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#14729052
Pants-of-dog wrote:No, thank you.

I would not like to live in a cold, leaky, house that could rot away in just a few years.



In nordic regions is this house type common, so it should be well isolated. In the US are woodhouses the norm.



for crisis regions is the Earth-Bag House, it is the cheapest and bulletproof.




Mud is often used in the southern hemisphere but mud does not hold even one Year.




with a Do it yourself Solar heater can you provide them with warm water.



, the active system can simply be connected with the boiler.
#14729107
The Canadian climate is too harsh for log houses. Wood gives an approximate R value (this measures the thermal insulation properties of a material or assembly) of 1 per inch. Those look like about 6" logs, so that is an R value of 6. Industry standard here for a residential wall is between 25 and 30.

Wood is also notorious for changing size and shape as it changes temperature and humidity levels. It would only be a matter of time before the joins between the logs would cause air leaks.

Of corse, you could seal the logs with a cocktail of chemicals. I highly doubt that would result in the healthiest air for the users of the building. To paraphrase Neal Stephenson, you can get the weatherproof option or the non-toxic option, but not both.
#14729187
Yea what the hell would Russians know about living in cold climates? I am sure PoD the internet expert on everything can set them straight on their mistakes.
#14729221
I would rather live in a log house than, say, an Earthship built up from abandoned tires. But the entire philosophy of DIY living off the grid has some built-in conceptual dissonance. Personally I just like the idea of traditional building methods like adobe or log homes...aesthetically.

I live in a log home in a temperate climate (D-log with tongue and groove). Assuming you maintain it properly, the home will last generations. Biennial staining with natural oils is sufficient for preserving the logs - no need for toxic chemicals. Air sealing has not been a particular challenge for me. I have had the house tested periodically for air leaks, and it has fallen in the range of conventional stick-built homes. Basically I use no chinking - only the original gasket materials. This has sufficed for 20 years. Perhaps the constant humidity of our local climate has played a part in preventing excessive shrinkage.
Last edited by quetzalcoatl on 25 Oct 2016 20:38, edited 1 time in total.
#14729228
Pants-of-dog wrote:The Canadian climate is too harsh for log houses. Wood gives an approximate R value (this measures the thermal insulation properties of a material or assembly) of 1 per inch. Those look like about 6" logs, so that is an R value of 6. Industry standard here for a residential wall is between 25 and 30.

Wood is also notorious for changing size and shape as it changes temperature and humidity levels. It would only be a matter of time before the joins between the logs would cause air leaks.

Of corse, you could seal the logs with a cocktail of chemicals. I highly doubt that would result in the healthiest air for the users of the building. To paraphrase Neal Stephenson, you can get the weatherproof option or the non-toxic option, but not both.


How could it be isolated ultra cheap, with straw or sheepwool?


electric solar cells are at best connected with the boiler.



@quetzalcoatl What kind of Oils, and why not isolation foam it is petrochemical based, it should me not toxic
Last edited by Bosnjak on 26 Oct 2016 03:15, edited 4 times in total.
#14729232
Pants-of-dog wrote:There were also people living in log houses here. They stopped doing that because better alternatives were found. Decky is just sore because you are not supporting brick construction.
Obviously a modern "chemical" alternative is better. But if you are looking for a house that will get you through the winter and will last you a life time. Log house can work. I lived in one when I would visit my great-grandpa in the village. It takes to get used to, but it is survivable.
#14729267
Bosnjak wrote:@quetzalcoatl What kind of Oils, and why not isolation foam it is petrochemical based, it should me not toxic


I'm not absolutely sure of the interlog gasket material - I bought it secondhand. It has no chinking. The logs were faced to close tolerance and the weight of the structure insures a good seal (as long as there is no uneven expansion/shrinkage). The oils are merely to insure preservation of the wood itself. I use cedar oil. There is no insulation to the outside air apart from the r-value of the logs themselves.

I have added some photovoltaic cells and a high efficiency HVAC system.

I'd like to try my hand at some traditional Texas mortar chink cabin work (if I can get the time and money together). Here's an example of a restored cabin in Fredericksburg:

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipM ... VPnURC7Mlo
#14729437
Bosnjak wrote:How could it be isolated ultra cheap, with straw or sheepwool?


You could use straw bales, which would give you the insulation levels I alreay mentioned.

Also, log houses are probably good for other climates, just not the part of Canada where I live, which is more like Siberia.

... and why not isolation foam it is petrochemical based, it should me not toxic


Most chemical insulations off gas, which means toxic gases evaporate off them as time goes by. Mist of the time, this is not a problem because there is an air barrier between the insulation and the indoor space.

-------------

Albert wrote:Obviously a modern "chemical" alternative is better. But if you are looking for a house that will get you through the winter and will last you a life time. Log house can work. I lived in one when I would visit my great-grandpa in the village. It takes to get used to, but it is survivable.


Survivable? Yes. Preferable? No.

-------------

Quetz,

Did you have to build the interior structural walls a certain way to avoid uneven expansion and contraction?
#14730523
a new ultra-cheap house building method:



smaller briks of this can replace isolation, as outer layer.


Best Chainsaw mill:



in Switzerland and Canada every cut tree has to be replanted, so the asset wood is preserved.
#14737047
clean water is major problem in many parts of the world, it can be cleaned with a sand filled sock in bottle, then with a coal filled sock in botlle/pipe... because coal absorbes the microbes.

The coal filter can also be used alone, and set on fire to concentrate possible minerals (I developed this with an afrcian NGO)
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