Logging into Rustic Living: Notching for the loft

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

This is my new blog. I think I'm doing it for history for my family and also to share with all of you out there the joy and fun of building a log cabin together as a family. There is much more to tell and show you about building the addition, the fun times and family traditions, and of course decorating the cabin. I will be including pictures of building the addition, some family pictures, pictures of our property around the cabin and the interior of the cabin. It may take me awhile to get all the info together and up on the blog, so check back occasionally and see what's new. (Please scroll to the bottom to see the beginning first.)

I love the comments my kids are making. I'm sure they remember things that I don't. Our kids are: Steve, Shari, Scott and Sue.

The Beginnings of a Log Cabin

How and why did we decide to build a log cabin after we had lived in a ranch style house for 32+ years? Let me tell you.

Our family; my husband, myself and four children spent most of our summer vacations camping. We started out with a 2 man airforce tent, graduated to a family size tent, then bought a nimrod foldout camper. We soon grew out of that and bought a new truck camper. We loved the truck camper but when our youngest was born there just wasn't room in it, so we bought a camping trailer. We camped mostly in State campsites because we loved the more rustic camping. We loved to hike, jump rocks in the creeks, sit around the campfire and basically live outside in the rustic woods, so I think we were primed for what was ahead.

In the summer of 1980 we were camping on our wooded lot in our camper when we realized that we needed more room. The kids had their friends camping with us. (I think I counted 17 of us there that weekend) They were sleeping in tents and in the back of our stationwagon, as well as the camper. We looked around and realized that we had plenty of trees/timber to build a log cabin from the trees on our own property. We drew up a plan and started cutting the trees. That summer we had cut most of the logs and built the cabin up to just below where the windows would be. It was a family project all the way from cutting the logs, peeling them, notching the ends of the logs and putting them in place like we use to do with our Lincoln Logs.

There was much discussion on the size we wanted the cabin to be. Larry thought smaller, Gail a little larger to accommodate the family and future grandkids coming for a visit. We settled on 500 square ft. plus the loft. That gave us 2 bedrooms in the loft, a bunkroom on the first floor, as well as a kitchen, living area and a bathroom.

1982 - 1994

The summer of 1982 we stayed in the cabin for the first. Larry built a rough kitchen, but certainly adequate for cabin living at that time. At first we had to use the "out house" and we had a shallow well, which contained a lot of iron. Sue's hair actually turned red one summer from washing her hair in it. We virtually moved in for the months of July and August. Larry was still working for IBM in Endicott, so he'd work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, then drive back to the cabin Thursday night and leave again Monday night. (It was a 150 mile trip one way)

Shari and Steve and their families bought campers and parked them on their chosen spots and spent many weekends camping while Sue, Scott and us stayed in the cabin. Many grand kid birthdays were celebrated (see pictures), the grandkids put on a show every summer, made tickets, etc . made props etc (see pictures) and of course there was lots of swimming and playing on the beach and sailing the "sunfish", catching frogs, building a tree house, and playing in their "Pine Tree Cafe", riding bikes to town, riding the tandem, and lots of campfires.

1994... Larry had been retired from IBM for quite some time and our last child, Sue, was in college. We had lived in the Endwell, NY area for 38 years and while it was a nice place to live and bring up our children , it was never "home". It didn't take us long after Sue left for college to start making plans to move back to our home town and to the log cabin that we had built for our summer home.

We drew up plans for an addition onto the cabin. We decided not to make it of logs for several reasons. For one, we didn't have enough usable trees on our property and also we didn't want go through building the addition as we had built the cabin. (too much work to do by ourselves) We built a garage first and put all our belongings in that while we built the addition. The first winter we lived in the cabin and about froze to death. We had heat but it wasn't winterized so was very drafty and the floors were very cold. I don't think my feet got warm all winter.

To be continued.......

Excerpts from the Daily Log 1980 - 1981

(Some entries by Gail and some by Larry)

May 31, 1980 (Suzi's Birthday)
We started cutting the logs for the cabin today. Larry fell the trees and Scott and Grandpa Cramer peeled them. Gail/Mom dragged the limbs, bark, etc out and burned them in the fireplace. We got 14 logs down and peeled.

June 14
We came up last night and stayed in our camper, the first time this year. Shari came up this time. Scott and Shari peeled while Larry cut. 12 trees down today.

June 28
Arrived last night for a weeks vacation. Steve came up (from Albany) for the weekend. Scott and Steve peeled. Larry cut down 8 more trees.

June 30
Larry got an application for a building permit today. He also went to see Dan Weaver, the building inspector. "Don't worry about it, go ahead and start building". We're still unsure about the angle to build the cabin. We keep changing it.

