Sandi and Lee Kraley in Fremont, Michigan purchased a 10" Round-Log Package from RippleCraft and took delivery of their logs in July of 2006. But, the story must begin long before the logs are delivered...

The general excavation has been completed and the grade is set. The transit has been leveled and the blueprints have been meticulously studied. It is now time to get the footers dug.

Digging footers can be back breaking work. To reduce the risk of back injury to log home purchasers, RippleCraft recommends the usage of one of these bad boys or the hiring of several dozen unemployed English majors, each carrying one of these. (Make certain to have plenty of gauze and medical tape on hand.)

Once the footers have been poured and leveled, concrete workers must wait until the cement has dried. Shockingly, the arduous task of watching the concrete dry is often a job favorite for many cement workers.

Note that a log home can sit on any type of foundation with the poured wall option being but one. Here, the forms are being erected in great anticipation of the concrete's arrival. Finishing this job correctly and on time can be very good for the economy and the health care system. For instance, doing the job right could keep the boss from kicking the forms and breaking his foot, thus saving some poor soul's job as well as keeping the boss out of the emergency room.

The most important thing to remember when putting in your foundation and attaching the sub-floor is to make sure they are as close to square as possible. If they are off in size it is by far better to have them a bit undersized rather than over sized.

Always make certain you deal with a reputable cement supplier. When all is said and done however, cement delivered in pretty blue trucks is always the best, regardless of cost. If all the blue truck guys are gone go with green and white.

In the old days pouring cement often meant days of back breaking labor as men carted the heavy slurry many yards by wheel barrow before lifting it by the pail full to the top of the wall so it could be poured into the forms. In modern times even those educated in the liberal arts can assist--provided velour gloves with silk linings are available.

After the cement has been poured in the forms and it is given time to harden it will be time to finish the sub-floor. At this time it is also necessary for the home owner to make certain that all the critically essential arrangements for the arrival of the RippleCraft crew have been taken care of.



Check.

When the logs arrive they are packaged together (palletted) by wall section. When organized this way each pallet of logs can be placed on the sub-floor near to where the logs will be needed. The first logs available at the top of the stack are the ones needed for the first row to be placed on the sub-floor. (We thought of that ourselves.)





Because the interlocking corners and butt-joints are designed to fit tightly from the start there is no fudge-factor when laying out the logs. Getting the first row of logs down straight and square is critical. It has been estimated that each second saved while hurrying through the first row's placement will waste an hour later in the project and will cost an additional $47.50 in Alka-Seltzer. Fortunately either the RippleCraft crew or an adviser will be available to travel to all locations where RippleCraft logs are being erected.

The logs for most homes can be erected in less than a week with the average being about three days. Logs that are 8" and 10" in size are typically erected with the use of scaffolding. Twelve inch logs will require either heavier equipment such as a crane or massive amounts of Doan's Pills.



Sandi Kraley joins the RippleCraft Apprenticeship Program! (A completely uncompensated position.)



As evidenced above, most window and door openings will have at least one row pass through them. These through rows help to keep the logs in line as the walls go up and are cut out with a chain saw after the shell is erected.

Completely unaware of the paparazzi's presence, the crew is captured in an incriminating craps shooting parlay. Federal and state gaming authorities were notified. Odds worsened.

The sun peeks through the clouds after a late afternoon rain storm. The seasoned RippleCraft professionals have little time to waste after the shower and must quickly put away the plastic yellow duckies they had been floating in the puddles out back. For the record, Dean's duck took best in show.

Despite the rain the logs continue to go up quite smoothly. While rain can be a real inconvenience for the work crew it has very little impact on the logs. The water must just be swept off the top of the logs before they are lagged together.

The top row of logs is placed and set. It is at this point that the Kraleys will take over the building of their home. The RippleCraft crew must begin to pack up all the tools in preparation for the long trip back to Fairview. If Dean drives, the trip will take four hours. If Tommy drives, they will be back in about 45 minutes. If Dean drives, there will be two bathroom breaks. If Tommy drives, it won't matter when they stop because it will already be too late.

We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Kraleys through this entire process. But, just because we left the scene doesn't mean the pictures have stopped...

The second floor beam system is erected. These beams can be ordered in either straight or round timbers. The top row of logs for the house are pre-notched with beam pockets to accept the floor timbers. Do you want some stranger with a chain saw cutting out the beam notches on your job site? Didn't think so.

The rear deck is attached and shortly thereafter the gables are framed in and the roof goes on. Sure there is a long way to go, but building a log home can be a very gratifying experience. For most log home buyers that choose to build their own home it is a labor of love.



Thank you Sandi and Lee for all of the pictures. Keep sending them!