Cordwood Masonry is a construction method in which walls are built with short logs placed transversely in a bed of mortar. Depending on the shape of the logs and the size of the mortar joints, a cordwood structure may resemble a tight stack of firewood, a brick house, or even a stone cottage. The advantages of building with cordwood include: low cost local materials, simplicity of construction, energy efficiency, and reduction of milling waste.

This presentation will introduce the audience to cordwood building through a step-by-step overview of how to construct an outdoor sauna. It will briefly cover design, site selection, foundation, framing, and roof systems. The majority of the presentation will focus on how to build a cordwood wall, including mixing mortar, preparing & installing insulation, using recycled glass to make bottle “bricks,” laying up cordwood logs, tuck pointing, filing down log ends, and cleaning up log faces to achieve a beautiful end result.