Introduce yourself

Look, listen and learn
Im Your Huckleberry!
Keep Rocking With Dokken!

Josh if you want learn to build your own cabin correct this the place.
This club is a great place to learn and chat to other members.
People that join this club are hard working and have same goal to live free.
If you got some pictures of your cabin we love to see them.
I never lived in one yet but i am process to build it sooner ore later.
I been in 2 of them and its got a good feeling inside one.
Hope you joined the new letter and take the class enjoy the the club.
Seya Chad

I am ffrom east Texas and my wife and i are looking into building a log home. we are in the planning and property aquisition stage. We have looked at several KIT homes and I thought there had to be a better cheaper way. I just figured that if our ancesters could strike out with only a wagon load of dreams and an axe and build a home i have no excuse considering the technology at my fingertips.

That's exactly how I feel about things. I bought a property that has a neighboring acreage with an 180+ year old house on it. It was built in 1830 or so and in the attic you can see the ax marks on the post and beam logs that were cut right from the forest behind it. The foundation is made from field stones and the well was dug. There was no bathroom or running water and the guy who built it raised about 10 kids there. Considering all the advantages we have today with modern tools, electricity and communication, we should be and are able to do the same thing, only better.

Frances

We are planning to move to AK on one of the islands and building our own, literally form scratch. I've lived in bot a kit built home and one where it started by cutting the logs, hauling htem out of the mountains, peeling and building. I will never buy a kit-the price is stupid and they just aren't as good of a home-besides, unless you want to pay super prices to design your own, you're getting the same house a lot of other people have. We won't be there for a year or two, probably, but I'd be open to giving you logs in turn for help building our site.

Hi everyone-name's Karie Barstow. I did a lot of searcing online to find this place and am very happy I did. My husband and I are looking at buying 2.33 acres of land in Alaska. Its dense forest and there are no building codes or restrictions on anything-not even any taxes. SO, we want to go live in a tent while we cut our trees and build our dream home, lodge, cabins, etc., but our first priority is obviously our home. I have lived in a kit log home when I was young, as well as one made from scratch, like we want to do. It was so long ago, and being a young girl, my only involvement was peeling the logs with an old blade that had two handles. lol hard work, but the finisihsed product was incredible.
I am not a builder so any pointers are great. We have a few friends willing to come help in turn for some fishing trips, but I still don't know where to start aside form choosing and cutting the logs. Any advice on how-to's and where? Unfortunately I cannot travel to the classes...
Thanks for the welcome.:-)

1) take the class this will outline what you should do and give you access to the member's section. If you absolutely cannot do that,
2) read this site as much as possible. The ideas are fairly simple. get out of rent/mortgage trap ASAP, Use whole logs, collect materials/tools prior to starting, and don't pay to much for stuff.
3) decide what you need. Develop a plan.
4) Find your land. Like all things, don't rush into this.
5) work on floor plans.
6) Find your logs. If you can get them on your own property, great. Hire a logger to cut them, as we don't want you to become a statistic (logging is dangerous work)
7) Save money during the whole escapade. You'll need it for the build.
8) Time to start! If you are even considering selling, get permits for all applicable things (usually at least septic, may be electrical, structural, etc.)
9) Pour your foundation. This may be SIF's, Stem wall, Pier blocks, etc.
10) stack your logs, put on your roof, do interior, finish windows/doors, chink
11) run electrical, plumbing, climate control, etc.
12) sit back and relax. You earned it, you don't have to pay for housing. I don't know about you guys, but that is most of my after tax cash.

note that only #(1&2), 6 and 10 have to do with "log" homes. the rest has to do with how to build for yourself and keeping costs down.

-Peter

"Find your logs. If you can get them on your own property, great. Hire a logger to
cut them, as we don't want you to become a statistic (logging is dangerous work)"

Amen to that one brother!

I recently took down a small (10" x 60') tree.
I left myself a lot of rope and chain (to keep the tree out of the truck cab) but it was tedious
and dangerous work. A logger may charge a lot of money, but they are so fast that to do the
work myself would not have been practical. At $30 (it's a ballpark guess) a logger can do 5X
the work I can. That means my time as a logger would be worth $6/hr. My time can be better
spent doing what I do best. He knows he to be safe, fast, and he's in better shape that I am
right now. A logger can limb at almost walking speed. That's much faster than me!

-Rick

Working on fulfilling 2 dreams: to build my own log home and to live in it. Looking forward to meeting the members here.

Hey, Mountaingator - where in Florida is your house? I'm in the Tampa Bay area.
Gabriel

My name is Joel Frijters. I am a part of the recent Canuck invasion :)

My wife and I are building a small starter house this spring in Ontario
(North of Belleville, East of Madoc and West of Tweed for those who
know where those places are :) We have recently purchased our
property and we are looking to start preparing it before our -75 degree
winters kick in ;) We are building mortgage-free and have managed to
avoid any temptation to cave.

