Cabin Fever Episode 7

this is the National Geographic Channel [Music] timeless and connected to the land I'm Nate Heim and I build log cabin homes here in the Northlands of Minnesota I work with the finest crew around you betcha using century-old techniques we pour ourselves in the each and every cabin bringing the past into the present and we're building a cabin on Burnside lake in Ely Minnesota these logs line up we got problems with the foundation or will then be my crew hanging oh you've got to be kidding me [Music] I'm in Ely Minnesota on my way to visit with Pat and Ruthie wolf they're looking forward to retirement and they're looking forward to getting out of the city and enjoying nature they love the Ely area they're outdoorsy people and they've always wanted a true handcrafted log home and I can just about imagine what their lot looks like just seeing this terrain around here Ely Minnesota has so much to offer its rugged its way up from the north country and the views I mean there's a lake around every quarter [Music] my name is drew singles and this is my husband Pat Wolff the last 20 years we've had a dream of building and living it in a log cabin we're starting to think about retirement this is a very special unique place they don't call it God's country for nothing how do you like it up here it's gorgeous help me butch your land we've got two acres here on Burnside Lake this is one of the cleanest most beautiful lakes in the country you know it's so gorgeous around here almost reminds me of Canada are you sure we're not in Canada yeah quality canoe there faster than we can get there by car oh yeah I would love to yeah we're looking for a traditional log home Nate we want something that is the natural log look we want the handcrafted cuts we want to see the the knots the warps the Karakoram are great we're after that rustic feel we just have a really rustic feeling of a log home so we feel very rustic and I give that feeling around it is here is Nate this is amazing but can you feel absolutely Oh small first thing that comes in my mind this is all glass there's gonna be the death you have to capture those views at all seasons I'd like to see that the deck dropped down a step absolutely have a great idea and I really want to like the debt to go all the way yeah yes and then we're gonna do a screen porch I went in okay and walk to fire course is in mourning for the morrow fireplaces will be on the screen once I got your ideas I've had some things rolling around my head that's why we go through the deck and start drawing something [Music] overlooking northern Minnesota's Burnside Lake Wolf's new cabin will be a gigantic two-story 2,600 square foot blog hole the first level will feature a wide open great room with Windows that span from floor to ceiling showing off the view of the lake hand-carved archways will connect each room from the master bedroom through the kitchen and into the dining area the dining room will lead to a screened-in porch that wraps around to the 64 foot long deck overlooking the lake on the upper floor a massive lock will overlook the great room additional bedrooms will flank either side of the loft so the Wolves can entertain family and guests at their cabin all year round so how do you guys like how it's coming together me I think you've got the concept everything that you're proposing is along the lines of what we've been dreaming about for so many years well I'm gonna get these plans over to the architects get them drawn up and get some working blueprints for us how's that sound all right [Music] [Applause] [Music] just got back from Ely Minnesota up on Burnside Lake and I met up with Pat and Ruthie Wolfe they have this absolutely gorgeous property and there's a structure already setting up on ledger rock up off the peninsula but they want to demolish it we're gonna put a handcrafted log home up there they're gonna put a master bedroom on the main floor it's about 1,500 square feet on the main level so it's pretty good-sized yeah big gable end windows have a big front entry on there it's gonna have about a 16 17 foot gradual archway from the living room into the kitchen area and then they're gonna have a nice four-foot archway going into the master bedroom area awesome soon as our ears develop you know it's gonna be even cooler when you get the sand those are Trey's real up-close-and-personal they don't want the big giant logs they want smaller logs 16 inch 17 inch diameter we've got a big porch going on this one a big part it's a fireplace all right so they want lots of windows in the gable ends and in the walls guys this is gonna be a gorgeous home on a gorgeous piece of property they've been thinking about this a long time let's make it happen yeah well let's burn some gas and make some new sawdust in this log yard [Music] we build the show the cabin here at the log yard once every log fits we turn her down blowing her up they ship it out the pattern routes these property where we'll finish it off with every little detail things are so busy at the log yard that we're running out of space so we're gonna build the Wolf's cabin across the road on the concrete landing these logs stumps will represent the exact foundation at the Wolf's property we secure them to the cement so they don't move as you're building the log shell this keeps the foundation level assuring that we won't have any problems rebuilding and he'll figure out why cause they've been nice and so on I just add one more corner water there's always something about starting a new home it's a new piece of history [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] I'm Jason Oberg I've been building log homes for about 21 years Nate give me a call to come up and help them with this house I was just ecstatic been a great time so far right here I'm driving we engineer the log by scribing the shape of one log onto the net then we cut along the scribe lines so the logs fit perfectly on top of each other with traditional log homes we do a rough scribe in a final scribe this makes the logs fit airtight to add energy efficiency [Music] and the loose cabin calm and Jason have been using the power dollars it's a tool that gives a hand chisel look and that's what patterns you are looking for anyone can work with personally straight mill logs but this is what handcraft a lot of woman is all about [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this log will be made into an archway connecting the great room to the kitchen area that's going to give them some extra space and add a grand look to the interior of this cabin [Music] this house is just massive with the frame and the shelf complete it's time to start the second level [Music] [Applause] [Music] the same time we did these notches all as the final lunch so now I just got a check to make sure that everything's level let's see good night this was 2 inches - we normally fit Joyce just like the other logs we cut a rough notch and then a final notch since there's so many of these joints in the same time we've done a final notch on all these traditionally we don't do that so no we got a problem Peters telling me one of the joists are sitting too low that's a big problem because once they're cut they're cut you can't put the wood back in the knotch we have a choice that is 2 inches lower than the rest all the joist has to be level before we can start building the whole system but sure how we're going to fix it they can really set us back perfect little pop it out put a new one in there lifting we find it now this log it's drive down too far so hopefully I can use it in the house somewhere I don't know yet I'm gonna have to go in the pile go get a new log and start over Mel it and then Rees cribe and get in place strive in time for this log make sure we get it set just right this time to finish up [Music] Oh Peter looks perfect oh thank god the rain looks like we got that new Joyce up just to the nick of time it's starting to rain so we're just gonna call it a day it's a brand new day and the rain clouds have disappeared today we're putting the trusses up on the Wolf's cabin so we can finish up the shell and get it off to Ely Minnesota Cory's out sick so we're hustling extra hard to get her done there's six trusted in this house I think this was the most trusted he ever did it this is the last trust we're gonna set it in the place shelves gonna be pretty much ready to go [Music] [Music] guys check it that's huge look at that from the four season porch for they're gonna have their dually fireplaces across from each other this is some though [Music] you know this rule system is this gonna set this whole place off the cabin looks great the guys have been really working hard and this paid off hey guys props are on the way let's get this thing loaded up and get up daily all right in addition to the Wolf's cabin we've been working on a traditional Norwegian cheek style cabin for Joanne Shackleford in Pine River Minnesota he just wants a cute little cabin something cozy I'm headed to the site where we're building on 13 acres of beautiful green fields it's a perfect spot for the log cabin Joanne is meeting me there to discuss a possible change in the plans and it looks gorgeous but on the floor and he's sound a little concerned the house looks great the only problem that I can see is we talked about a three-foot overhang okay and I'm not sure that's gonna be enough you know what to be able to protect the logs from the Sun in the rain yeah I mean I can see how the sun's already beating on it I mean the roofs not on yet but I mean I can see what you mean it wow you can really feel even the heat on the ends of the logs the three-foot everything is pretty standard I mean even just on the gable ends where there's more wall exposed okay to be able to go I know four or five feet well right now we're at two and a half and it's gonna come out to three if we wanted to extend the ridgepole and the purlins and the plate logs out of extra two feet we basically have to recut them when clients make changes like this on the fly it makes it extremely difficult the logs are here every piece has already been cut and fitted this is your dream all right so you know what I'm gonna do I'm gonna go ahead back to the log yard I have some extra logs and I'm gonna mill them down and we'll be here first in the morning make sure it's done well I want you to be happy you know you caught it at this point we can still make it happen for you okay I'm gonna extend those logs out extra two feet so we get that 5-foot overhang the other guys are already on their way to Ely so I gotta move fast [Music] find that along for Joel and there's a lot of lugs a pic from Nita bought a 34 footer hey this is gonna be perfect this doesn't get us started the no.1 of Norwegian law looks like I've been to Norway I learned from a lot homebuilder over there well and he's taught me everything he knows and he's the reason so that means I know quite a bit [Applause] the characteristics of a Norwegian log home bad it's flat on two sides the inside and outside he mill down the top side and the bottom side that'll be 8 inches that builds Norwegian