Cordwood
Cordwood construction utilizes short, round pieces of wood, similar to what would normally be considered firewood. For this reason this method of building can be very resource efficient, since it makes use of wood that might not have much other value. Cordwood building can also create a wall that has both properties of insulation and thermal mass. The mass comes from the masonry mortar that is used to cement the logs together, and the insulation comes from the wood itself and the central cavity between the inside and outside mortars. Like strawbale walls, many building authorities require a post and beam or similar supporting structure and then using cordwood as an infill, even though the cordwood method creates a very strong wall that could support a considerable load.
This method produces a look that is both rustic and beautiful. The process of building is similar to laying rocks in mortar, where the the logs are aligned with their ends sticking out to create the surface of the wall and mortar is applied adjacent to each end of the log. Typically the logs are not coated with a moisture barrier, but are allowed to breath naturally. It is possible to include other materials into the matrix, such as bottle ends that would provide light to enter the wall.
Recent experiments with the use of cob instead of cement mortar to join the logs have been encouraging and this method may provide a somewhat more ecological approach to cordwood building. In this case special care should be taken to have large eaves to keep water away from the wall.
After studying the wide array of "natural building" techniques for several years, I have come to accept cordwood as one of the greenest of all: it uses what is often considered a waste material, creates an insulated wall that requires no further finishing or maintenance over time, and can be done by relative novices...what more could you want?
Cordwood Building: The State of the Art, by Rob Roy, 2003. Cordwood Building collects the wisdom of more than 25 of the world’s best practitioners, detailing the long history of the method, and demonstrating how to build a cordwood home using the latest and most up-to-date techniques, with a special focus on building code issues. Author/editor Rob Roy's new contributions include a basic cordwood primer; more about cordwood and cob (cobwood); code issues, a personal retrospective; and an article about cordwood's future. Important papers from the 1994 and 1999 cordwood conferences brought up to date include Bill Tishler's historical piece; A Round House with 16 Sides; Bottle Designs; Patterned Cordwood; Electric Wiring with Cordwood Masonry; Cement Retarders; What to do about Shrinkage; Cordwood Retrofit on a Mobile Home; three other articles on cordwood and the code, and more.
Complete Book of Cordwood Masonry Housebuilding: The Earthwood Method by Rob Roy, 1992. The author has written a series of books on cordwood construction and in doing so has arrived at what could be called the final word on this method. The book is well laid out and illustrated. When read cover to cover, the reader gains both valuable information and confidence. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Complete Book of Underground Houses: How to Build a Low-Cost Home by Rob Roy, 1994. While this book is nominally about underground homes, much of what it describes relates to Roy's experience with cordwood construction. According to him, underground or "earth-sheltered" houses are unexpectedly livable. Judging by his book's attractive pictures, that's easy to believe. The house he bases his point-by-point guide on is indeed a showplace. Roy's main concern is creating such a house, from drawing up the plans to surveying the site to the actual building. Roy's instruction is insightful and comprehensive.
The Sauna by Rob Roy,1997. This is another of Rob's books that relates to his specific experience with cordwood construction, this time in building a detached sauna. It is replete with sauna history; tradition; health benefits; a complete, detailed guide to building one for yourself, along with resources for equipment and supplies; and instructions on the proper use and maintenance of saunas.
The How-To Guide to Building a Monolithic Concrete Slab Foundation DVD, produced by the folks at StrawBale.com. Details of 4 different types of foundation... knowing these will present you with some options you can use for your projects. Learn why a thorough site evaluation is absolutely essential and will save you time as the project progresses. Learn what to look for when clearing a site.... what to leave, and what to remove. Learn how to build around existing structures, eliminating the possibility of damaging existing structures. Know why it is essential to remove top soil to minimize the possibility of moisture coming up from below and cracking your concrete slab. Learn the different methods to check for the grade of your site. Find out the best type of gravel to use and the thickness you need for your concrete pad. Learn why it is essential to thoroughly compact the ground prior to pouring concrete to prevent cracking in your foundation.
