Essential Cordwood Building

Build Beautiful, Durable, and Low-impact Homes with Cordwood Construction

Part of the Sustainable Building Essentials series, Essential Cordwood Building is the complete guide to using log-ends set in insulating mortar for versatile, economical, and environmentally friendly construction. Learn how to create structurally sound, aesthetically unique homes with minimal environmental impact.

What You'll Learn

Durable and Low-maintenance Walls: Proven longevity, fire and pest resistance, and excellent thermal mass for naturally regulated indoor temperatures.
Material Selection and Preparation: Choose wood species, log lengths, seasoning, and mortar types for optimal performance.
Step-by-step Building Techniques: Detailed, illustrated guidance for wall construction, window and door installation, chinking, pointing, plastering, and finishing.
Design Flexibility: Decorative features, special designs, and integration into modern or traditional building projects.
Budgeting and Planning: Estimates, code compliance, and building science guidance for safe, high-performance construction.
Rigorous yet Accessible: Ideal for homeowners, builders, designers, and natural building enthusiasts.


Written by Rob Roy, a world-renowned expert in cordwood construction, this guide combines decades of hands-on experience, workshops, and best practices for both DIYers and professional builders.

Explore the full Sustainable Building Essentials series for highly illustrated, step-by-step guidance on natural and sustainable building techniques that deliver durable, high-performance results.