log homes these logs are gonna make the perfect fix for Joanne's cabin she's gonna be thrilled when she sees them but right now I got to go meet up with the guys in Ely to get started on the wolf cabin Ely Minnesota it's a town way up north in the Superior National Forest known for its miles and miles of canoe area Patton Ruthie's cabin sits right on Bert side Lake a gorgeous site for a log cabin [Music] fan Ruthie had their old structure torn down the subcontractors poured a new foundation and I'm rolling up my dad and grizzly Bob to go over the game plan for today all right guys I'm gonna have Corinne Joe start stuff in the logs dad gettin careful on the crane Bob they're gonna start slugging them up to you so hey why don't we dress up Burnside leg a little bit all right right now we're measuring our Center lines we're drilling the holes for our anchor bolts we don't want to have any mistakes on the first court we get this project going it's a gorgeous site I've been thinking about it for a long time we build at the log yard it's always awesome moment getting that those first courses down and start seeing it come together this is the first vlog for the wolf the wolf cavity very exciting hopefully it fits right on there [Music] these goals live it off we just got to make an adjustment we got the first log up on the wall they're trying to figure out exactly what's going on and I think it's just a slight missed measurement so we're gonna recalculate we might have to drill another hole they want to get this one down it's the first one of the day [Music] [Music] well you're looking at she's way off way up oh you've got to be kidding me no look took a good four to six inches yeah looks like our ball four and a half inches off Matt I'm gonna have to double-check this foundation there's more supposed to be at 24 feet right here got a foundation line from block the block that's from here to here so right now we're we're not making it where we're shortening hey Nate yeah yeah just going on I think that we got a problem with this foundation over here it's four inches too narrow but it's not just on one side that's all the way around when the foundation is built the measurements are taken from the outside edge of the concrete in this case the contractor took the measurements to the outside edge of the phone creating a foundation that is too small so we have to figure out a way to make up the four inches all the way around the house how do you think we can figure this out well I think at the point that we're at we can't pour more concrete into the side of the foundation we got to build out the floor system to support it you know maybe glue and screw up these boards so we have one solid piece of wood that's glued together yeah we're actually gonna make a big beam by doing that but I think that's the best solution to this let's make it happen we'll make up some time on the on the back side all right [Music] this plate has to get moved over past the foundation to be in the center of the log this edge should be at that point from here to here [Music] right there on the right there's a moment of truth there we go great in the place that's a good sign we're about half half inch off here pulling over in place and I think we're off and running it's the job guys [Music] [Applause] [Music] weirdos we're building out this rim board this is the carry the load of that log because the foundation is four inches too small we're doing that with laminated 3/4 plywood we're nailing it and screwing it it's gonna have a lot of support probably better than the original the foundation is fixed and we're back on schedule we're four courses up and the electrician's that started to run wire unlike walls in a conventional home log walls are solid and fixed they can't be moved once they're stacked so we plan accordingly and run the wires through each course we lost a lot of time on the foundation today so we're not going to get started on the roof but hey that's construction for you tomorrow we got to kick it in high gear and get back on the schedule this morning we were putting on our last course and wall logs to plate logs screw on those down and if you start on the roof system there's our moving right along it's nice and frosty this morning I've gotta watch your step [Music] the trust is our what really sets off this house there's six of them towering over the trees that you're gonna be able to see from miles away and what that right principal post is the old joists that we miss measured at the log yard ain't no logs going to waste on my watch that's a rough system right there we lowered the largest logs in the place and we have a great framework for the roof system now the detail work begins installing rafters and adjusting our logs so it fits absolutely perfect that attention to detail is what makes us the best in the biz [Music] I just showed up this afternoon to check on the cabin progress I haven't seen it since it's just in the foundation stage after you watch your step Wow yeah what do you think oh my gosh there's so much to see here it's a wide-open plan like he wanted arches on both sides of your entryway the beam work right over the top these arches are beautiful these beams I love the knots well that's what really makes it yours you know I mean these logs are personal to you and they're rustic and this is what telling us we're in northern Minnesota and you could leave you look at those pines in the lake that is beauty that's something check this out over the water and you know when we brought this log I was here I said Pat only did this