We are always looking for any advice, friendly pointers, or log-associated
deals that anyone is willing to share.

I am a Social Worker by vocation, a music therapist / graphic designer by
education and a creative problem solver by trade, so if there is anything
I can assist any of you with I'll be more then happy to oblige.

Anyway, nice to meet you all and I look forward to what we can share :)

Joel.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by clark549

"I just found out about 30 mins ago about Skip Ellsworths death. "

---

I also just found out. My sympathies to the Ellsworth family....

My wife and I first started dreaming about owning/building our own home about a year ago. Then, later, our dream became to build a log home. I love to do research before jumping into anything. So, it didn't take long to find this website and read everything this site has to offer. I especially love to see student houses. We can't wait to attend the class. It's too bad it won't be instructed by Skip, but I'm sure his son, and other peers, will do a fine job teaching it. We're from Portland Or./Vancouver Wa. and plan to move to East Washington next spring. This is the biggest step we'll ever make in our lives.

After we build our house we plan to use all natural resources (renewable energy) to live as frugal as possible. Oh, and then someday, we want to build a go-cart race track...

Can't wait to get started,
Randall and Tabatha

Hey, welcome to the forums.
Though Skip no longer teaches the classes you can rest assured that the association is in good hands.
The classes are still excellent, and they contain a wealth of information. Well worth the small cost and
time for the return in cost savings and frustration.
Do you need a house in the interum? Selling mine in Wenatchee (shameless plug).
On the way to my new place I pass kart rack. It's just a simple oval, but I've always had a dream of
building a scale model of Monaco (the course, not the principality). Raced karts about thirty years ago.
A lot of fun. Someday I hope to have enough time to dedicate to kart racing.

-Rick

Gday, great to see the course is running agian. Some day i would love to come over to the usa and take a lhba course.
We don't have many log home builders here, only two i know of!
Is anyone else over here Interested in log home building?

ps Great site Steve!!!!

Hi everybody.

I bumped into this website the other day, and I decided to join right away. I live in Puerto Rico, there aren't any log homes here, but I plan to move back to the states in a yr or two, and I am very interested in buying an acre or two, and trying to build my own house. I want to explore the possibility of building an octagonal, or even a 10-sided home. I have read that the round shape is alot stronger against the wind. I'm hoping to make some friends on this site that might teach me something about building a house in that round shape.
So far, I like this site very much.

Eddie from Puerto Rico

I too am in the Tampa Bay Area. And, I have tickets to the Rays/Red Socks game tonight. It's game 7 and if the Rays lose this one, it'll be just one more reason to get out of this loserville and get up to my property where there is only high school sports...and who really cares about that except the parents....

Frances

P.S.: Rays won last night! Going to the World Series!

Glad to hear you want to build a place of your own.

Yes, this site is the first stop for many of our persuasion. You may find through your reseach that a round log house may not be the best idea. Here are a few ideas

1) a round house (say octagon) has twice as many corners, and will therefore be much more work
2) Straight logs are very strong. any weakness will come from corner joints (unless you are building in a hurricane zone, I wouldn't worry about wind strength anyway)
3) Furniture, etc are meant for square rooms. Buckminster Fuller designed a cheap house that used minimal materials. It was round, and failed.
4) if you REALLY WANT a round home, it can be done (there is an example of a round turret on the student's homes).

Basically, The only reason for building this way is aesthetics, as a square home will be stronger, cheaper, and easier.

Thanks Stressman.
I'm glad you read my intro. I think a round house can be strong and beautiful and something worth leaving my kids when my time is up. I'm sold on a round shape. I'm gonna check out that turret right now. You are my first contact here.

Eddie
Puerto Rico

Try looking in to cordwood masonry or stackwall wall construction.
As with many types of masonry it is designed to work well in a circle.
Rob Roy, one of the main practitioners of cordwood has a beautiful
two-storey round cordwood house.

Just a thought...

Look, listen and learn
Im Your Huckleberry!
Keep Rocking With Dokken!

I read about them and kinda cool how there made.
Only thing i didnt like is your got let the wood dry out becuse if you dont it shrinks and that makes allot cement to rechink.
I was just wathing a cople on utube that made one.
I still sticking building a log home.

yeah, wood really does need to be dry...
not kiln... but at least "seasoned".
hardwood is out too... expands too much when wet.

other then that it is a pretty cool method of infill.

Hi All,

I'm just a guy with 20 acres and a dream...

and without the 20 acres...

Actually, we have a nice house in town, but with the birth of our first son (4 months) we have decided we really want to get back to nature and out of town. My wife was raised on the grid, but just barely, and I am what they call a Swamp-neck back in Florida. I moved to WA in 2004, met my wife, and the rest is history.

