When you are working with natural logs with all their various tapers and the butt and pass method, tieing in walls in the middle can make it much more complex. Square box with similar taper on all logs you can work with alternating big ends. When you intersect in the middle of a log it's harder. Many of the log homes you see with log interior walls are milled logs so everything is the same diameter and you don't have to deal with taper but you loose some of the character of the log. If you don't want sheetrock, there are other types of wood you can use on interior walls as has been mentioned.

[jrdavis]

The reference to "G-ds way" of building.I went and read the verse. Pretty good "find" there. For those NOT going to look it up.. here it is. :+
Revelation 21:16And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
Hum, It makes pretty good MATHEMATICAL sense too. I think that Skip would be amused.
James

[rockinlog]

i still have yet to take the class but when i do build im going to make every effort not to use drywall in my log home if i can avoid it i just dont think belongs in one jmo :)

[loghousenut]

i still have yet to take the class but when i do build im going to make every effort not to use drywall in my log home if i can avoid it i just dont think belongs in one jmo :)

Not using drywall in a LHBA home is the easy part.

[blane]

I think for most of us, or at least myself. It is the most economical way to go and the easiest if you are inexperienced like myself. My wife would have preferred log interior walls or at least t&g but that might have added another year to our build and a lot of money. Since the old single wide we were living in was becoming less and less desirable and our money was running out we went with drywall. I think it really comes down to what you like, time factor and cost


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[rreidnauer]

Drywall . . . . . blagh!

Definitely not allowed on my build. I'm still hashing ideas, but it will not be drywall. Maybe plaster, a masonry stucco, perhaps even adobe! Maybe a combination of all. All I know, it's gotta have more character, be more organic than, nasty flat walls that need touching up the moment you just look at them wrong.

[oldtrapper]

Soooo, maybe drywall, Rod. Is that what I am hearing? ;-{>8

[rckclmbr428]

the one nice thing about drywall besides price is the ability to paint it. Womens like to paint their walls. Guys dont really care

[rocklock]

Because our walls don't shrink, drywall is an effective solution to the way to much wood problem...
Another solution is metal ceilings look really cool in a log home.

[oldtrapper]

Rocklock, are you talking pressed tin ceilings? What kind of a substructure did you use?

[rockinlog]

Not using drywall in a LHBA home is the easy part.

thats good to know l h n! i understand if some people like it or it comes down to economics but i just want logs,logs,and more logs!!! lol

[thoner7]

I think I am only going to use drywall in the bathrooms and guest bedrooms. Everywhere else Maybe board and batten, or ship lap running horizontal, or maybe even correlated metal roofing in some places!

I'm still in the day-dreaming phase though lol

[rocklock]

Rocklock, are you talking pressed tin ceilings? What kind of a substructure did you use?
Not done yet... I haven't ordered any yet...

[oldtrapper]

Rocklock, I have done it on conventional construction but not in a log home. There are three types I know of, nail-up, glue-on, and drop-in on a suspended track. One needs to plan the layout carefully and the interesting part comes where you need scribe fits, not unlike logs. Watch windows and trim dimensions carefully when selecting cornices. We went with http://www.tinceilingxpress.com/ .

Pressed tin is really just steel, so one needs to degrease it (we used mineral spirits and alcohol in separate washes) and then seal it (we sprayed clear poly on both sides) as rust is the enemy. Ours has been up for a few years, without problem but we live in a very dry climate (ND).

[rocklock]

Thanks for the ceiling site... I went there and was surprised with the selection and the price... I thought that the powder coating will work. I thought that under the second floor with my 32" joists but it looks like more planning will be needed... Thanks again... This site works again.