Now that the log walls are stacked out, it’s time to start on the roof system.  While setting the walls takes some skill, it is quickly learned, and repeated over, and over, and over again.  This cabin stacked out pretty quickly. With the roof system being set, comes an order of magnitude in complication.  In [...] Read More

Last posting we saw the foundation going in, and the first course being stacked up.  Honka offers many different profile sizes and shapes, and utilizes an interlocking corner.  What’s unique about their profile system is the interlocking ball at the corner.  This maximizes the surface area on contact at the corners.  I recommend investigating any [...] Read More

One of the many benefits of working with a 3D modeling program such as ArchiCAD, is the ability to see what the final product is going to look like. All too often, the owner/contractor/Architect, doesn’t know exactly how something will look, until it is built in the field.  By that time, any modifications become expensive, [...] Read More

This is a continuation of the previous post on Copyrights & Design.  To see the beginning of this, please click here. For willful copyright infringement, the infringer must have access to the original information.  Willful infringement carries much larger penalties.  Crying “fair use” is a defense in case you are being sued.  It is not [...] Read More

One issue that we constantly run into while designing custom homes, is copyright.  We go to great lengths to respect the hard work individuals, and companies have invested in the creation of their designs.  We often have clients come to us with plans ripped from magazines and they say they want this kitchen, or this [...] Read More

A couple years ago we designed and provided the Construction Drawings for a home for a client of Beaver Creek Log Homes . We worked directly with the owner of Beaver Creek Log Homes,  Robbin Obomsawin. Robbin combines twenty years of log-joinery experience with her knowledge of conventional construction which made for a smooth process [...] Read More

Additional Sustainable Links, credit due to the USGBC for assembling this exhaustive, continuously updated resource: www.USGBC.org Life Cycle Analysis & Costing ATHENA Sustainable Materials Institute BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) [NIST] BuildingGreen.com – Life Cycle Assessment California Life Cycle Cost Assessment Model ENVEST (environmental impact estimating design software) [UK BRE] LCA Center Life [...] Read More

We hope to provide you with another resource to track down information regarding sustainable design, and green building.  We have relied heavily on the USGBC for many of these www.USGBC.org. Building Industry Professionals for Environmental Responsibility. BIPER USA provides a range of resources for sustainable design professionals. GreenClips is a summary of news on sustainable [...] Read More

I wanted to post a quick belated note about the Timber frame presence at Greenbuild in Boston last year. It’s old news with Greenbuild Phoenix now on the horizon but still relevant. It’s easy to forget with the loud and much publicized arguments against logging and deforestization that wood is indeed a very sustainable option [...] Read More

The following post offers a few points to think about if you’re considering building a log home.  A lot of people get overwhelmed with information at the beginning of this process.  I wrote this a few years ago to help break down the nuts and bolts of log homes.    When a family has decided [...] Read More