Welcome to the February 2011 issue of The Oak Leaf! For new readers, this is a monthly newsletter that is sent by e-mail to those that have expressed an interest in Gastineau Log Homes. We use this as a way of communicating technical, design and industry information. For more information, check out our web site at www.oakloghome.com.
Trivia Question: On the average, one inch of rain is equivalent to how many inches of snow?
It all starts here… Lots of people who build our homes have a view they are trying to capture. Here is a great example. This picture shows the footings for the lower basement level that will be exposed on three sides. You can see how the home will be positioned to take advantage of the gorgeous mountain and valley view.
Althernative to conventional poured basements.: Below you can see an example of a Superior Wall System that was used by one of our customers in Illinois. Superior is a preinsulated, prebuilt foundation wall system that can typically be installed in one day. Research indicates that over 33% of the heat loss through the basement occurs at the top 24 inches. Superior Walls foundations have a continuous layer of insulation bonded directly to the concrete, This gives energy efficiency to help you reduce energy costs. Thewalls have galvanized steel stud nailers built into the concrete studs so you can easily increase the amount of insulation without any need to install additional framing.
After the p-anels are installed, they are ready to finish and are known for providing a dry basement. If you plan to finish your basement, this type of system can save you money. Superior Walls’ 5,000+ psi concrete mix is moisture resistant. Because additional damp-proofing is not required, this can help you save both time and money also,
A preformed foundation sytem can be very convenient when the weather is making it difficult to pour a concrete foundation.
Stacking the logs… After the foundation is installed, you put on the subfloor and then start stacking the logs. This photo shows the proper way to stack the log walls. The door and window bucks or frames are installed in the log walls as they are stacked. These bucks are braced back to the subfloor to keep the square and straight. Note also the bracing in the corners for additional stability of the walls.
This method of framing for the porch ceiling is very popular.
Two types of porch ceilings. At GLH we offer two different porch roof systems. Above, is our closed roof. It uses framing lumber to close in the porch. Our Deluxe package includes T & G Incense Cedar ceiling material. This construction allows easy access for ceiling lights (as shown) or ceiling fans. To the right is our exposed Oak beam porch roof system. The T & G Pine is the ceiling plus the roof decking. The open nature of the construction makes it more difficult to put lights on the ceiling. This photo is from a Back to Basic model with the Reverse Board and Batten above the log wall. In a standard package, matching log siding would be used above the log wall. .
Oak 6 X 8 beams are used in this porch ceiling.
Log Home Shows where you can see Gastineau Log Homes!
Note: THE DALLAS LOG HOME SHOW SCHEDULED FOR FEB 18 – 21 HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
February 25 – 27, 2011 Nashville, TN
March 3 – 6, 2011 St Louis, MO
March 25 – 27, 2011 Indianapolis, IN
For more information call 800-654-9253
Construction Seminar Schedule for 2011:
February 19, 2011
March 19, 2011
May 14, 2011
July 16, 2011
September 10, 2011
October 22, 2011
Answer to the Trivia Question: Ten (10) inches of snow melts down to about an inch of liquid rain. (Here in central Missouri we received 2″ of rain in snow form this week!)
Quote of the Month: Winter is the season in which people try to keep the house as warm as it was in the summer, when they complained about the heat. ~Author Unknown
