A proper chimney and good chinking are both vital ingredients in order for a log cabin to survive the coming centuries.
As you approach this special place, walking down the well-worn footpath, and as you first catch a glimpse of this log cabin, you will find that the stone chimney is the first thing to great you, letting you know that you have arrived. A chimney is a symbol of warmth and security, and a signal to those arriving that this is a place of old world craftsmanship. Welcome home.
Notice in the second photo how the chimney was built to appear dry laid… that is, with no mortar as it would have been many years ago. Cement mortar was used throughout the chimney when we built it though, for safety and strength, but if there was some kind of magical ray gun that could dissolve mortar, this chimney would still stand after being blasted. You will find no glued on stone here.
It takes a lot of effort and skill to build a chimney this fine. I’ve had many people over the years tell me ” I REALLY like your cabins, but I just can’t figure out why they are so special in comparison to others. This is one of those secrets.
I would think the greatest number of “work requests” that I have gotten over the years has been for help with chinking done incorrectly by others. So few get it right, and done wrong nothing will rot out a cabin faster.
Notice also that on the inside of the house how we did not chink the logs between the main cabin room and the kitchen addition. We did that to a) honor the original un-chinked barn in which these logs came from, and b) to allow for light, air, and conversation, to pass easily between the two rooms.
Next up… the outbuildings, including the privy! and then a final photo of the little primitive kitchen. As always, thank you for visiting handmandehouses!. 🙂
Noah
Originally posted 2015-02-19 15:27:18.