SETTLEMENT IN LOG HOMES

THE BAD NEWS: IF YOU DON'T ALLOW FOR SETTLING IN
YOUR LOG HOME YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE PROBLEMS.
THE GOOD NEWS: IT'S EASY ... AND HERE'S HOW!
BY ALEX BOATWRIGHT, VICE-PRESIDENT
AAA LOG HOMES, INC.

      BUT NOBODY WANTS TO JACK HIS HOUSE DOWN!!! THAT'S WHAT I WAS ONCE TOLD BY AN INDIGNANT LOG HOME MANUFACTURER. BUT, AS I TOLD HIM, PROBABLY NOBODY WANTS TO PAINT, CAULK, OR EVEN MOW THE LAWN. THEY'RE NOT GENERALLY CONSIDERED TO BE FUN THINGS TO DO, BUT THEY'RE CHORES RELATED TO PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP, IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS WASHING YOUR CAR. IT'S DONE FOR THE RESULT, NOT THE ENJOYMENT OF DOING IT.

     SO, BUILDING A LOG HOME TO ALLOW FOR SETTLEMENT DOES REQUIRE AN EXTRA DAB OF PLANNING DURING CONSTRUCTION, AND A TINY AMOUNT OF WORK PERIODICALLY AFTER CONSTRUCTION. BUT THE RESULTS ARE THE REWARD.

     WE'VE ALL HEARD THE HORROR STORIES ABOUT WINDOWS POPPING, DOORS THAT REFUSE TO CLOSE, AIR LEAKS BETWEEN LOGS, SLOPING CEILINGS, ETC. THESE MALADIES ARE ALMOST ALWAYS CAUSED BY NOT PAYING ENOUGH ATTENTION TO DESIGNING FOR SETTLEMENT.

     I KNOW, YOU'VE ALSO HEARD FROM SOME THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SETTLING. THATS ABSOLUTELY TRUE. YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT NOT SETTLING. THE FACT IS THAT YOU SHOULD DESIGN TO SETTLE TO PREVENT THESE AFOREMENTIONED PROBLEMS.

     THE TERM ITSELF IS PARTIALLY TO BLAME FOR THE MISUNDERSTANDING.  IFA FOUNDATION SETTLES, THAT'S BAD;  IF A LOG WALL SETTLES PROPERLY, THAT'S GOOD. THE KEY PHRASE IS: SETTLES PROPERLY. THE FACT IS THAT LOGS IN A LOG HOUSE ARE GOING TO SETTLE, WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT THEM TO SETTLE. THE PROBLEMS BEGIN WHEN THE SETTLEMENT ISN'T ALLOWED FOR.

    ALL HOUSES SETTLE. THE DIFFERENCE IS IN DEGREE.  LOG HOMES, BY THEIR NATURE, SETTLE MORE THAN STICK-BUILT HOUSES. KILN-DRIED, AIR-DRIED, OR GREEN.  LOG HOMES ARE GOING TO SETTLE. THE SENSIBLE THING TO DO IS TO DESIGN FOR THAT SETTLEMENT.

BUT IT'S KILN DRIED!

O.K., I CAN HEAR SOME OF YOU NOW SAYING, "BUT IT'S KILN-DRIED, HOW CAN IT SETTLE?"  WELL, THE ANSWER TO THAT IS, JUST BECAUSE A PIECE OF WOOD HAS BEEN IN A KILN DOESN'T MEAN IT'S GOING TO REMAIN STABLE.  WOOD ISN'T A STABLE MATERIAL.  IT SHRINKS AND SWELLS AS IT GIVES UP AND ABSORBS MOISTURE.   WOOD MOVES THROUGHOUT IT'S LIFE.  LETS SAY A LOG WAS DRIED TO A UNIFORM FIFTEEN PERCENT MOISTURE CONTENT (15% M.C.), AND THEN BUILT INTO A HOUSE WITHOUT A CHANGE OF M.C. (MEANING, WITHOUT GETTING WET). THEN, THE HAPPY FAMILY MOVES IN AND PROMPTLY RAISES THE THERMOSTAT TO SEVENTY-EIGHT DEGREES AND BUILDS A ROARING FIRE. AFTER A WHILE, THE MUCH DRYER AIR INSIDE CAUSES THE WOOD TO GIVE UP MORE MOISTURE AND THE M.C. OF THE LOG BECOMES EIGHT PERCENT. THIS IS A COMMON M.C. OF WOOD INSIDE A HOUSE AFTER A COUPLE OF HEATING SEASONS. WE'VE GONE FROM FIFTEEN TO EIGHT PERCENT, MEANING NEARLY HALF THE WATER BOUND IN THE KILN-DRIED LOG HAS LEFT. THIS WILL CAUSE SHRINKAGE, AND EVEN THOUGH EACH INDIVIDUAL LOG DOESN'T SHRINK MUCH, IT ACCUMULATES. A STACK OF LOGS SIXTEEN COURSES HIGH THAT SHRINK 1/16" EACH WILL ADD UP TO ONE FULL INCH, AND THAT'S QUITE A BIT.

