A building should have a good foundation, and a log structure is no
exception to the rule. For the sake of economy in labor and material it
is sufficient, in some instances, to place small buildings on piers of
concrete or rough native stone, but usually it will be more satisfactory
to use continuous walls of stone masonry or concrete to provide
uninterrupted support for the logs and thus avoid their tendency to sag.
These walls, however, should be provided with small openings for the
circulation of air to prevent the wood from dry rotting. Furthermore, the
continuous foundation wall has the additional advantage of preventing
rodents from getting under the building. In no case should the logs be
placed directly upon the ground since wood tends to decay when in contact
with the earth.
The two end walls of the exterior foundation should be higher than the
side walls in order to offset the difference in level of the logs on
adjacent walls, the end-wall logs being half their thickness higher than
those on the side walls.
In building a log wall the chief problem is in closing the opening
between each pair of logs. There are various ways of doing this, but
only those regarded as most satisfactory will be described in this
publication. The width of such openings is affected by several factors:
(1) The manner of placing the logs upon each other; (2) the type of
corner used where two walls meet; (3) the openings for doors and windows;
and (4) the natural shrinkage of wood in the process of drying.