Plumb Level
03-22-2011, 02:29 PM
Been reading this sight a lot, learning a lot, and this is my first post. I know - take the class first!!!! But I can't swing the June 4th/5th class due to scheduling, so I'll try the next.
I'm planning on building a hunting cabin/weekend retreat. Would like to go 24 x 20 with a small loft. Have a huge supply of Eastern Red Cedars, but while surveying the property and cutting one down....turns out the trees aren't as tall as I thought and they taper more than I thought. One of the larger trees out there was 14" at the butt, and 7" at 24 feet. I know that is a lot of taper. I can find some a bit larger, but probably going to have to go down to 18 x 22.
My main question is, can I primarily build using the Eastern Red Cedar; but then use white oak logs for the sill logs, girder, top plates (not sure if that terminology is correct for a log home), and also for the ridge pole? I think we can get quite a few white oaks in the 32 or 35 foot range, and that would allow for roof overhang off the back and porch coverage on the front. Thoughts?
I'm planning on building a hunting cabin/weekend retreat. Would like to go 24 x 20 with a small loft. Have a huge supply of Eastern Red Cedars, but while surveying the property and cutting one down....turns out the trees aren't as tall as I thought and they taper more than I thought. One of the larger trees out there was 14" at the butt, and 7" at 24 feet. I know that is a lot of taper. I can find some a bit larger, but probably going to have to go down to 18 x 22.
My main question is, can I primarily build using the Eastern Red Cedar; but then use white oak logs for the sill logs, girder, top plates (not sure if that terminology is correct for a log home), and also for the ridge pole? I think we can get quite a few white oaks in the 32 or 35 foot range, and that would allow for roof overhang off the back and porch coverage on the front. Thoughts?