     SO, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALLOWED FOR SETTLEMENT, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE ACCUMULATED INCH OF SHRINKAGE? THAT'S WHERE YOU GET YOUR STUCK DOORS AND WINDOWS, SPACES BETWEEN LOGS, ETC.

THE SPIKE PROBLEM

     BUT YOU SAY, WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE A SPACE OVER OUR WINDOWS AND DOORS. AN EXCELLENT IDEA, IF YOU INCLUDE A METHOD FOR THE LOGS ON EITHER SIDE TO SLIDE DOWN AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT SPACE. IF THERE'S A RIGID FRAME NAILED TO THE LOGS, THE WALL CAN'T SETTLE.

     WHEN YOU'VE INSTALLED A SLIDING BUCK SYSTEM TO ALLOW PROPER SETTLING OVER WINDOWS AND DOORS, WHAT NEXT? ONE MAJOR PRECAUTION THAT MUST BE OBSERVED FROM THE FIRST LOG UPWARD, IS TO DRILL AND COUNTERSINK SPIKE HOLES. IF SPIKES (ESPECIALLY SPIRAL SPIKES) ARE DRIVEN STRAIGHT THROUGH BOTH LOGS, YOU CAN COUNT ON THE LOGS ACTUALLY BEING SUPPORTED BY THE SPIKES. THIS OBVIOUSLY WILL LEAVE A SPACE AT EACH LOG INTERSECTION. THE SIMPLE CURE IS TO DRILL A HOLE FOR THE SPIKE THROUGH THE TOP LOG. THIS WILL ALLOW THE LOG TO SLIDE DOWN THE SPIKE WHEN IT SHRINKS. EASY ENOUGH, AND IT REDUCES THE SLEDGE HAMMER RAISING TO A MINIMUM.

BUILDING PARTITIONS SHORT

     NOW THAT YOU'VE PUT IN FUNCTIONAL BUCKS, AND DRILLED FOR SPIKES, THAT'S ALL, RIGHT? WRONG.

      IF THE LOGS SETTLE PROPERLY, BUT THE PARTITION WALLS WERE SHORT, THEN COVER THE SETTLING SPACE AT TOP WITH A TRIM BOARD. NOW, WHEN THE LOGS SETTLE, SO CAN THE ROOF.

     OF COURSE, THIS MEANS THAT PARTITION WALLS CAN'T BE LOAD BEARING. WITH SINGLE LEVEL HOMES, JUST USE CLEAR SPAN TRUSSES. THEY'LL BE SUPPORTED ONLY BY THE LOG WALLS, AND, IF PARTITION WALLS ARE CONSTRUCTED PROPERLY, WILL DROP DOWN NICELY. IF THERE'S TO BE A SECOND LEVEL, IT'S SLIGHTLY MORE COMPLICATED. UNLESS THE HOUSE IS SO NARROW THAT JOISTS CAN SPAN ALL THE WAY ACROSS FROM LOG WALL TO LOG WALL, YOU MUST HAVE SOMEWAY TO SUPPORT JOISTS INSIDE THE HOUSE. SEVERAL WAYS WORK WELL. ONE OF THE BEST METHODS IS TO USE A POST AND GIRDER SYSTEM, WITH AN ADJUSTMENT DEVICE AT EACH POST.

     OTHER ALLOWANCES HAVE TO BE MADE FOR SETTLEMENT. THEY INCLUDE, CHIMNEY FLASHING, PLUMBING, STAIRS, PORCH POSTS, ETC. ALL HAVE EQUALLY SIMPLE SOLUTIONS. WHEN PLANNING YOUR NEW LOG HOME, JUST REMEMBER THAT THE LOGS ARE GOING TO SETTLE. THAT'S HALF THE BATTLE. THEN, WITH OLD-FASHIONED COMMON SENSE, DESIGN A SOLUTION THAT WORKS.

     WHEN YOU SIT BACK BY THE FIREPLACE A COUPLE OF YEARS FROM NOW. AND ENJOY YOUR TIGHT LOG WALLS, WINDOWS THAT OPEN AND CLOSE, AND LACK OF DRAFTS, YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU TOOK THE TIME TO DESIGN AND BUILD FOR PROPER SETTLEMENT. AND YOU WON'T MIND, ...... JACKING YOUR HOUSE DOWN!"

MUIR PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. ROUTE 2, BOX 580 COSBY, TENNESSEE 37722-9533