LOCAL PROJECT
Log building is my speciality , and I have taught log home building courses to thousands of people . Building material for log homes is cheap , strong , economical , environmentally sustainable , and easy to work with . A tree is at its lowest value when standing in the forest .
Any building project begins with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil . At the beginning , when I am designing the building , my thought process is simply what do I want to see when I come down my driveway ?
SOURCING AVAILABLE MATERIALS
An important point to remember is that one needs to design according to what materials are readily available . For years I have habitually gathered a mental catalogue of suitable trees growing in the area , one particular stand of Eucalyptus saligna / grandis growing nearby on the foothills of the local Outeniqua mountains had caught my eye . These trees were tall , straight , and perfect for log building . The biggest challenge was going to be accessibility . They were growing on the mountainside behind Wilderness Heights , and the old logging track had not been used for so many years that trees larger than 30cm diameter had grown in the middle of the road . I was told that in the distant past they had used oxen for log skidding on this track .
NEXT STEP : SOURCING TIMBER
The trees where originally planted about 100 years ago for honey production . Since then , they have self-seeded and invaded the surrounding indigenous forest , and today pose a risk to biodiversity .
Roy ' s garden shed began as a project to build a personal 140m ² carpentry workshop and parking garage for four vehicles .
8 JUNE / JULY 2021 // www . timberiq . co . za