How to maximize your experience with cedar logsFraming—the Backbone of your Log Cabin. Some people think that they can get along very well without electricity in a summer place. But life will be a lot easier if you have electricity. The job of installing your own electrical system isn't a difficult one. As in the case of plumbing, you will want to be sure that there isn't some local ordinance or utility regulation that limits what you can do yourself.. If the pier on the low side of your camp is 6 feet, the pier size should be increased to 18 inches square. The forms for solid concrete piers may be made from any old lumber. The illustrations at the side should show you how..
You can also add color to this batch if you don’t like the natural gray of the concrete. There you are. Except that you should also put some 6-inch stove bolts along the outer edge of the slab, about 8 feet on center, starting roughly I foot from the corner, to fasten your sill. If you are going to use the cottage year-round and are building in the northern states, insulate the outside perimeter with Fiberglas boards.. Most of the popular cottages indicate a specific type or arrangement of fireplace. If you wish to vary the design, the drawings on these two pages will be helpful, for they indicate the critical dimensions and relationships that must exist if the fireplace is to draw well.. If the material being cut is thin, use a backup board to prevent splintering of the wood on the back. Chisels are used to rout pieces of wood and in making mortises. They come in various widths from 1/8 inch to 2 inches. They may be used in your hands or with a hammer. . Most seats measure 14 inches or less from the back of the tank to the center of the closet bowl. Cut a hole large enough to take the small end of the closet collar. Install this fitting permanently in position with the closet bend sticking up to within 1/2 to % inches of the floor surface. It will be necessary to support the fitting with wood or metal hangers.. This is one type of well that you shouldn't try to do yourself. If water is too deep to be reached by any other method, or if rock lies between the surface and water level, you may have to use a drilled well. But this is a job for a professional. Find out from your neighbors who has a good reputation—then hire him.. One of the most obvious approaches to climate control is the screening of sunlight. Trees, of course, are very helpful. They are usually above the roof of your camp and serve as an umbrella to keep the sunlight off the roof and terraces. Bushes and shrubs can also be helpful..
If you are going to use vertical tongue-and-groove siding as the exterior finish, be sure to use a herringbone bridging system as shown in the sketch. The purpose of this bridging is to stiffen the structure and to give an intermediate nailing surface for the vertical siding. Where sheathing is used, it is not necessary to use bridging. If the exterior finish runs horizontally, sheathing is optional and bridging is not necessary. . Adjust the height of part 3 so that the height of the lower tapping is at the same height as the lowest waste pipe. Then lower part 3 about 1/4 inch per foot of horizontal run to allow for drainage. You are now ready to calk this fitting as you did parts I and 2. . Make your Choice of Interior Finishes and Learn how to Apply It.
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Be sure that every cable is fastened with a steel strap within 12 inches of every outlet and junction box. Where a cable enters a box, a connector is fastened to the outside covering of the cable. A hole is knocked out in the box and the cable run into it.. Usually the manufacturer recommends the use of sheathing. If plywood is used for sheathing, the shingles should be applied over l-by-2-inch nailing strips, and attached with copper or galvanized nails. Asbestos-cement shingles should be attached to the sheathing with barbed nails. . In this case I would nail the 8-foot length of plywood horizontally. The horizontal joints and nails would be covered with batten strips. Similar batten strips could be nailed horizontally every foot above and below the joint. This procedure would also keep the plywood from warping or raising at the edges. .