July 1 (Tuesday)
Beautiful day today! Dad/Larry cut down three trees. One of them being the big one shaped like a Y. The bottom part is going to the saw mill for boards, the two smaller parts for logs. Scott and Mom/Gail peeled bark, and we all hauled away the branches and burned them. In the afternoon we went to the lake skiing and Scott used his new disc.

July 2 (Wednesday)
Rainy all day! Larry and Scott dug 5 holes for the foundation today. Still burning brush! In the afternoon Larry rebuilt the carburator on the boat moter. Boat worked great for a few minutes then crapped out.

July 3 (Thursday)
The day started out cold and damp. Worked on holes some more - 24 - 30 inches down the dirt turns to hard packed sand, as good as concrete probably. Guess I'll put some sackrete in each hole. Put in batter boards and string.

July 4 (Fri)
Fine tuned strings and marked 8" off on a rake handle. Used it to check depth of the holes in 8" increments so I could get up to the logs with blocks. Cut the larger tree just behind the trailer and Scott peeled it. Craig helped me measure the strings and pick out the two sills. they need to be 31'. One has a kink in the butt (a what?) but I think it will droop just right for the porch. The other has an alligator snout at the tip which will work with the porch.

Coil bad in the boat. Steve and friends got a new one. Stripped a plug. Mercy!

July 12 (Saturday)
Cool today - good day to work. Steve, Scott, and Dad/Larry mixed cement and put the cement blocks in the holes.

Expenses so far: $20.00 for building permit
31.57 for 10 bags of sakrete ($2.95ea)
31.oo for 44 cement blocks ($.66 ea.)
14.75 for 5 bags of sakrete

Grampa brought the tractor over this morning. I borrowed the Datsun to haul block. (Took part of the head off the boat and put an insert in it.)

I thought I'd move the trees out of the immediate cabin area and promptly drove the tractor into the swamp and STUCK IT. Mercy! again. The Witchopple showed up before we got it out. Double Mercy! He (Gpa) drove it out.

Straightened up some logs in the woods, pulled the sills out where they can be gotten to. Tired out!!!

P.S. I went looking for a batter-board that had been taken down to fall a tree...gone! found the end sticking out of the fireplace. (Gail is cleaning up the woods and my stuff) I made her hold the string.

July 13 (Sunday)
We took a ride after church and found a log cabin being built over in Gifford's Valley. We stopped and looked it over and got the idea to build a balcony on the bedroom side (loft).

July 14 (Monday)
Grandpa got over here about 8 a.m. Larry had already filled the corner foundations and had gone to the village to buy more concrete. About the first thing this morning we cut down the tree just behind the camper. Grandpa hooked a chain around it and pulled it forward with the tractor, so that it'd fall in the right direction. Ooops! Larry sliced it too much - fortunately it went over away from the camper.

I got a lesson in notching from the Witchhopple (Witchopple is gpa's CB handle) We laid 6 logs today, 3 logs twice. Had the sills up on the piers and tried to put a log on the back using a jig pole to slide the thing to the back, the pole broke and let the log drop and it knocked the sill off the pier. Before we had it up we had the other end off. Wound up with 4 logs on and spiked.

July 15 (tuesday)
Witchopple arrived with a load of sand for the mudhole. Put another round of logs on - spent a lot of time hauling logs from across the creek. Logs on - not notched. - sent Witchopple home early (2:00) He went and helped Keith with his porch. Short logs today either side of doorway. Little different to handle.

July 16 (Wednesday)
3 more logs on. Got started late and quit early. 90's and humid. Laid in the pond til 3:30, then notched the logs - Witchopple is working on Keith's porch also. Out to dinner @Alhambra with Bob and Carol (Ellis). Mom and Dad came in. I was dry and sleepy. Chainsaw acting up. Rained about 8:30.

July 17 (Thursday)
Gail and I out for breakfast, met Witchopple - picked up plug for saw - 3 logs up - W. took a load of stuff from the mill to Keith while Bob and I notched - thundershower - W. came back later and put up 2 more logs. Bob and I notched them in after swimming, while the girls went to sales. I strung chain and cable to the next tree - furthest one from the cabin. This is the last round before windows. I guess we put in the corners until we get up to where we can put in long logs again. I cut 2 more trees and Bob and I peeled them. Joels' day off, no work out of Scott.

I ground swatted Mom's balckberry bush and stubbed my toe, turned black and HURTS. Tomorrow is suppose to be nice.

July 18 (Friday)
Nice and warm - got a round up above windows. It takes as long to notch short ones as it does long ones. Chain saw acting up again.

