debarked pine logs

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gchiu

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#259886 28-Oct-2019 18:43

Are there timber merchants/home DIY shops or anyone else that sells debarked pinus radiata logs in the Wellington region?

I'm looking at building a shed using the cordwood construction method.

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#2344682 29-Oct-2019 09:15

Your biggest problem is that the supply chain will have already weeded out all the small diameter ones,

In fact, they wont have even escaped the forestry block and will have been left as slash, harvesting only sends full sized logs to the mill,

You really need to find a small lot forester to let you take out a couple of trees when they are thinning

gchiu

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#2345716 29-Oct-2019 10:26

Oh well, I do know some people on life style blocks so I can ask them.

With full sized logs it would be a lot of work splitting them to get the right size for this method of construction.

blackjack17

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#2345718 29-Oct-2019 10:28

Can't you just use firewood?

Isn't it what this style of construction is designed for??

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nickb800

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#2345725 29-Oct-2019 10:41

Perhaps ask a firewood company - they will have a supply of logs for splitting, might have some to fit your bill

gchiu

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#2345726 29-Oct-2019 10:44

Yes, it's called cordwood because it uses firewood, but firewood isn't usually debarked and it's easiest to remove the bark when the log is whole. And better still when it's spring when the sap is flowing.

Ideally the firewood company would do all the processing for me!

gchiu

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#2345728 29-Oct-2019 10:47

This Tasmanian couple http://www.thehousethatworkedout.com/cordwood-cabin/ built their 36 m2 cabin in 39 days but they made the mistake of using whole rounds rather than splitting them. So, as the rounds shrunk they started to get air infiltration. Rather than go around and chink all the gaps they've now plastered the interior and are using their cabin as an AirBnB.

It seems to be a very cheap method of house construction with minimal trade skills required.

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wellygary

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#2345730 29-Oct-2019 10:53

gchiu:

It seems to be a very cheap method of house construction with minimal trade skills required.

I look forward to you convincing you local council of this .... Not saying it isn't, just that many councils don't like new ideas.... :)

gchiu

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#2345738 29-Oct-2019 11:05

Well, housing has been built like this for over 1000 years so it's hardly new 😃 And if you adopt post and beam, then the cordwood is just filler for the walls. In NZ it's suggested that the walls not be load bearing, and that the walls need to be tied to the posts.

This is a house in Golden Bay using cordwood construction:

https://thisnzlife.co.nz/carolyn-simon-shares-her-experiences-building-a-cordwood-home-in-new-zealand/

wellygary

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#2345744 29-Oct-2019 11:24

gchiu:

This is a house in Golden Bay using cordwood construction:

The Golden Bay council is probably the most experienced council in the country with "Alternative" building techniques, most urban ones are a lot less open to different methods,

Also it was nearly 20 years ago, the regs around LBPs and consents have gotten significantly more complicated over that time...

gchiu

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#2345766 29-Oct-2019 11:54

https://cordwoodconstruction.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/cordwood-in-new-zealand/

The house/hut is in Gisborne and the post is from 2017 but they don't say when it was built.

Bung

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#2345810 29-Oct-2019 13:18

Mitchpine just North of Levin normally do H4 & H5 poles in a range of small end diameter ranging from 70-125 up to 400 -425.
They have the raw material, call them and see if you can get some before they treat them (assuming that you don't want CCA treated timber). You'd have to do something, I've found firewood only takes 2 or 3 years to start rotting.

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wellygary

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#2345816 29-Oct-2019 13:34

Bung: Mitchpine just North of Levin normally do H4 & H5 poles in a range of small end diameter ranging from 70-125 up to 400 -425.
They have the raw material, call them and see if you can get some before they treat them (assuming that you don't want CCA treated timber). You'd have to do something, I've found firewood only takes 2 or 3 years to start rotting.

Douglas fir could be an option if the OP does want to treat the timber?

gchiu

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#2345817 29-Oct-2019 13:34

Great. I do drive past Levin once a month so can drop in to talk to them.

Sure, all wood will eventually rot if left outside exposed to the elements. So, you need a roof overhang to protect the walls, and let the wood dry out after it rains before fungi have a chance to attack the wood.

if a side never sees the sun I suspect it may have to be plastered.

mdf

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#2345818 29-Oct-2019 13:43

No idea about this in particular, but I've always had great service for landscaping and outdoor supplies from The Goods Shed on Old Hutt Rd. If you were calling in there anyway, Ablaze is pretty much next door.

gchiu

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#2345868 29-Oct-2019 15:23

You can use any firewood but you just need to debark it, and avoid hardwoods which expand when they take in moisture. Expansion then cracks the cob/mortar. At $18 a bag for Manuka, it's kind of expensive to use that stuff. I've bought firewood from Ablaze but haven't seen logs not that I've been looking before.

Hardwood flooring does the same expansion/contraction with moisture but that's less critical since it's not mortared in.

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