Humans need four main things to survive, water, food, clothing, and shelter of which the latter two provide some sort of security or safety. Through time and civilization, shelter has taken many forms depending on what is applicable to the time/place. Two notable shelters include modern homes and log cabins, specifically those found in the past and present America. While both styles at their core provide shelter, they differ but also compare in many ways. This Report will delve into the historical and modern building techniques, comparing and contrasting, by using the American modern home and historical American Log cabin.
Dating back to the bronze age, around 3,500 B.C., log cabins have been built throughout human history. Early English settlers in the 17th century used log cabins for shelter when settling in America due to the readily available materials and their knowledge of woodworking. Defined as “buildings with horizontal logs notched at the corners” (Hoagland, 2018, p. 16) the log cabin was a simple yet effective building that provided shelter with no complexities. These buildings consisted of lumber found around the building site that was harvested and notched at the edges for it to be able to slide into place. The cracks and seams were stuffed moss or straw then held in with mud to seal the structure. Log cabins were popular with pioneers and settlers as they required minimal tools; they used readily available wood, and they were relatively quick and simple to construct. They were simple in that they often consisted of one room, one door, one or two windows, a low ceiling, and a sleeping loft. Only taking a week or two with one man or a few days with more, cabins were quick to construct and long lasting if done right. The methods of construction to make the log cabins included notches and groves so that the logs fit into place then the windows were cut out from the inside to along with sometimes even the door so that when it was constructed all the lumber was the same length. The straw or moss mixed with mud sealed and insulated the cabin and a chimney or hole was put through the ceiling to allow smoke to escape. To make a cabin more permanent, the structure was more carefully created and utilized a stone foundation to provide stability and prevent the lower logs from rotting. These shelters were quick to build, came at little to no cost, and only required minimal tools, in turn lasting for generations.
The modern suburban home is a staple in America, seen in almost every town, city, and area in America. These modern homes are made with materials and created with techniques that maximize efficiency. This is seen with the materials used, prior to processing of these materials before they are used, tools that are used, and the techniques used to construct them. Longevity is a major goal of modern suburban homes, and a technique used to achieve this is treating the materials prior to their use to protect them from aging and elements. Timber is mostly processed to ensure longevity since it is used to frame the house and in numerous other areas throughout. “Impregnating the outer zones of timber with preservative chemicals will prevent the wood from rotting or infestation” (Watts, 2016, p. 64). Modern building techniques rely on this framework to hold together the layout and stress put on it by multiple stories and rooms depending on the house, so it needs to last. Homes today is constructed with similar base processes such as including a foundation, using lumber as the framework, and insulating though the modern home uses more advanced materials, methods, and techniques. The foundation of modern homes consists of reinforced concrete that is dug and layed to certain specfications to ensure the longevity and stability of the foundation. The framework is then placed with many layers of wood; moisture protection, weather protection, and siding are placed to protect from the outside while it is insulated and then dry walled or covered on the inside. Modern insulations are sprays or foams that go around the framework that allow for the inside to be temperature controlled. Modern homes also allow for some customization depending on the likes of the customer in that the layout, outer appearance and textures, and colors can be added or collaborated. While the foundation, framework, layering, etc. are the same, the house can be built with different techniques and materials that give it a unique finish when completed. Modern homes are also often built in neighborhoods with shared utilities for ease of set up and use for development and further construction.
The modern house is framed with boards, but often other metals are used to join this lumber together, then other materials are used for the rest of the house such as metals, plastics, and concrete. The log cabin was also made using lumber but was often the sole material used for the construction of the house apart from the insulation. These materials used were drawn from surrounding areas while modern homes consist of unnatural and man-made materials that in some cases can be harmful to humans such as the chemicals used to treat the metals and woods. All utilities of a modern home are internal and while the cabin did not have these same things, the outhouse was outside of the cabin and the only thing inside was the fire for warmth and cooking.
While the settler’s and pioneer’s cabin are very different from the modern home, the purpose of it is still the same, safety and shelter. The construction method has changed majorly over time but so have the circumstances, cabins needed to be quick and easy with minimal materials and tools even with those built to last. Modern homes are built to be efficient and long-lasting with comfort, security, and appearance in mind while the work is subcontracted to make this process as quick and cost effective as possible. Both differ in many ways and througout time the focus of construction methods has shifted to efficiency and longevity.