Hey all; I have an off-grid cabin made of square logs, with 2x6 planks between logs. The planks are flush with the inner surface and the depression left on the outside is chinked. This was some sort of kit the previous owner of the property built. The cabin is about 11 years old and the chinking has shrunk in many places and light and air are making their way in. As the cabin is in MO and only heated with a small wood stove, we would like to make some changes to the walls (cabin is about 400 square feet on the ground level, with lofts on each end). First thought is to seal all existing gaps with expanding foam, wrap the outside with Tyvek, install an inch or so of blue or pink Dow, then cover the exterior with native stone. My thought is to: 1. Reduce air infiltration 2. Add some R-value to the outside of the existing thermal mass 3. Create a more maintenance free exterior Are there any obvious fatal flaws in this plan? I am concerned about any issues that might arise with moisture control...will I be trapping moisture against the outer surface of the logs, etc? The cabin is currently just a 1-3 night getaway for us, but we might actually need to live in it for a couple years, once we retire and begin building our retirement home on the same property (likely retirement date is three years out). Thanks for your thoughts! Tim

Well, I had lots of paragraph breaks...but it all came out in a solid block!

Sorry about that! Also, I probably should have mentioned this is in extreme southern Missouri - Ozark County to be exact. Thanks, Tim

Sounds like a good plan....Our neighbor has a large log cabin that was beautiful but they couldn't afford to heat it. They added insulation eps to the outside and stucco'd it.

Good luck.

If you will be putting masonry on the exterior, I think I would use lower cost 10 mil Polyethylene sheeting in lieu of Tyvek. The goal is to eliminate moisture intrusion into the wall assembly, but since some moisture always gets in anyhow, to also provide a drying path to either the outside or inside. So you never want to create a vapour barrier on both sides that traps the moisture inside the wall assembly which will cause problems. The best side to use for the drying path is usually the side that has the lowest humidty. So in your humid climate, having the drying path be to the inside is a good solution, especially if you use AC and dehumidification.

Thanks all. Sounds like we are on the right track.



Tim