7.46.USA-12-detail-a Sun Valley, Idaho Highlights Relevant to Sustainable Design:
Go local with local materials, techniques, and talent.
American settlers built their homes with local wood. Since the early days of the western frontier, pioneers did not have the luxury of sawmills or the big-box home improvement centers that we take for granted today. Log homes were a popular means of building shelter, and the tradition continues today, with the addition of modern trappings such as climate control, Wi-Fi, smart-control lighting, high-definition television, and more. Many of the material preparation and carpentry techniques used on this house are derivative of time-tested processes passed down over multiple generations in the western United States.
One of the key local advantages for Idaho log cabin builders centers around the drying process. If a log is not dry at its core, it may settle, crack, or twist. Many kiln-dried logs are only dry on the outside inch, while the core often remains green with the higher moisture content. Idaho’s arid climate helps dry the logs, and seasoned suppliers and builders understand the value of aging the wood for top-quality construction.
The source of the wood is local to the region, with logs often cut from standing dead timbers such as Lodgepole pine or Douglas fir. Builders in Idaho have used these species for generations based on durability and also top insulating qualities.
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The figure outline in this image is for scale to illustrate the size of the fold-out field drawing. The descriptions of certain key elements and insights are included with the accompanying drawings in this section.
Author and illustrator: Charlie Szoradi is an architect, inventor, and the CEO of Independence LED Lighting. He writes about many other topics related to Idaho log cabin design through his extensive travels around the world.
If you have found this posting online, it is an excerpt from Mr. Szoradi’s book Learn from Looking that served as the inspiring seed content for this drawing share resource. For additional drawings and insights on Idaho log cabin and other local material construction, we hope that you enjoy exploring LearnfromLooking.com. You can search via general terms such as sustainability as well as narrower terms such as Idaho log cabin.
