You can drill down through each timber to the desired spot, for the switch or outlet, or hide them under the door or window facings. You can probably see now why building on a concrete slab is much harder. The wiring for the switches and outlets can run inside the timbers by drilling holes.You should keep in mind that the wiring must come from the top, or from the attic, or from under the house where there is crawl space. Another trick is when two walls meet, angle the drill bit and tie the walls together every two or three timbers as the wall goes up. This will give you leverage and reduce the number of nails that you WILL bend. The bit should be just a little smaller than the nails. To make the nailing go much easier, drill a 'pilot' hole every 2' to 3' apart along the timbers. These nails are 'threaded' on the end and as they are driven, they pull the timbers together very tight. The timbers should be nailed in place using 6 inch pole barn nails. Get these dimensions from your local supplier. I'm sure prices vary in different parts of the country.Īs the walls take shape, be sure to leave openings for the windows and doors that will be installed later. This will be very important when you build cabinets and hang pictures By looking at your plans and doing a little multiplication, you will be able to figure out how many timbers you would need and by pricing each timber, you should have a rough idea of the cost, at least to build the walls. Some of the timbers will vary in size, so this will also keep them flush on the inside of the wall. This creates the A-frame and serves as a guide for the timbers as the walls go up to keep them straight and in line. Be sure the stud is plumb and in the proper position. At this point all you do is run a 1" X 4" X 10' board from the top of the stud to the far end of the flat 2' X 4' and nail it in place. With a helper, hold the 2' X 4" in a perpendicular position, then place another 2' X 4" on the floor and nail or anchor it down. As the foundation is prepared, whether slab or sub-floor, build a number of A-frames using a straight 2' X 4' stud to place every 8 feet, all around the parameter. Regular construction and building tools are all you need, but if possible get a 'radial arm' saw, as this will help greatly in cutting the timbers. This is a labor-intensive house, so you can save a lot of money if you can do some or all of the work yourself. In our house we also used the timbers for all the inside walls which was a nice, attractive and cost effective touch. and full length intervals, as the layers go up, to make the walls more attractive and much stronger. The timbers should be cut and staggered at 2 ft.-4 ft.-6 ft. When you have 30 timbers nailed together, with insulation between them, you have a wall 8 feet by 8 feet. It takes 30 landscape timbers to make a wall 8 feet high. For example, a house with the dimensions of 48' X 32' would be easier to build than one with walls that are not standard, with offsets and bay windows. Obviously, building the walls with dimensions divisible by 8 would be more cost effective. long, you can be as creative as you want to be. People who live in dry, arid regions of the country may have trouble finding the timbers, and if they do the cost might be prohibitive to have them shipped, so improvise and use another kind of material for the walls.īecause the timbers are each 8 ft. It can be built with more than one story or a loft with a vaulted ceiling. The structure can range from a small cottage or cabin on the lake, or in the mountains, or a residence with 1000 sq. It should be stressed that building a house from landscape timbers provides great flexibility. In addition to the electrical and plumbing, some of these things may include windows, doors, floor covering, fans, lighting fixtures, cabinets, kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures, hot-water heater and so forth.Īnother very important factor is to find a good source of supply for the landscape timbers and other building materials. Therefore, it is important to identify early the tasks that you are capable of doing, and then contract with professionals to do the rest. If your house is within the city limits, many things have to be done up to local codes. You should decide on the location of electrical and plumbing, and contracting with professionals if you cannot do that work. There are some decisions that should be made early that will save time and trouble down the road. After the decision is reached to build a house or structure from landscape timbers and a building plot is secured, it's time to draw the plans and get started.
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