The stays between the walls, which hold the upper logs together in a log house

[MadeBy]

View attachment 547895 View attachment 547889 View attachment 547891 View attachment 547889 View attachment 547890 View attachment 547891 In our summer house from the 1870s, there is an unused attic that we want to renovate, lay proper flooring, and cover the ceiling so we can use it as a sleeping loft. My concern is about the current braces (logs) that connect the upper part of the longitudinal log walls. These braces run across the attic and are 2-3 dm above the floor joists/floor level. What I want to do is replace them with pipes/wire that lie below the floor surface by possibly attaching welded iron, where the attachment points in the iron are below the floor surface. I'm also considering whether it's possible to support the rafters in some way to reduce the pressure on the upper wall logs. I'm not sure if it’s clear what I mean, but if anyone is knowledgeable about such changes, and if it would work structurally, I would appreciate it. I have also considered raising the collar beams slightly, as they are currently a bit too low without bumping your head. Could one also reinforce by supporting the roof beams about 50-70 cm from the wall? The pictures show how it looks currently.

 

[justusandersson]

I am absolutely not a specialist in log cabin constructions, but in this case, it is apparent that the braces have the same function as collar beams: to counteract the roof's pressure on the house's sides. I think your idea should work, to combine vertical iron with tie rods that are below floor level. Adding new collar beams at an appropriate height should make it feel secure.