Cordwood Studio

I can't remember when or how I first heard of cordwood construction but I do remember my first workshop. I pulled into a state park in southern Minnesota at 10pm sans reservations, and put up my tiny tent in the sputtering prologue to a summer thunderstorm. The workshop was held on the shore of a lake. The owners had already constructed a beautiful timberframe of reclaimed white oak barn timbers and had everything prepared for the laying of the cordwood.

Cordwood laid-up in a masonry wall.

There were several things that attracted me to this way of building:

• First, it could be beautifully incorporated into a timber frame, or a post and beam structure.

• Second, it could be constructed to create a wall with amazing insulation.

• Third, the inner masonry wall held a tremendous thermal mass, hinting that I could heat my home with far less wood than a conventional house would require.

• Fourth, the cost consists mostly of our time in acquiring the wood, preparing it, and building the walls. The materials (cement, sawdust and lime) are relatively cheap.

• Finally, and most importantly, I liked the way it looked and was excited to build a house of which I could be proud.