What the heck is cordwood masonry?
Cordwood masonry is low in cost, easy to do, highly energy efficient when done right, environmentally sound, and quite beautiful to look at if a modicum of care is taken during construction. Sounds too good to be true. (While not strictly a question, the person saying it really wants more information, so I try to accommodate.) Yes, I know. Maybe that’s why so many people are suspicious of it and claim it won’t work. And, in truth, like any other building method, it can be screwed up. Cordwood guru Jack Henstridge from New Brunswick, says, “Cordwood masonry is very forgiving, but it won’t forgive stupidity.” Fortunately, there is so much information available on cordwood now, that ignorance is no longer an excuse. My wife Jaki and I, and other early modern cordwood builders, have made plenty of mistakes, but we have tried to share these mistakes with others so they don’t have to endlessly repeat them, as in that special corner of Hell reserved for those who don’t learn from experience.