July 19 (Saturday)
What we don't get done today will have to wait. We all met for breakfast.

1981

June
Rainy weekend. Opened up the trailer, flushed lines and get things working (lawn mower etc) Got log out of bottom of pile and skidded to front of the porch and notched (wove) it in. Measured and notched for floor timbers.

July 3 1981
Here we are again. Question 1 How many floor timbers and what size? How long? "a long time, we're buildin' a cabin"

Floor needs 2 x 8 x 13(14)
Qty 32 + 2 + 1 = 35

July 4
Showers off and on all day. It's good to have our whole family here. We arrived Thursday night and Steve and his pup Mocha also came Thursday. Shari and Craig arrived late Friday afternoon. Steve set up his tent on the point, Shari and Craig set theirs up behind the cabin. We all (except Steve) went to the parade. Steve stayed here and cut brush and mowed.

July 5 (Sunday)
Celebrated Shari, Curt and Pam's birthdays up at Gma and Gpa's.

July 6 & 7
Cut down more trees and peeled them. We have all the logs we need now to finish the cabin. Cut down 10 logs across the road. Bought them from Fred Gardner. $3.00 a piece

July 8
Started putting in the floor joists today. Bought 35 (2 x 8 x 14) rough pond dried hemlock. $125.00

July 9
Shari's birthday Put rest of floor joists on inside of cabin. Porch tomorrow.

July 10
Suzi took Mom and Dad out for breakfast to celebrate how much Daddy has done on the cabin.

July 30
Todd and Laurel Watkins and baby Kareth came here for a long weekend. Todd had been wanting to help out on the cabin. Larry and Todd went to get lumber for the roof rafters. they tried 3 lumber mills and never got any. Have ordered some from Bradt. He says they'll deliver them next week. Disappointment !!! We had so wanted to get the roof started. We went waterskiing late in the afternoon..taught Laurel how to ski, she did very well.

July 31
Steve and Mocha arrived

August 1
Put the end logs up and framed in one of the loft windows.

August 2 (Sunday)
We all went to Camp of the Woods for church, stopped at Hope Diner for lunch. Larry left for Endwell, Suzi, Scott and Mom stayed for the week. Todd and family are leaving tomorrow.

That was the last entry in the log. There are many drawings and sketches in the log book, made by the builder (Dad/Larry)

"This Old Cabin" by Stephanie Cramer

In 1997 our grand daughter Stephanie Cramer was taking a course in high school that required her to research and make a presentation about how structures of a society reveal its culture, technology and its adaptation to the environment. Stephanie chose to make her study on her grandparents log cabin. Stephanie was very interested in architecture in high school, went on to college and got her degree in architecture. She is now working in Germany with a very well known architectural company. At present she has designed a high rise building in New York City , so travels between NY and Germany to assist in the completion of that project.

I asked Stephanie for permission to include her presentation that she gave in class, in my blog, minus the slide show she gave with the presentation.

The following is her presentation:

"Good afternoon and welcome to todays episode of "This Old Cabin". Today we are coming to you live out of the heart of the Adirondack Mountains just outside of a little town called "Northville". Today we are examining a modern day log cabin, built in 1981, hand-hewn from the lot on which it is located, and more specifically what this log cabin says about our culture and the technology that was used to build it. Furthermore, we will examine how this cabin has been adapted to the Adirondack environment and climate. Finally we will discuss my families cultural connections with the Adirondacks and this homes natural reflection of our family values, for now and for the future."

"My grandparents had camped on this location first in a tent, then later in a trailer for 25 years. My father grew up camping here on my great grandparents land since he was a little boy. As my fathers family expanded, this home, as it was originally built, was created to be a summer home for a growing family.
"You might ask yourself, why a log cabin? Well, you see the log cabin is a product of the woods and forest. A log cabin should appear to have grown out of the soil on which it stands.
It belongs in the country and and preferably near a woods. This type of structure would be absolutely out of place in the city surrounded by modern, up-to-date homes or on a skimpy, poorly selected piece of land. Properly constructed and located, the beauty of the log cabin is unique."

"The design of this log home fits the surroundings of the Adirondack mountain environament while providing a summer get away. Homeowner, Gail Cramer says, "We already owned the land and the trees were there and getting too big, and needed to be cut down anyway or else they would die." One thing that must be considered when planning to build a log cabin is the log length made from the available trees. You can not make the walls longer than the trees are high. "The logging technique used in building this cabin was the traditional round notch", according to my grandfather, Larry Cramer. This technique is described as "the cutting of a notch in the top of the bottom log to make it fit snugly around the bottom of the log on top. The measure of the notch in each log was determined individually with a compass.

