Hello, and warm thanks for your comment. It is great to see internet working, ie. connecting people around the globe =)

My house also has dovetail corners. At first I was also thinking about replacing bad parts with new ones, log by log. With my friend I've been doing that kind of work, but as said in my books, it is easier with the lower part of the wall. Working this way it is necessary to lift the rest of the building, and it is easier near the ground. Actually, here's a picture of from this summer, we were renovating an old house my neighbour has. http://www.enormouselk.com/?q=erkkasblog/images/8th-june-2014

Things would have been easier for me if I started working with this bad corner already in May. But now the winter is already coming, and I had to find a quick solution. But what makes it easier for me is that I'm anyway planning to add extra insulation on the walls. This means that it is not necessary to fix every rotten part of the logs in this corner - if the structure is supported and secured by those planks, then I can just carve the rotten parts away, fill the holes with natural plant fibre which works for thermal insulation, and then cover it with fibreboard and panelling.

When I was younger I didn't like fibreboards nor panels - I wanted to have a traditional log house just as it is, with logs visible both outside and indoors. But to have that I would need a house built of thicker logs. I'm afraid that my house has logs too thin to properly keep warmth in and cold out. So I allow myself to think about adding extra layers of insulation. And after all, both fibreboard and panels are natural wood with no chemicals added, so it is good enough for me.

Still, some day it would be great to build a traditional smoke sauna, using proper logs and dovetail corners =)

Well, yeah, but Appalachian mountains and Foxfire books sounds really inspiring and interesting. I'll try to find some of the series!

Also, I'm glad to hear that there are some people of younger generation still willing to preserve the traditional culture, the way of life and skills. I guess this is happening everywhere. And yes, for me it is very much a question of soul and atmosphere.