The Finishing Steps to Building Your Log Cabin: Roofing, Siding

Written by Jack Hudson


The Finishing Steps to Building Your Log Cabin: Roofing, Siding and Interior

Afterrepparttar rafters are in place, you will be ready to put onrepparttar 100425 roof boards. These boards can be 5/8-inch by 6- or 8-inch tongue-and-groove boards. There are some exceptions to this which are covered inrepparttar 100426 next section.

For siding, probablyrepparttar 100427 most practical and easiest material to use asrepparttar 100428 exterior finish is wood. It hasrepparttar 100429 advantage of coming in many different shapes, colors, and textures. It can be stained, painted, or left natural.

As noted in previous articles, I have not specified that sheathing must be used. Plywood or one ofrepparttar 100430 composition sheathings or diagonal sheathing boards may be used--in fact, should be used if you plan to userepparttar 100431 cottage year-round at some time inrepparttar 100432 future. It should also be used if you are going to use plaster or plasterboard onrepparttar 100433 inside.

The sheathing helps to stiffen your structure. One ofrepparttar 100434 most common types of siding isrepparttar 100435 lapped bevel. Cedar is one ofrepparttar 100436 popular woods from which this siding is made. It comes in 4-, 6-, and 8-inch widths. The thick butt edge is usually 7/16 inch thick. The 10- and 12-inch widths have an 11/16-inch butt.

The minimum headlap for 4- and 6-inch widths is I inch; widths over 6 inches should have I¼ inches headlap. Hot-dipped galvanized nails should be used for applyingrepparttar 100437 siding torepparttar 100438 studs. If sheathing is used, try to nail throughrepparttar 100439 sheathing torepparttar 100440 stud.

Rustic and drop siding as well as shiplap and matched siding are also popular. The first two should have a finished thickness of ¾ inch. The maximum width is 8 inches. Shiplap or matched siding should be a minimum of 25/32 inch thick. The maximum width is 12 inches.

Plywood is always a possible exterior finish. It is very important that it should be exterior grade--never use interior-grade plywood for exterior purposes. Cottage No. 2 would look particularly attractive if it were finished with %-inch exterior-grade plywood.

In this case I would nailrepparttar 100441 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 belowrepparttar 100442 joint. This procedure would also keeprepparttar 100443 plywood from warping or raising atrepparttar 100444 edges.

Be surerepparttar 100445 vertical edge joints are joined atrepparttar 100446 mid-point of a stud. One ofrepparttar 100447 best ways of finishingrepparttar 100448 exterior of your cottage isrepparttar 100449 use of vertical tongue-and-groove boards. This type of siding is usually nailed atrepparttar 100450 bottom torepparttar 100451 sill, atrepparttar 100452 top torepparttar 100453 plate and inrepparttar 100454 middle to a herringbone brace.

In Hawaiirepparttar 100455 vertical siding is often used without any intermediate framing members. The roof load is actually carried byrepparttar 100456 siding. Shingles can also be used to coverrepparttar 100457 exterior of your cabin. I would suggest that you followrepparttar 100458 instructions ofrepparttar 100459 manufacturer for laying these.

Usuallyrepparttar 100460 manufacturer recommendsrepparttar 100461 use of sheathing. If plywood is used for sheathing,repparttar 100462 shingles should be applied over l-by-2-inch nailing strips, and attached with copper or galvanized nails. Asbestos-cement shingles should be attached torepparttar 100463 sheathing with barbed nails.

Fiberboard sheathing is not acceptable as a nailing base for this type of shingle. Wood shingles should be attached to l-by-3-inch nailing strips which have been spaced according torepparttar 100464 shingle exposure.


How to distribute the water in your new log cabin

Written by Jack Hudson


How to distributerepparttar water in your new log cabin

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 torepparttar 100424 various fixtures. Before I tried to run any pipe, I'd be sure thatrepparttar 100425 fixtures were in place. This includesrepparttar 100426 hot-water heater. Byrepparttar 100427 way, there are many ways you can heatrepparttar 100428 water, including a coal range, oil heater, gas heater, electric heater--and I've even seen a fireplace used to heat water.

Because of size and ease of connection, I would suggest a small electric water heater. This is small enough to fit under a sink, in a closet, or even underrepparttar 100429 cottage. The small units use 120 volts and therefore require no special wiring.

I have mentioned polyethylene pipe forrepparttar 100430 cold-water lines from your water source torepparttar 100431 pump. This type of pipe can also be used forrepparttar 100432 cold-water supply in your house. It is light and easy to handle and requires a minimum number of fittings, because it is so flexible.

Soft copper is another type of pipe that is flexible. It has one drawback, however. It is easy to dent or crimprepparttar 100433 tubing. Let's start withrepparttar 100434 cold-water piping. Fromrepparttar 100435 pump run a %-inch pipe torepparttar 100436 hot-water heater. In this line insert a ¾-by-¾-by-½-inch T. Torepparttar 100437 ½-inch nipple ofrepparttar 100438 T run a pipe torepparttar 100439 various fixtures that require a cold-water outlet.

Because there are a number of fixtures running off fromrepparttar 100440 main line, it will be necessary to use a number of T's in order to accomplish this. The illustration shows how this is done. The hot-water system is similar torepparttar 100441 cold-water, except that you will want to use copper, brass, or steel piping. The process isrepparttar 100442 same.

One word of caution: Be sure that allrepparttar 100443 pipes are tilted for drainage and that there is a good way of gettingrepparttar 100444 water out ofrepparttar 100445 system. A couple of drain cocks are usually placed at low points inrepparttar 100446 piping. The water is usually allowed to run out ontorepparttar 100447 ground. With no heat inrepparttar 100448 wintertime, you will want to be sure that no water stands inrepparttar 100449 pipes.

The tripod or three-legged stand is used to hold lengths of pipe when it is being driven intorepparttar 100450 earth. The drive assembly consists of a number of parts, including a nipple, coupling, and malleable iron drive cap. These parts are screwed torepparttar 100451 end ofrepparttar 100452 pointed piece that goes intorepparttar 100453 earth as you drive a well.

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