The Beauty of Cordwood Construction

The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives continues its Brown Bag Lunch series with a presentation by Chris Borton about “The Beauty of Cordwood Construction.” A Cordwood building is the “other” kind of log home based on a centuries-old technique that is as easy and inexpensive for beginners as it is beautiful. With the look of artistic stone from a distance, cordwood homes are naturally well insulated, provide excellent thermal mass, and two people can build them without cranes, ropes, or chisels. Borton, co-founder and director of Sage Mountain Center, will return to the Archives to share his 25+ years of construction expertise to cover the basics of log selection, construction methods, and mortar mixing all while giving you great ideas for building your own garden shed, chicken coop or custom home.
Brown Bag Lunches are held the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month. Upcoming lectures will focus on topics of local interest. For more information, contact the Archives at 782-3280.

[@christopherborton]

Thank you for hosting my talk in your beautiful facility! I wanted to clarify my comments around Sage Mountain Center's 16" walls being rated at approximately R-28. R-30+ can be gained based on a thicker wall. 24" walls are not uncommon in very cold climates. Also important to consider is that the 8" gap of packed sawdust, the thermal mass which retains heat, and the sawdust amended mortar all contributes to a higher R-value. That said, R ratings are not an exact science in Cordwood construction. There are many variables to factor in such as wood density and type, moisture, orientation, etc.

[@Blackbird-zo1su]

christopherborton, do you think in the humid south, adding lime to the sawdust is advantageous? (The bugs and humidity are pretty bad in summer.)

[@TomTaberHODL]

Thanks Christopher for an excellent presentation! I learned a lot of details that I didn’t get in other videos on cordwood construction. I’d love to come up and visit your facility sometime. We’re going to start our first cordwood project with a wood fired sauna, but we may do a dog house first, just to test things out. Thanks!!

[@mihastrajhar]

Very Educational!

[@johan5920]

I find this style of building very appealing. However. .I'm a South African and could not find any of these structures in our country. Maybe our building regulations but that should not be a factor if you build off grid in a remote area.
Wonder if the wood of poplar trees in South Africa will work.