The design of the original log cabin changed with the large addition added in 1994 upon my grandparents retirement. The addition was created by the decision to make this home a permanent residence for retirement. At this time the original cabin was given an upgrade. My grandfather re-layed the floors, restructured the stairs and replaced the roof. He modernized the original log cabin by adding a skylight and putting a new expanded kitchen. The skylight that was added to the original cabin, creates a more modern look for the cabin as well as making it brighter. To adapt to the climate of the Adirondack area, the addition was built with 6 inch walls and 1 foot of insulation in the roof. The heating system was upgraded from a single wood burning stove to a central heating system."

"The construction of a log cabin is inexpensive. "In building the cabin, the building material costs were greatly reduced because the trees were free. My grandfather said that total cost to build the original log cabin was about $6,000 with the cost of the roof being the most expensive element. "He even made the windows himself".

"There also was an operating sawmill located next door to the property. The original floorboards came from trees on the property and were cut into boards from this sawmill.

"The cabin itself is made from white pine and hemlock which is native to the area. The insulation between the logs is held in with barbed wire. The calking is used as an insulaor to keep out the wind and cold and keep in the heat. The positioning and shape of the home makes it fit into the surrounding environment. The shape also prevented existing trees from being cut down. My grandfather said, "In building the origianl cabin, a chainsaw was used to cut down the trees selected for the construction. A tractor with a hydralic lift was used to move the logs to their proper positions. A variety of hand tools and saws were used to trim the trees into even circular shapes. The logs were hand peeled with the use of a handmade tool called a spud.". This neccessary tool in building a cabin can be bought or easily made. (I have the actual spud here, which was hand made by my grandfather using only a lead pipe and a hammer).

The addition built in 1994 is not made of logs as the original cabin is. The reason for this was because the trees were no longer available in the quantity needed to create this large addition. This addition is an example of a traditional country home set in the Adirondack Mountains. An interesting feature is the third floor loft. It was originally created as a storage area. Today it is a place for grandchildren to play. This feature makes the cabin truely unique.

The original cabin was built by my grandparents, Gail and Larry Cramer with help from their children, Larry's Dad, and a few friends. Contractors were hired for the foundation , cement work, electric work and drywall. My grandfather hired these contractors for two reasons. One, it was fast and two, to do it himself he would need a license.

The lot which the home is built on was given to my grandparents by my great grandparents. My gparents were able to chose from several lots and chose this one because it was nearest to the pond and the main road. My grandfather believes that, this home has served it's purpose both as a summer cabin and as a permanent year-round residence.

"By living in this home, and taking care of the land around it, my grandparents have encouraged the growth of the trees and plant life by pruning and trimming the trees which allowed the existing trees to grow strong and healthy. We swim in the pond which keeps it stirred up and prevents the pond from getting stagnet. The land attracts wildlife such as deer, wild ducks, blue heron, Canadian geese, rodents, as well as beaver, snapping turtles, a moose was seen on the property once, rabbits, raccoons, fox, coyotes, skunk, muskrats, and fisher and there was evidence of a bear at least once, but was not seen.

"My belief is that people build log cabins to get back to the basics. There is a simplicity in the style. It is a modest home which blends and extends into the surroundings. It shows a need for people to want to have their own place to get away from the world. The cabin is located in the general area of family roots that go back to the early 1800's. It shows that people want to be where their roots and family are. They feel a connection to the area. The size of the home allows for large
groups of people to stay at one time. The family ties and history are an important element and gives this log home its cultural and familial significance."

"In the future my grandparents would like to keep this home in the family so that future generations will be able to use it as a vacation spot. This home was built so that in the future it could serve many purposes. For example: the home is built mostly on one level so that as my great grandparents age, they would enjoy single floor living and not have to climb stairs. the house can be sectioned off by a door to allow for my great grandparent(s) if ever necessary to use this section, with their own bedroom, bathroom, and access to outdoors."

The future outlook of this home reflects the cultural and historical significance of homes of this century and the last. The original function and purpose of this log home has changed over time to adapt to the needs of the family. The log cabin home, demonstrates a uniting of the culture and environment of the Adirondacks, and the abiltiy to use the technology of the past to create a home of the future.

Logging into Rustic Living

Monday, March 10, 2008

Notching for the loft

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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CABINHAUS handcrafted by the Cramer Family

The Beginnings of a Log Cabin

1982 - 1994

Excerpts from the Daily Log 1980 - 1981

"This Old Cabin" by Stephanie Cramer

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