Starting to build

January 26, 2012

Well we got enough material for about half of the 16 foot wall. We got a lot of amazed looks and comments when we went to Lowes to purchase our landscape timbers.  Everything from, "That sounds cool and amazing", to " Did you know those timbers are toxic?"

A quick note about treated lumber, prior to 2002, treated lumber contained arsenic, which we all know is toxic.  However in 2002, the EPA made it illegal to treat lumber with aresnic.  Most treated lumber is treated with what is none as ACQ (alkaline copper quartenary), which is NOT toxic.

Anyway, we first layed a treated 2X4 directly on the subfloor to form the base for the landscape timber wall.  We also ran a double 1/4 in bead of Liquid Nails Subfloor Construction Adhesive.  This 2X4 was secured to the subfloor using 2 1/2 in framing nails.

We then put some more construction adhesive down, and secured another treated 2X4 to the first when.  This is so when you nail the landscaped timbers down, they will be secured to the subfloor. 

We are using 6 inch ring shanked pole barn nails.  Theses are some pretty hefty nails, and I would recommend pre-drilling holes for them.  We placed them about 3 feet apart from each other.

The Big Idea

So my wife and I own a small woodworking business.(www.jswoodcrafters.com)  We do mostly scroll saw art, however sometimes we tinker with some yard art as well.  We had been thinking about starting to do some yard art made out of landscape timbers.  So I began to search online for landscape timber yard art, and came across a house made completely of landscape timbers.  Yes you read right, landscape timbers.  It just so happens, that we own an acre and a half of heavily wooded land, and are currently living in a very small cabin with our 5 children.  We are trying to build our house, one room at a time, as we are paying for it out of pocket.  The plus side, it will be paid for and ours when it is done. (which may take quite awhile)  Anyway, the house we are building is a pier and beam foundation.  We have the sub floor built for the kitchen, which is roughly 16 ft X 18 ft.  So we were fixing to purchase the 2 X 4 studs to start framing the walls, when I stumble across this landscape timber house.  To say the least I was amazed.  The principle of it is the same as log homes.  You simply stack the landscape timbers, and of course secure them in place.  No exterior siding needed, no insulation, no sheet rock (unless you want it).  It added up to a lot less money.  And since we can only spend about $400.00 per month, this was very attractive.  At any rate, we discussed, and discussed, and discussed this option a lot, and we finally decided to go with it.  We are even going to construct the interior walls out of landscape timbers as well.  I have only come across one home that tells how to accomplish this feat, so I decided to start this blog, so that if anyone else might decide to take on this project, maybe we can help.  Now first let me say I really don't have very much home building experience, so it's a lot of research, and a lot of learn as you go.  But how will you learn if you don't try.  Anyway tomorrow, or I guess later today, as it is 3:00am, we will go to Lowes and purchase the landscape timbers for our first wall.  I plan on posting lots of pictures, and do's and dont's (hopefully not that many don'ts).  And soon we will have ourselves a house, and hopefully have helped some others in this alternative building style.