My father and I building a cabin in Alaska.
Some extra info:
1) I didn't even know I had made this video public, but I appreciate all the kind comments and I'm glad so many of you have enjoyed watching.
2) The trees we used were what we called "standing dead". We only cut them down if they had obviously been dead for a year or two and just hadn't fallen over yet. It's not as good as letting them "cure" for a few months, but it's not far off.
3) We didn't remove the bark in consideration of time. I only had 2 weeks I could help out. However, we used the cabin for a couple years without any issue. Even the mortar used to seal the logs seemed to hold onto the bark fine. Unfortunately, since we didn't finish while I was there, dad had to finish on his own, and carrying in camera equipment in addition to building materials is too much for one person. The cabin is complete, but there's no more video of the construction. Sorry.
4) This video is from around 2004, I think. I uploaded it recently because dad had lost the original DVD and I wanted to share a copy with him. This means the cabin is now almost 10 years old, and neither of us have seen it for at least 5 years. I promise we will make a return trip at some point and fix it back up if it's possible to do so.
5) The completion of the cabin: Dad covered the roof with tar paper and it had a decent slant to it to keep from buckling under heavy snow. He chinked the logs by putting mortar between them. He cut a hole in the very middle for a chimney that goes down into a smallish Franklin stove. The stove has a flat surface for cooking (makes truly awesome steaks and breakfast foods). The stove actually heats the cabin REALLY hot. Even on snowy days, that sucker will feel like a sauna in the middle of the night if you put too much wood in. There is a bunk bed for sleeping and a bookshelf full of old Western novels and some James Bond and other old, pulp-style novels. I don't think there's a better, quieter place to read in the world. We had a chest for pots and supplies as well. We even had a toilet with a Japanese-style screen for privacy. The toilet is basically a cut-out box with a toilet seat on it and a big bucket with dirt in it. I thought it was crazy at first, but you just put more dirt in when you're done to kill any smell, and it makes so much sense compared to wasting drinkable water, I actually think it might be the best toilet design around. In the Spring, there are a few days where the creek I jump over in the video is too strong to cross, but that doesn't last too long.
Any other questions, feel free to ask!