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Log wall?

FireFire Posts: 19,096
edited July 2018 in Tools and techniques
Today I saw on the Hampton Court show, a log wall. I was wondering about it for my front garden, against the house wall - about 3x1m. I was thinking it could help with insulation, as I don't have any in my small, freezing front room. It could look amazing. I was pondering if lack of ventilation could cause any problems with the brickwork etc. Not much will grow there. It's a very dry area as it's under eaves so I don't think moss would be a problem.  It seems like a good solution to a currently fairly dead area.

I have seen wood stacks covering one side of a house in many countries, in the Alps, Canada, Finland. I could easily source the wood, pretty much for free, from my local tree surgeon.



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  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    I saw that too Fire,wasn't it amazing? I hope you're able to do it,surely there will be enough air circulating between the gaps? I thought it was stunning!
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    You will have a problem with the damp proof course in the house, and with the underfloor vents, if you build directly against the house wall. Looks easier than it is I think. All the logs would have to be cut to a uniform length and you would need some very sturdy 'end walls' to hold it all in. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I agree it looked pretty amazing,but you could be building a de luxe hotel for big spiders!
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited July 2018
    "You will have a problem with the damp proof course in the house".

    @hogweed , can you say more?

    I can easily stack them without touching any walls directly. As long as the front is arranged flush, I suspect I wouldn't need to cut any. It would only be a metre high. Last year I made a two wood metre wall in the back garden, against a fence.
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    I think you would need to have the back of your stack a minimum of a foot away from the wall. This may mean your stack would protrude out from the wall quite a bit depending on the length of your logs. Not sure if that would give you any insulation at all. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • Fif2Fif2 Posts: 69
    Lizzie27 said:
    I agree it looked pretty amazing,but you could be building a de luxe hotel for big spiders!
    That would be my biggest nightmare!
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited July 2018
    .
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    what everyone else has said about the damp course is correct, also being as its your front garden,  you may well find its not a perminted development/change, some areas you are not allowed to even change the colour of your property.
  • Steven PrenticeSteven Prentice Posts: 25
    Permitted development... so long as its not a permanent fixture, in other words, its a simple stack of logs then that should be OK.. can always claim you are drying them for use in the house / garden. Fasten them to the wall then you might have to consider that (from experience you can knock a stack / wall of logs down that size in about 1 minute)(I have about 6m of wood drying similarly at the moment)

    Wood can be surprisingly waterproof. OK you aren't going to get much air flow behind them if staked close to the wall but also not a lot of damp either. If you can put split logs on top to make a sloping roof to the stack it should be OK (but I am no builder so not really qualified to say, all I know is that 1ft thick wall of wood I have is always dry on the back side. Note that some woods such as silver birch do not last so well if they get wet..consider then having the whole thing a couple of inches off the ground

    As for insulation, yes it can add some but wood is not a great insulator. You could build the wall out of short logs and fill in the back with a solid insulation then top it off and add sides in full length logs.

    Keep things like air bricks clear. Also have you considered building in spaces for animails and insects to next in?

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited July 2018
    @Steven Prentice that is what I was thinking of. There's no way that a log pile would need planning permission in my area. I have a log pile under all my hedges and they prove good for invertebrates and amphibians. The wall I'm thinking of logging is very dry as it's under eaves and bounded by high, thick hedges. Putting insulation behind the pile is an excellent idea. It would be fascinating to see if it made a difference to the temps in the front room. Putting a sloping roof on the stack is also a great idea. On other insect hotels I have put a corrugated plastic sheet (discreetly) over the hotel to keep it dry, which has worked very well.

    Food for thought.
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