Butt & Pass log home building

[kdees76]

I am new to this site and have been reading about building using butt & pass construction. From the sounds of some of the articles, people using this do not have to let their logs dry or season. Is that correct? The article stated some people built their home in about 9 weeks. I also thought I read on this site that preservatives etc. did not need to be used. Can someone provide a little more information regarding this. Thanks so much!!

[panderson03]

Hi there. welcome. Good to see another nurse here!!
YES if you build the way they teach in class you can use green logs; actually its easier in some aspects if you use green logs (though they are a bit heavier when they're green....)
YES for the most part, everyone here will advocate using some sort of preservative to help prevent your logs from rotting. If I remember right, the oldtimers didn't use any though and seemed to still have very good results)
again. welcome!

[Basil]

I just spent my third christmas in my house, I didn't use preservatives other than a single spraying of borate after i got the roof on. It didn't take me nine weeks to build, that's for sure, more like three years. But i spent a full year building a 3000 sq foot wrap-around porch to protect my logs from rain. There's lots of ways to achieve success, but it's a lot of work and you have to be willing to sacrifice.

[kdees76]

Just wondering .... how easy would it be to build on to an existing small butt & pass cabin? We have a small KOA style cabin and we have talked about enclosing the porch area and maybe extending a screen porch out on the side? I believe they used D logs for construction.

We own 25 acres of property we plan to build on - there are lots of large ponderosa pines. I am wondering if this type of wood is good for building? And am just curious about the size of logs for building ..... can they vary in diameter much?

I read where classes are not offered often - I have signed up for the email but am wondering a few things --- are they always offered in Las Vegas? And if we miss getting into the next class - how long is the wait for another class?

[panderson03]

you have a lot of good questions.
signing up to get an email when they have a new class is the best way to get a new class offered; it seems as though when they have a lot of people interested, they tend to have another class.
no class is not always in Las Vegas; we attended a class in Washington State.
yeah, I also read where there was a long period of time when there was no class (like 5 long years or something) but I do not believe that is the norm.
Skip once said the best logs to build with are the ones you got!! size of your logs affects a lot of things like R value of your walls, the number of rows/miles you have to chink, etc. I would not advocate building with anything less than a diameter of 10" on the small end. others have different views.
adding on to a BnP home is tricky but not impossible; others have done it.
again, welcome!

[JeffandSara]

Hi, Kdees--
As panderson said, green logs are mostly a weight problem, not a shrinking/settling problem using Skip's/LHBA's methods. There are ways to compensate for the latter. Ponderosa Pines would be fine (we have a small 1930s log house on our property built from them), though in some areas (like ours), the taper is rather more than optimal due to harsh growing conditions.
Like Basil, we used no preservative, though lots of LHBA folks do. Actually, we didn't borate, sand, corn-cob, stain or finish our logs in any way, and we're happy with the decision. Of course, in our climate, a stump or log can sit in the dirt for decades and not rot; so clean and prepped logs stacked on a raised foundation and surrounded with gravel to keep dirt/mud off really don't have much reason to deteriorate.
The process of building taught in the class is, indeed, very simple and potentially quick. However, a nine-week house project would probably require full-time building, all logs and most materials ready-to-go, a decent crew of helpers (depending on the size/complexity of your project and what you consider "done"), cooperative weather, and some good fortune. I'd guess from the stories of other members we know that the average building time is quite a bit longer. Ours was similar to Basil's, with my husband holding down a full-time job (though one with decent days off) and usually not much in the way of additional workers. Great experience, though, and a wonderful house! We couldn't recommend LHBA's classes and methods any more highly than we do.
Best-- Sara :)