You will have to indicate the places where you want outlets and switches. Make a sketch of the plan of the cottage, using graph paper or thin paper laid over the basic plan. On the plan indicate the outlets you want. . Take your choice of these three ways to build your foundation. Some may ask why I haven’t mentioned wood post construction. I’m not convinced that they are worth using except above grade. If you must use wood, be sure that you get pressure-treated posts. Dipped or painted ends are little protection.. Galvanized steel pipe is usually used for the line from your well to the pump. There is another type of pipe that can be used on the cold-water services of your system. This pipe is made of polyethylene. It looks like a garden hose but is many times stronger. It has the advantage of being much more flexible and lighter than any of the rigid types. Never use this type of pipe on hot-water lines. . Lakes, springs, ponds, and streams are always possible sources for a water supply. The most important thing to remember about them is that they must be pure enough for drinking. Do have the water tested before you use it. In many parts of our country it is possible that you will find springs bubbling up through the ground on your property. Be sure that the spring is going to yield enough water. . . The side walls may be made from concrete block or poured concrete. If poured concrete is used, the walls should be about 5 inches thick and reinforced with steel mesh. The top should have '/4-inch bars I foot on center lengthwise and l/2-inch bars 8 inches on center running widthwise. The remaining details will help you to make some of the equipment for your cabin..
Perhaps I’m prejudiced, but I like wood as the interior finish material for almost any of the cottages. A camp that may stand vacant for long periods without heat needs a finish that can take it. Composition materials that may be ideal for a year-round house are apt to buckle or be damaged by condensation in a summer cottage. . Preparing Log Cabin Flooring and Rafter Connections. Compass saws, a smaller type, are used to make cutouts in a section of material. Backsaws have a rigid steel back and are used for precision cutting. Unlike the panel saws, the compass and backsaws are usually held at right angles to the material being cut..
If you need help with cedar logsYou'll find that each blow from your maul tends to loosen the joints. Tell Junior to give the pipe a twist after each blow. When it gets too difficult to drive the assembly any more—use a tripod over the well. Suspend a heavy block from the apex and use a rope and pulley to drop the block on the top of the assembly. . I have seen a posthole digger used to make the hole for a round pier. It worked. The only trouble is that the center of the pier is the used part and some portion of the pier will project beyond the building line. The proper mix is the same as for footings mentioned above. The maximum height above grade that you should build a pier is four times its least dimension.. .
A dug well is usually used where rocky soil prohibits the use of a driven well, and where water can be reached by simple excavation. Basically it is a hole in the ground. Perhaps the first thing to do in building a dug well is to inquire from your neighbors whether they have used this type of water source. . It is usually possible to use a shallow-well pump with this type of installation. If there is at least 2 feet of drop away from your water source and a sufficient supply of water, it may be possible to use a hydraulic ram to pump your water up to a tank and then feed your cottage by gravity.. Having found the best location, start digging a hole about 4 feet in diameter. As you dig, be sure that you use cross braces to keep the upper earth in place. Eventually you will (maybe) reach water. The lower section of the well should be lined with brick or stone. Do not use mortar..
Nails, shown on the final page, come in many sizes and shapes. All of the special nails have unusual holding properties. Some of the special nails may be used instead of screws, and they'll hold nearly as well.. In previous articles, I have told you how to get water. I left you pumping water into a pressure tank. The next problem is to get this water to the various fixtures. Before I tried to run any pipe, I'd be sure that the fixtures were in place. This includes the hot-water heater. By the way, there are many ways you can heat the water, including a coal range, oil heater, gas heater, electric heater—and I've even seen a fireplace used to heat water. . Let's start where the electricity leaves the power line and comes into the camp. The National Electrical Code and the REA recommend that a No. 6 3-wire service cable be used from the power lines to the cottage. This size will provide you with a maximum of three 15-ampere lighting circuits, a 20-ampere appliance circuit, and a range circuit..
Most members are 2 by 6 inches. If you live in an area of very heavy snowfalls, you will want to increase the size of the roof members (probably 2 inches in depth. A double plate made of 2-by-4-inch material is essential for all the cottages. This part of your construction is at the top of the studs, and it forms a support for the roof members. At the corners plates are notched or butted and spiked together. . The locality in which you build may have some special requirements. Do check with local authorities. You may decide to have the local plumber install all your piping and fixtures. If so, you probably aren't interested in this section. But if you have decided to turn plumber, the description below should be helpful. . While it is possible to build a fireplace without a lining in the flue, I would strongly recommend that a flue tile be used in all cases. When spanning almost any opening in your fireplace, be sure to use a steel angle to support masonry above. .
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