Building a CORDWOOD house

Walls are usually constructed such that the pieces of wood are “proud“ of (protrude from) the mortar by a small amount (an inch or less). Walls typically range between 12 and 24 inches thick, though in northern Canada, some walls are as much as 36 inches thick. Cordwood homes are attractive for their visual appeal, maximization of interior space (with a rounded plan), economy of resources, and ease of construction. Wood usually accounts for about 40- 60% of the wall system, the remaining portion consisting of a mortar mix and insulating fill.[1] Cordwood construction can be sustainable depending on design and process. There are two main types of Cordwood Construction, Throughwall and M-I-M (mortar-insulation-mortar). In Throughwall, the mortar mix itself contains an insulative material, usually sawdust, chopped newsprint, or paper sludge, in sometimes very high percentages by mass (80% paper sludge/20% mortar). In the more common M-I-M, and unlike Brick or Throughwall masonry, the mortar does