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| Building a Low Impact Roundhouse by Tony Wrench, 2001. This book deals with permaculture, low impact sustainable life, self-building with local materials, appropriate technology and food growing. This is story is both a moving and witty account of realising a lifetime's dream, and a practical 'how to' manual for anyone who is able to 'lift a rafter'. Tony shares his skills and techniques from the process of visualising and designing a house to lifting the living roof, infilling the walls laying out rooms and adding renewable, autonomous technology. A must for anyone interested in low impact living and cordwood construction. Tony has a website where the eventual demise of his own beloved roundhouse in Wales will make you cry. |  | |||||||||||||||||||
Cordwood Homes presented by Rob Roy VIDEO. Home tours, interviews, and ideas on home design and the owner-builder experience. Published by the Earthwood Building School. This video provides close-up looks at several styles of cordwood homes, including interviews with the owner-builders. Round, 16-sided, stackwall, and post-and-beam styles are all shown. Also included are interviews with cordwood luminaries Jack Henstridge, Dr. Kris Dick, and Geoff Huggins. Costs, dealing with building codes, and how the building process impacts relationships are all covered, and in an entertaining way. Cordwood Homes gets into the whys, the whats, and the whos. It is designed for those who are thinking about building a cordwood home, but want more information and would like to see some examples. Rob Roy is well-known as the leading advocate and practitioner of cordwood-masonry construction. Video is 70 minutes, and you get to see the finished work of several owners, how tos, and dos and don't which they share about building. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Building Green : A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods by Clarke Snell , Tim Callahan, 2006. This absolutely groundbreaking manual doesn't just talk about eco-friendly building techniques, but actually shows every step! More than 1,200 close-up photographs, along with in-depth descriptions, follow the real construction of an alternative house from site selection to the addition of final-touch interior details. Co-authors Clarke Snell and Timothy Callahan (a professional builder and contractor) provide thorough discussions of the fundamental concepts of construction, substitutes for conventional approaches, and planning a home that's not only comfortable and beautiful, but environmentally responsible. Then, they roll up their sleeves and get to work assembling a guest house that incorporates four different alternative building methods: straw bale, cob, cordwood, and modified stick frame. The images show every move: how the site is cleared, the basic structure put together, the cob wall sculpted, the bales and cordwood stacked, a living roof created, and more. Most important, the manual conveys real-world challenges and processes, and offers dozens of sidebars with invaluable advice. It's head and shoulders above all others in the field.
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For more information about this plan, and many others, visit our sister site www.dreamgreenhomes.com, where you will find a wide range of plans for sustainable homes, greenhouses, small buildings, garages, and food storage space for sale. Dream Green Homes is a consortium of outstanding architects and designers, who have pooled their talent and expertise for your benefit. |
Traditionally, the native Americans enter their abodes from the east, so this where the airlock entry is situated. This large space can also serve as a closet and storage room. The large octagonal room is undifferentiated, but would serve as living, dining and ceremonial space. To the west is the master bedroom, with adjacent bathroom. To the left of the kitchen alcove is a large pantry that would be naturally cooled by its substantial earth berm. A second bedroom or studio faces the northeast. A large fenced courtyard area to the south provides privacy and wind protection.cordwoodmasonry.com Rob Roy's Earthwood Building School site, focuses on cordwood masonry and earth sheltering.
naturalhomes.org lists workshops from around the world that relate to cordwood construction.
daycreek.com a very informative, atractive and well designed site devoted to cordwood masonry and other forms of natural building.
sagemountain.org their page on cordwood construction.
midcoast.com a photogallery of a fine example of cordwood and rock masrony.
youtube.com video shows the exterior of a cordwood cottage (along with lots of shots of the surrounding scenery), and youtube.com video shows the interior.
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