I plan on taking the class as soon as possible, and getting off grid in that same timeframe.

We should have the money saved within a year to purchase 20 acres outright, and would like to use the lumber from our own land. We plan on living in our house till the majority of the log home is complete, then using the proceeds from our house for solar (possibly wind) power system and drilling a well (if gravity fed / rain cystern isn't available) and any other high dollar expenses we haven't planned for yet. (I'm thinking 4 wheeler!)

My wife's Aunt lived off the grid for 15+ years and raised 3 wonderful children while doing it. She was hardcore with no power or running water, and quite the inspiration. Although we (read "we" as my wife) wants some of the modern amenities (hot water, electricity, etc) We are both excited to begin living our dream.

I'm happy to found the site, and you all are an inspiration to turn this dream into a reality.

Best Regards,

Paul Reilly and family

Wow, you have a fast time line if you're planning on building inside of a year. Maybe you're just getting the land in that time? Not sure. Anyhoot, good luck to you. I am in a similar frame of mind as you. My son was born late August (2 months old), and I am looking into free energy (zero point energy using magnets), and easy house heating (rocket stove, also doubles as a cooking stove). But we're open to all the options when it comes to living off the grid. We're taking the class Dec. 6th/7th, and sometime after the new year we'll be moving to Spokane County from Vancouver.

This site is awesome. Read as much as possible. Look at the student houses. View the websites people link below their posts. My whole thought process has changed just in the little I have already learned.

Randall

ps. another high dollar expense might be a go-kart or a few...

Paul,

glad to see you here. So you live in WA now? You might be able to get 20 acres for under 1k/acre. You can spend as much as you want. Off the grid will definitely help you to keep initial costs down. Keep in mind that solar is not cheap, and the power you have will be less than plentiful. If you have wind available, you can offset some of the peaks/valleys of solar. It adds cost and complexity, however.

This being said, I could not afford land with power and water. I dream of being energy free (someday).

Once again, welcome

-Peter

Hi:
My name is Don and my brother LeighG told me about this site and we're both signed up for the Dec 6-7th class. We've both been builders since our parents had many rental properties and since then I've gotten my contractors license when I was between jobs. I currently live in Palo Alto and have always wanted to build a retreat but didn't want to pay for it--many of my friends and neighbors who are well-to-do ('m not) already have their million-dollar cabins at various ski resorts and high-end mountain communities. As I researched the site and the idea of building a home without a mortgage really appealed to me. I've always been the kind of guy who looks at things and says, "Hey, I can do that!" I think log homes are very cool and didn't really know that much about them and am grateful I was introduced to your site by my brother and the ideas you put forth. Just the concepts you preach have already opened up a lot of ideas. I am so inspired by the many people on this site and those who have and are building their log homes.

About myself: I work in electronics contract manufacturing, married 25 years, 4 sons (ages 12 - 22 so they'll be a lot of help), enjoy the outdoors and being self-reliant. Currently do not have land I'm planning on building on (I'm stuck at where do I want to retreat to that is not too far away). I enjoy volunteer work in the community (through scouting) and in my church. Member of the 501st Legion for Star Wars costuming and enjoy doing that with my sons where we appear at conventions, hospitals, and non-profit events (I'm a stormtrooper and go by the name of Trooperdad). Here's a link to a few photos:

The Family
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s54/Trooperdad/Family/Familyportrait30.jpg

Photos of me and 2 of my sons at the 2008 Bay to Breakers race
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s54/Trooperdad/Star%20Wars/B2B2008Ganschows.jpg
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s54/Trooperdad/Star%20Wars/B2BGanschowshelmetsoff.jpg

I look forward to the class and adding to my knowledge and then getting into a project with my sons and brother. That's me!

Don G.

Ragdump Hi Don welcome to the LHBA I live across the bridge from you in Newark,But I have 40ac in the mountains above Paradise and I'm collecting logs and clearing land ,still have to attend a class

I've been to Paradise several times at the swimming hole up there on Feather River. I do like it up there. Very nice town. I didn't think about Paradise (but isn't that what we're all after anyway?).

Don G.

Ragdump Here's my favorite swimming hole it's on Big Kimshew Creek that drains into the Feather River

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/d.../bigfalls2.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/d..._thumbnail.jpg

Greetings all!

I'm excited to be participating, and I don't get excited about much nowadays. I managed to get in on the first class in December, booked the tickets, and now I'm doing the difficult part: waiting. :)

A little about me: I'm a perennial college student (hoping to kick that habit soon) with a need to get away from the shiny-to-grimy cityscapes. I've totally fallen for the idea of building my house with my own hands. I'm hoping to build my cabin off-grid, and keep it that way. I like my coffee in a cup, unhyphenated. Mostly harmless, even sociable, albeit not much of a morning person.