place justice by putting this gorgeous house here Pat what do you think of that roof system oh my gosh that is a monster log I mean that was a massive puzzle to put together and it all came together so perfect I watched it that way that log is about 52 feet long and five thousand powers yeah he's gonna be there for a long time I promise you and then transition from the 18-foot archway right into your kitchen eighteen photos blog curviness did somebody cut this thing with a chain saw yeah you know it that's the only way art like this get put in here this is beautiful just the way it comes together like this it's a great transition into your dining room and then to report these imports with the other fireplace and this it leads you from the great room grabbing all these amazing views and then your kitchen I'm glad you brought up the kitchen the kitchens a little bit of a problem we're we've been looking at the plans and it just seems like it's gonna be a little tight with the refrigerator sticking out okay and I really don't want to look at the side of the back of the refrigerator and I want to be able to move more freely around the island we've got to find a solution well I hear I got idea I mean if you don't mind we're gonna have to cut some more logs out but what if we recessed a refrigerator into the log wall so we kind of hole in the log wall and then drop the refrigerator in there which would give you more walkway space here it's a building gonna fall down oh well you know that's a good point because this is a structural wall there's a truss straight over the top and the loft joist is enormous amount of weight but once we cut that out we can brace it off and that's going to support that wall and make it as good as new that sounds like a great solution we wouldn't have to look at the back of a refrigerator it's gonna allow us to move more freely around the island are you gonna give us a little bit more time to get this done we'd still like to get in as fast as we can it's time and it's coming up on us well we got to get the chainsaws going down all right the requests Pat made to make more room the kitchen shouldn't be a problem but I gotta get back to Joanne's in Pine River I'm gonna hand this project off to grizzly Bob hey Bob how's OSB looking yeah it's looking great we're just finishing up that roof right now okay well I talked to Pat he wants more reading that kitchen so we decided to cut a hole in the log wall the recess the frigerator the big thing is it's a structural wall yeah we got a really pay attention to that cuz it's kind of truss on there but that archway walls gonna be hard but we can do it you'll make a happen we can get it all right we'll see in a bit so we're gonna bump the pantry and refrigerator old into the closet so this is the area I'm going to be cutting out to put the frigerator in here I'm gonna use these bars as my straightedge I'm gonna take this chain son I'm gonna cut all the way down through there [Music] I got a good actor measurements on this if I cut this log in the wrong spot I just can't go and get another log then you take a wider cut out of here so my log drop that doesn't bind in the hole these ones are pretty tight real tight so I think I'm gonna have to put a couple more cuts in there just starting them up a little bit see if we can get them to fall out there we go couple more logs out of the body we'll be done they'll have a frigerator here and a panther here it's going to be recessed into this closet that's on this side of the moon there's the law for the closet so we boxed and it's going to give them about another three feet four feet external with everything running smooth our patent truth is build I got to get back down to Pine River and finish Joanne's cabin it's just about finished and I can't wait to see how this Norwegian cabin turns out extension that joanne requested is going to add extra protection to her cabin from the elements now that it's installed the roof can go up and the rest of the cabin can be finished we do have built this FAL home for 400 years plus and they still do it today you can see the difference between this log home and our standard log home construction is that it's flat on the inside and outside long time ago they would do that the show off their craftsmanship you know I could do both imagine how they do it know it switches hand tools the more I build this style log home the board grows on me it's fun and it has a lot of history the roof is done and Joanne's coming by to see it I really need to keep moving with the wolf cabin so if she's not happy with these changes we could have a really big problem on our hands we're just getting ready to pack up and head out you know what do you think [Music] this is what I dreamed of really you did such a fantastic job in this overhang it's perfect you are the best well thank you it's gonna add protection bill 11 in Minnesota we're going to get rain snow weather this is so fitting for your little Norwegian it is it's perfect I don't know what to say when I saw the cabin for the first time I was in tears because it's so awesome Nathan did an absolutely fantastic job another good point is having that extra overhang you can stand out here with your cup of coffee I and you almost have a covered porch out here that's how much protection this is going to give you this and it's strong and solid as two-inch tongfu decking so it is in the end it's all about making the client happy she really wanted it and I had to make it happen for her to seeing that smile on her face from ear to ear really put me at ease