The Log house Project begins........

[MotorSeven]

Y'all are right about blocking the view and I have been thinking of that from day one. Another option I am really considering is to weld up my own wrought iron railing. A black iron railing with thin balusters is very easy to look through.

I did consider glass or plexi but think it has too many drawbacks; will block too much air flow(we are not installing any A/C), too modern of a look, and a pain in the arse to keep clean.

I think I can make a random cedar rail that is not as busy as those pic's I posted. Also keep in mind all the "parts" for the cedar fence is right here on the property...."free" for the taking. I can do one section, step back and see if it works for me, if not I can always take it down and punt.

 

[PILOON]

A glass railing would be so nice. He is right, it's about the uninstructed views. I know the glass would be crazy expensive but well worth it.

Some of my clients wished the same result and considered store kits that used narrow black rods to minimize visual obstruction.
Quite pricy solution.

What I came up with was cedar 2 x 4's top and bottom pair drilled out 5/8" every 4" with the bottom rail only only partially so.
For spindles I used 1/2" copper pipe that very rapidly takes on a greenish patina.
With the dark patina and narrow spindles the eye sees right thru like nothing was there.
Compared to 'store bought' kits this proved to be very cost effective with a unique look.
As a finishing touch I capped the top rail with lengths of 5/4 cedar strips.

For insurance purposes be sure to check out railing height requirements as well as gaps (generally 3.5")

BTW
Nice project.

 

[EddieWalker]

Yes, as I stated in post #727 I chose to use hangers directly attached to the logs...no header. This side of the house has a 4' overhang but will get exposed to weather, and a header would trap moisture against the logs, something I did not want. The first cross joist is 4" off the house and all joists are 2x10, deck boards 2x8.

Arrows show joist hangers and circled is where the joist is directly screwed to the end overhang logs:

I see the joist hanger on your ledger board and circled it in blue on the picture. What I dont understand is why you didn't use them where I put the red circles. Are you relying on nails or screws into the end grain to hold them in place over the years?

Eddie

 

[jwnge]

Y'all are right about blocking the view and I have been thinking of that from day one. Another option I am really considering is to weld up my own wrought iron railing. A black iron railing with thin balusters is very easy to look through.

I did consider glass or plexi but think it has too many drawbacks; will block too much air flow(we are not installing any A/C), too modern of a look, and a pain in the arse to keep clean.

I think I can make a random cedar rail that is not as busy as those pic's I posted. Also keep in mind all the "parts" for the cedar fence is right here on the property...."free" for the taking. I can do one section, step back and see if it works for me, if not I can always take it down and punt.

You might try rebar in your rail, strong, rustic and fairly cheap and easy to use..

 

[MotorSeven]

Piloon, outstanding idea on the copper and I will kick that one around. JW I have thought about rebar but only if I could find and easy way to rough grind off the tread pattern.

Eddie, I have never used hangers in the middle of a deck and never had one fail in 30 years(that I know of ). That being said I have also not built one 12' off the ground...about 4' is the highest one. I know it's not a bad idea but have you seen an issue when nailed with 4 - 4" galv nails on each end?

 

[firefighter9208]

Piloon, outstanding idea on the copper and I will kick that one around. JW I have thought about rebar but only if I could find and easy way to rough grind off the tread pattern.

Eddie, I have never used hangers in the middle of a deck and never had one fail in 30 years(that I know of ). That being said I have also not built one 12' off the ground...about 4' is the highest one. I know it's not a bad idea but have you seen an issue when nailed with 4 - 4" galv nails on each end?

I'm not Eddie, but I would definitely add joist hangers to the areas that Eddie mentions. At least for piece of mind with the deck 12' off the ground.

Chris

 

[boxygen]

Piloon, outstanding idea on the copper and I will kick that one around. JW I have thought about rebar but only if I could find and easy way to rough grind off the tread pattern.

Eddie, I have never used hangers in the middle of a deck and never had one fail in 30 years(that I know of ). That being said I have also not built one 12' off the ground...about 4' is the highest one. I know it's not a bad idea but have you seen an issue when nailed with 4 - 4" galv nails on each end?

Hey Motor,
You can beat the look and price of the cedar branches for the log cabin. If you are looking at at an invisible option, take a look at cable rail. CableRail | Standard Cable Assemblies : Parts List : Assemblies
We have done several of these and they are quick and easy. A lot of the money is in the end terminations so If you can design around having the fewest assemblies possible, it helps the cost significantly. Its not the most inexpensive option, but its a look that goes with almost anything. I like the copper pipe option too, however with the cost of copper pipe these days I can imagine it might approach the cost of cable rail.
We also did one once with 1/4" stainless rod, vertically, with a small "L" bent on the top. The subrail was rabbeted out and the "L" sat in that rabbet. When capped with the handrail, they could not come out. I remember being quite surprised at the reasonable cost of the stainless rod at the time, cut and bent by my usual metal fab guy. This was a couple years ago.

 

[twinjayhawks]

I see the joist hanger on your ledger board and circled it in blue on the picture. What I dont understand is why you didn't use them where I put the red circles. Are you relying on nails or screws into the end grain to hold them in place over the years?

Eddie

I addition the the hangers Eddie was referencing... it looks like there would be a lot of weight bearing on the (1) treated 2x12???. I am sure it will hold up but there may be some sag over the years and I would think some bounce in the deck. I would have recommended doubling up the 2x12... but that is just how I would have done it. I probably would have ran joists from the house to the beam every 16" but then the deck would have to go the other way.

The project looks great though... I am jealous.

 

[boxygen]

Its not the way I would have framed the deck either, however unless you are going to drive your Kioti on it, it is not going to fall down. You would probably be ok without joist hangers, but the way I look at it is you probably have more in nail and screws already invested than the joist hangers would cost. For $20 in hangers, it would be an improvement.

Im more interested in the way the ledger is flashed to the wall of the building. This is an often overlooked or improperly done detail and that is usually without the complication of doing on logs. It can cause a lot of damage on a stick framed building. It could cause a lot of very difficult to repair damage on a log building. Can you share with us?

 

[MotorSeven]

Box, funny you should mention that, I initially thought about the high tensile horse fence 1/8 solid wire every 4" horizontally. It would be cheap and easy to install by drilling holes through 6x6 posts. I kicked it around for a while but again came back to that "too modern" look. I still think it's the perfect see through railing...I just don't think it "fit's" on a log house...arrghhh.

Darin, I ran them that way because I ran the North(creekside) deck the "correct way" and I wanted the deck to match as it came around and turned the 90 degree corner(all deck boards run West). Which 2x12 are you asking about? the angle from North deck to West or the 2x12's that are the final joists on the West side out over the 32' Ibeam?

Box, again ther is no ledger(I called it a header board) on the logs...just joist hangers(5).The first actual nailer joist is 4" off the side of the house...does that make sense? I did this specifically to avoid moisture damage cause between a "ledger" and the logs.

I will pick up some more 2x10 hangers & nails, I don't mind overdoing it every now and then...no problemo.