The next stage is to reassemble the handcrafted log home shell on the foundation. On July 10th at about 9:30 PM all three semis arrived at our job site. The first two trucks were loaded with the logs. The third truck had all of the other materials for the dryin of the cabin. Things such as framing lumber, exterior doors, windows, sheeting, and other items required a third truck.  Here is our log truck #1.

Followed by trucks #2 and 3.

Earlier in the day the crane had come to set up. For this project a lighter crane could be used since the ground around the house was level and the home was a  ranch style.

Here we see the first log truck backing into position. The load is un-tarped to reveal the logs underneath. Before the first logs are set the log flashing must be put into place. Here is one of the men carrying a piece of flashing.

If you look right on top of the foundation wall you can see the brown metal flashing.  In the background the poly wrap is being removed from the logs and the first logs are being hooked with the slings.

The first few logs have been lifted from the semi and laid out on the subfloor. The wall directly in front of the camera is the garage wall. Notice how the logs continue into the home with no break. This is part of how a handcrafted log home ties together across different foundations. The next log is being lifted.

Now the back log of the garage is being placed.

The first row is the most time consuming. The logs have to be perfectly squared against the existing foundation. Once the first row is up then the 5/8 inch through bolts are threaded down into the logs. Here two through bolts are visible extending out of the garage wall. The through bolts go all the way from the bottom of the wall to the top. Then a nut and washer are placed on the top to help compress the logs together.

Here is one of the wall logs suspended in the air. It is very important for the safety of the workers (and also for the logs) that they be lifted and maneuvered with the yellow straps. This prevents a log from slipping and dropping onto someone. The older method was handling the logs with thongs. The thongs dug into the logs and left marks. Also if a log held by a thong bumped something it would drop the log.

Here is a photo of our owners, the Burns, standing next to the foundation of their new home.

Now the second row of logs is being set into place. The through bolts can be seen extending high above the floor. It can be tricky to thread the through bolts into each end of the logs, especially as the row climb higher.

We found this to be really interesting. The wall logs of our handcrafted homes are advertized as being 12 to 15 inches in diameter. Here we found a wall log that measures 17 1/2 inches! That is impressive! Instead of being barely big enough, these logs are abounding in size and beauty.

As a storm is brewing in the mountains the third row of logs is in place.

It is a wise idea to have at least five men on site plus the crane operator for all the days of the log raising. Here we can see a total of seven getting into the action. This is the beginning of the fourth row.

My favorite contractor, Mike Lemmon, is on the ladder releasing the straps for the log. Some of the areas of the log walls get built up sooner than others. It all depends on how the logs are situated in the truck. The wall is now six rows high while some of the other areas of the shell are only four rows.

This is where we ended on this first day of the log stack. A handcrafted log home reassembly goes very quickly when all of the cutting is done ahead of time. The tightness and accuracy of these logs is part of the outstanding quality of a handcrafted Cowboy Log Home!

Cowboy Log Homes