Before we started on the log cabin we would walk around the property considering different spots and imagine it being there. This spot was always a consideration because of the maple and basswood canopy in the summertime. We always loved the filtered light that came through when the trees were fully leafed out. After some time of scouting around we decided this was the place for the cabin.
We didn’t have any plans, but we looked at stacks of books from the library and had some purchased books as well. Also we built a model out of cardboard of what we wanted it to look like.
There was a local guy selling logs that had been milled on two sides so we bought the logs from him. In retrospect we paid too much for them but that’s what we decided to do because we didn’t want to take the time to harvest our own trees and all that that entails.
So the first step of any building project is to clear off any trees and brush and then level up the site. It was a huge blessing that my dad had a 580 Case tractor with a front-end loader and backhoe combination, a very versatile machine. My dad scraped off the topsoil and leveled the site for us.
My dad is very knowledgeable about pouring concrete from having worked in construction his whole life so he came up and helped me frame up the forms for the concrete slab. And when my dad builds things you can be sure it’s going to be heavy duty and this was perfect to hold the weight of all those logs.
We went with about a ten inch thickened edge with a 5 inch center approximately. One thing I wish we would have done was to install tubing for in-floor-heat because this would have been a perfect application for that. But at the time I didn’t know much of anything about that so opted to install a regular forced air furnace. Later when my parents built their house they had in-floor-heat put in and when I saw how easy it was to install, I’ve been kicking myself ever since that we didn’t build the cabin with that kind of heat. Oh well, live and learn!
Plenty of rebar in that slab! I am glad that my dad knew what he was doing since I had never built anything bigger than a dog house before moving to the farm.
When it came time to pour the slab two local handy men, the Mangles brothers, helped me with the pour, or rather I helped them. They teased me that the slab was going to be so strong that later on if we ever wanted to relocate the cabin we could pick it up and move it no problem! Besides our immediate neighbors, the Mangles family were some of the first people we got to know in the area and they kind of took us under their wing, great people! Our kids were in the 4-H together that’s how we met.
The first thing we did after pouring the concrete slab was to build the log roof trusses on the slab using the level surface and then sat them aside for later. The man we bought the logs from suggested doing that, it was good advice.
This was all a learning experience right from the start. I had never even owned a chainsaw before and here I was doing some pretty detailed work. I found out however that sharpening a chain saw is a bit of an art. If I didn’t sharpen it correctly I found out making straight cuts were almost impossible with the saw wanting to make a perfect radius. I bought a lot of chains back then! It’s only been in the last couple years that I can say I can just about sharpen a chain halfway decent!
Jerry’s Septic, which were neighbors just down the road, put in the septic system. To our surprise the septic system was the only thing we needed to get a permit for. Where we came from you had to have a permit for everything little thing, even a yard sale. Before we started on the cabin I called the town hall and found out we did NOT need a permit to build! I could hardly believe it and that is one of the things that really endeared us to this community is they value their freedom and certain people in the local government work hard to keep it that way.
To be continued….
Log Cabin Homestead 