I got to get back to another job so we're gonna be in touch with the roofers make sure the steel gets put on and we're going from there okay all right Joanna thank you very much [Music] we're making good progress I'm getting into some of the detail work on this cabin this is a real bag so we're filling this in just like this these are stones that I put up yesterday they're all dry you can see that the holes all have to be grouted in this is just like decorating the cake you've got to start at the bottom work your way up this goat has to sit awhile it's going to almost be dry then we're going to come back and to all that off this is kind of curing up a little bit you can see how it's getting pretty close to dry we're gonna tool it and we tool it with this is just a little stick a dull ride we're taking this taking some of that back out you can see how it's crumbling a little bit after I get that tool up with my dowel rod I'm brushing this down using these brushes they're really fine that cleans that mortar right off this is the finished product right here he's got to get cleaned up a little bit put some sealer on but these rocks look great on these long Phelps's I'm putting on tons of goop right now it's meticulous work I got a line up all these tiny tubes they all have to be fitted exactly if one's off they're all off this is where we're gonna use our end match the end matches are the two boards coming together and they fit very nice I think that adds a lot to a log home the nice knots the character those are in our log work and I'm glad that they're in this knotty pine also it looks great I really like the way that this is fitting right here I think this clouds that's going to go a great [Music] today Cory and I are working on the windows and doors for the wolf cabin this part of the job is new to Cory some of the teaching them about freemium I was working with Matt I'm putting my spline for the screen porch door together spline boards they're cut short that's going to allow the legs to settle down without crushing the door or breaking the glass and all kinds of bad things have happened in this rough block here this is actually what the door are through the mail - well you do that side I'll do this side you'll put the top board on really see how much it's going to settle okay all right I'll pick some over there Cory now it looks like you got to cut a little more out map yeah it won't quite fit so I'm cutting the the spline deeper for the doorway to get the to my core to fit in there Cory's standing by and watching inward and getting deeper I've got it just about deep enough [Music] boy is like my guardian angel right there he saved me I didn't even notice that if Matt were to cut any deeper into that spline we would ended up hitting the wire and then we had to call the electrician back to come fix it the problem of hitting the wire is as we assemble the house we actually drill down and we pull that wire as we build the house up we can't exactly disassemble the house we'd have to actually fish that wire through these logs and they're drilled at an angle and it would be almost impossible well let's see if my buckle fit still not quite deep enough though Corey we don't want to hit that wire down there I think we can just rip the board down so it'll fit because we can't go any deeper in the wall we definitely still couldn't get the board to fit in there we'll just take some off the 2x4 let's report element yeah [Laughter] [Music] you see this blankets no that is beautiful let's bring that out beautiful is me after you got done fixing the problem Matt he taught me how to frame up the door thank you is this it on top of it [Music] all right nobody's toppled on that'll give insulation above it there will be a cedar board that's logged and that allows it to Center okay and that's how that works thanks for saving on that way that would they did a bit enough no problem you did a really big problem yeah after Corey saved the day there we finished the rest of the doors and windows and actually framing my rough bunker them all right we got them all done good there's still plenty of work to be done before the wolf can move in we're gonna hit it hard coronary cutting and installing log siding on the second story today's 20 below we started working what really makes it tough is the batteries on your impact drills and stuff later we want to operate nothing wants to work the chainsaw do we want to start half the time the look at the log siding will match the full round look on the exterior of the log cavity [Music] this log is much better than forward so in order to make and kind of blend together and not have like a real square edge that doesn't look natural there's kind of bevel the back that don't look back - it just helps anything for now that's some custom log siding we're ready to start putting railing in that's got a really make her look nice turn the hemorrhoids are flaring up [Music] [Music] [Music] this bracelet really came together we're just about wrapped up with it look like we're in shape here [Music] others here he made it up so yeah I'm going for like a northern woods fishing lodge theme oh that's awesome that's right I'll get the tough guys it will get you a hand vintage fishing rods we have ski lodge lamps that's great thanks customized canoe shelf that's right up my alley and we have taxidermy fish this lake heaven is really amazing because of the view the kept all the windows pretty much open so you've got that straight view out to the lake boys it's time to finish up the cabin [Music] you know this is all came