Longer Life For Your Cabin

WHETHER you expect your cabin to bring you pleasure for a few years or a lifetime, it will pay you to take precautions against the natural ene­mies of wood structures, namely decay and insects.

Decay is caused by the growth in the wood of tiny plants called fungi. Moisture is absolutely necessary for such growth, and therefore only moist wood can decay or rot. This simple fact is overlooked by many cabin builders who, it would seem, deliberately arrange conditions that promote decay.

Numerous ways of retarding or preventing decay already have been mentioned. The use of suitable piers for supporting the structure off the ground is little more than common sense, yet we find many cabin builders laying the lower course of logs or the wall sills and joists directly on the ground. Of course, some woods such as cypress, redwood, and cedar will with­stand such treatment for a long time; but this does not provide sufficient excuse for omitting a good founda­tion. For reasons that will become clear later, it is desirable to have the cabin at least 18 in. above the ground. The foundation should, of course, be of a type that will keep the sills dry. Also it should not be closed up tightly so that air cannot circulate beneath the floor. The lack of ventilation will enable the joists and other wood parts to remain constantly damp, and therefore invite decay.

Further guarantee against a constantly damp build­ing is provided by proper drainage. Selection of the cabin site should be made with this in mind.

It is probably true that the majority of losses through decay in buildings, no matter what the type, could have been avoided by proper attention to con‑

Illustrations show proper manner of construction to keep termites out of cabin and preserve its wood.

struction details. Carelessly laid logs or improperly applied weatherboarding may create pockets that will hold water for long periods, and result in eventual rotting of the wood at such points. Log walls should be laid so that water will not remain in cracks and crevices for a long time. This means proper notching at corners, thorough chinking, and careful fitting at window and door openings. During a rainstorm, water may collect in many places, but if it dries out within a reasonable time, no harm will result. It is only the permanently damp places that invite the destructive fungi.

Window and door casings should be assembled and set in place with care. It will pay you to apply white lead to all joints, where there is likelihood of water entering and remaining. Fit weatherboarding and shingles tightly around windows and doors. See that the roof is perfectly water-tight. Insist upon porch floors that are laid with open joints or that have the tongue-and-groove joints coated with white lead thinned with good linseed oil. Shingle roofs generally are laid on boards that have spaces several inches wide between them, so that air can circulate about the shingles and keep them dry.

In short, keep out moisture and you will keep out troublesome and costly decay.

Do not depend too much on preservatives such as oils, creosote, and paint. These substances may retard the entrance of moisture and the flourishing of decay organisms, but they by no means are infallible in pre­venting them. There seems to be a general belief that paint effectively seals wood against the entrance of moisture. This is not true. For one thing, a board used as part of a building seldom is painted on all surfaces, so that moisture and decay can creep in behind the paint layer. Perhaps you have seen lumber that is rotting beneath a perfectly sound coat of paint.

In general, the life of a cabin, cottage, hunting or fishing lodge, or bungalow can be prolonged by routine care that is familiar to everyone. Prompt replacement of damaged and decayed timbers, keeping the roof in constant repair so that it does not leak, and periodic applications of good paint, will work wonders in this direction. Furthermore, a well-kept summer home will make any vacation more enjoyable.

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How To Build A Log Cabin