Viking House: Full Bushcraft Shelter Build with Hand Tools | Vikings
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Published 2019-10-21
To begin with we cut cedar logs from trees that had been felled in the forest. We used an axe and saw to make log cabin notches and built the foundation of the viking house two logs high. We then used the hand auger to build the timber frame. This consisted of 3 large "A" frames. We burnt the ends of the logs in fire to evaporate any moisture and create a rot-proof layer of charred wood which will help to preserve the timber frame foundation when the poles are in the ground. We used a long cedar log as the ridge pole which sits on top of the a frame of the bushcraft shelter. The next stage was building a viking longpit or firepit. This we wanted to make as historically accurate as we could. So we dug a pit about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. We lined the pit with large stones found in the nearby area. In order to reduce waste of any materials, we used the clay from the pit to secure the stones. We added water to the clay to make it easier to work with and we filled in the gaps between the stones. We then lit a small fire in the pit and let the clay dry out for a few days. At this point we realised we could make our job easier by building a diy saw horse. So we used the drawknife to remove bark from a log (helps to prevent rot). We used the auger to drill four holes for legs and then we made four wood pegs for the top of the saw horse. For the rafters we used more cedar logs and again burnt the ends. It is an ancient japanese technique to preserve wood which is called shou sugi ban.
It was then finally time to build the roof of the house. For this, we peeled the bark off the cedar logs. We then put this on the rafters and secured it with some roofing tacks. We had to be fast when doing this, as the cedar bark shrinks and cracks when it dries. We put it on in layers like roof tiles. We built a wood ladder to get up high on the roof and secure the final bark layers.
Using an axe and bushcraft, we made some wooden wedges and split a few large cedar logs. We then hewed these logs and built a raised viking bed for the inside of the house. We also made some benches to sit near the fire. At the back of the viking house, we built a folding window and support arm so that we could let light into the house and also improve the airflow. We dug an air vent too, to allow more oxygen to get to the fire. To make the shelter more secure, we built a perimeter wall use cedar posts and hazel saplings (also known as wattle wall). To help further improve the airflow inside the shelter, we cut a hole in the roof and built a ridge cap or ridge vent to act like a chimney and let the smoke out. Overall this viking house took about 10 days to build. It was in winter, so we were restricted by daylight hours. This is not a historically correct viking house. Traditional viking houses were built with large timbers that were hewn from big logs. They had large gable ends almost like log cabins and the roof was made from wood shingles. Often they looked like viking longships or longboats and had many decorative viking features. In a viking longhouse, there would be enough room for many people and animals as well. But this was our take on it.
We have done a number of different camping overnight trips in this shelter. We have cooked meat over fire, had great viking feasts and spent many hours keeping warm around the firepit. I hope you enjoyed this vikings inspired bushcraft build. To watch the whole series of individual episodes (where we talk and explain what we are doing) then please follow links below.
VIKING HOUSE BUILD (Each Episode): • VIKING HOUSE BUILD
Bushcraft Tools Channel: youtube.com/user/BUSHCRAFTFIRES
TA Fishing Channel: youtube.com/user/TAFishing
SAXON HOUSE BUILD: • SAXON HOUSE BUILD
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All Comments (21)
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Watch all of our Historic Builds inspired by our Ancestors: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxnadpeGdTxD9oAbeZcYKiG… Dark Ages: 476 AD – 1492 (Now more known as Early Medieval Age) Viking Age: 800 AD – 1066) The Dark Age is often referred to a particular period in Britain. We know it more now as the middle ages or early medieval age which encompasses the Viking Age. The reason it was called the Dark Ages was because once the Romans left Britain, it is said by scholars that society in Britain went backwards (also, there is little recorded from the history during that time) The Romans built solid buildings, bath houses, roads, sanitation etc. Once they left Britain we went back to basics, building from wood, timber frame etc. This project was inspired by the Vikings who once occupied a large chunk of England. They were resourceful people. The structure we built here is certainly not historically correct. But we did use natural materials that we found in the surrounding woodland. Making the foundation and the frame from straight cedar wood was relatively simple. We used traditional wood pegs to secure the A-Frame. The hard part was peeling the cedar bark for the roof. This involved days of work, and the conditions had to be right to peel the bark (wet weather helped). These trees were not cut down by us, but by the land owner as part of forest management. This meant that we had to be fast to get the bark of the trees whilst they were still relatively green. Any longer and the bark would have dried too much to peel off. We did not anticipate how much the bark would shrink to the roof when it dried. This meant that we were left with a lot of holes. Digging the viking longpit for the fire was also a difficult task. Clay, when wet, is very difficult to dig. However, when wet it is easier to mould and to shape, which made filling in the gaps between the rocks much easier. We probably should have added wood ash and straw to the mix to prevent it from cracking as much from the heat of the fire. Traditional viking houses were much larger than this (especially the famous viking longhouses). The vikings were incredibly resourceful, and that is where we gained the inspiration for this shelter. I hope you enjoy the video. Thank you for watching - Mike
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When you're supposed to go to bed but you are suddenly interested in bushcraft, hand tools and building viking houses. Tomorrow is ruined.
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No stupid talking, no music, just the sounds of nature and working men, a dream, isn't it ?
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Watching the dog pull up roots was the most adorable thing I've seen all week
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Those men are the hardest working bush crafters I have ever had the pleasure of watching work. I had too take a nap in the middle of the video because they tired me out.
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I like to believe that they built this whole thing without uttering a single word. Edit: .............................................(thanks for 1k)
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These Skyrim mods keep getting more realistic
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One suggestion for people who build this is to raise up the fire pit with stone and earth so you aren't always working on the ground. Doubles as a work space when not lit.
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Hopefully anyone considering this build is paying attention to the char of any wood that will be stajed or set in ground. This is to eliminate insects from seeing it as supper.they will not feast on charred wood. Excellent work ! Wulfy
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That dog is like "All these branches around and the humans won't throw a single one."
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As someone who grew up cutting wood for heat, this is my ASMR. So nostalgic and informative. Thanks
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When I first saw this I thought "Wtf one whole hour!? No way I'm watching this." I'm now at 58:00 and sad that the video is almost over. Such an amazing build, love the craftsmanship, creativity and overall chill atmosphere... just awesome!
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Anyone else find this extremely relaxing?
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No throbbing music, no talking, and a curious dog and two men working together. What a refreshing change versus most You Tube videos.
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I’m so proud of you all helping each other. One day we all have to service and learn how to build without noisy machines. Your never too old or young too learn. Like the good old days says my mama. I give you thumbs up.❤
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I’ve always wanted to be able to go into some secluded woods with a friend or two and be able to just build things, it would be so cool
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I appreciate how these men used authentic tools and methods. I think the addition of the canine supervisor was especially helpful and authentic.
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This is so awesome. The build, the filming, the atmosphere. The result. On top, not a word. Anyone in the whole world can watch, and no one is left out. Pretty brillant. Big respect to you, guys. Excellent in every way.
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I love this bushcraft and homesteading stuff. I have never built anything out of wood in my life, and yet this is fascinating! So cool to see people using old-school methods, building off-grid things, and being proud of the results. And not the versions where people with bottomless wallets get all the lumber from a store they could want, and bring $600,000 worth of high end equipment to build a "cabin" on their already developed property 50 yards from their house that they call "bushcraft" or "homestead".
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Always a lot of cool little things you learn by watching these videos when you're someone like me who lives in mostly neighborhoods! Like the bark used as a windmill to turn the chicken, thats so clever!