together architectural design is awesome in here it's time to go get Pat and the boys I can't wait to show them their new house I'm really pumped got the boys what yes yeah betel-leaf Ruthie and Colorado this week she's out there that start teaching skiing for the rest of the spring she's got you got the majority of the family here and you know for your sons and be able to see this and see what you and Ruthie put together we can't with ya this is something that Ruthie and I started dreaming of 1215 years ago this is gonna be a great thing well there's so much to see guys just take an O in China [Music] nails it what do you think good work well I can't wait for you to see that this pulse fits in these trees that fits in these rocks it's beautiful that entryway is unbelievable I love the entryway I love the front porch that ridgepole the purlins how much do they wait well each one of those ridgepoles purlins logs you know they go all the way through the house and they're about four or five thousand-pound logs and that's all carried out if that's what's so neat is that these logs waste so much but they're all supporting each other let's go inside check it out all right this is beautiful these logs are fantastic the adulation your shirt absolutely yeah look at the nuts yeah you're wrapped by the logs on each side of you and then it's just like the home opens up to you this little girl needed a house I phoned it was one tromping through the woods Ruthie's gonna love that that's awesome well there's a lot to see in your Pat this is just a sneak peek you gotta check out your bedroom okay all right we walk into the master bedroom and I see the lake now this is a view Nate yeah remember we talked about you wanted to capture views from all angles that's why we went along side towards the lake and there's views throughout the house every one of these logs is different they're not it they're twisted yeah we really try to incorporate the knots and the knobs and in a lot of the character love the wolf picture this is the credit all right I pick out every log that I'm gonna work with and then you get the first touch of what you're gonna be working with there's some in the great room - we should go check about the wood you want this is just a wonderful environment well now you'll get the full perspective that's what's holding this whole roof up are those logs it's just a fabulous architectural design they're beautiful absolutely love it this is really cool I mean it feels like home amantha is really cool yeah floor-to-ceiling fireplace and there's nothing like the real deal for stone it's a real stone from around the area I love the Keystone here love the colors of all the stones it turned out awesome you can't have a cabin without having a great fireplace we've got two of them don't forget the dueling fireplaces you remember directly it gets that's right they give you that strength and warmth that you're looking for in an area like northern Minnesota yeah it's just a great space we'll get some friends up here get on the lake summer I can't even wait this is just gonna be a great great place to be as a family and they have our friends you know the dining room area and the kitchen area are just a great open floor plan it's opened almost three rooms and they actually connect to this let's go check that out what do you think never gets old does it it doesn't you've moved from the family room in here and I just love that these big logs and the ceiling coming down it just makes this warmer and more inviting Ruthie is going to absolutely love it well and you got yourself a little bit more space now that we took that into that refrigerator back we were really worried about that we actually made the cabin a little wider in the kitchen Nate and Bob were consistently creative in solving problems that arose this turned out better than I ever expected it to the farm sink is great I love the stove we're gonna have some fish on there oh you better let's go up the stairs and take a look at the sitting room all right you got a sturdy set of stairs here pad and railing railings beautiful well Pat this is gonna be a great place to just capture all those views look at that right down the pipeline because he all the way across the lake that's really unique and cool in here yeah you look down and you realize that towering height inside this space you're talking about 16 feet to the peak being up here now you still have Headroom but you have that intimacy with these logs here it's just a great time and place to be here with my boys I wish my wife and daughter were with us as well Pat I really want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to build my first log home in Ely Minnesota I know how historical log homes and log craftsmanship is up here one of my goals is actually building Ely so thank you for give me that opportunity bill the sports home for you thank you you know you're very talented this is a unique special place and I'm just honored to have everything that you brought your team brought there's so many unique little places you can be in the entryway you can be in the kitchen you can be in the dining room or the family room each one of these is so unique and special in its own way and it all contributes to a whole that I think is going to create memories for our family and for generations to come [Music]

Channel: Heim Log Homes

Views: 481,693

Rating: 4.6877828 out of 5

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Id: O7h_vnppH-E

Length: 42min 35sec (2555 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 21 2018