Page 259 - The Lost Ways

Roundhouse Entrance

There are different styles for the roundhouse entrance. I’ve been told that in the very old

days, many roundhouses didn’t even have doors or entrances as we think of them today.
Entrance and exit was through the smoke hole. After the fire started, no one left until the
fire died down. I haven’t seen any written descriptions of these however.

All the roundhouses that I’ve read formal accounts about had at least one entrance other
than the smoke hole. In some cases, the entrance was simply an opening in the
roundhouse roof and an excavation or depression in the surrounding ground. In many
cases, such as at Kule Loklo, there is an entrance vestibule. Kule Loklo’s is about 24 feet

long and about eight feet wide. The sides are redwood bark. The roof is earth-covered.

Fire Pit

The ideal location for the fire pit is in the center of the roundhouse. This allows the smoke
hole to be at the high point of the roof, which reduces how much smoke builds up inside

the roundhouse. Most traditional roundhouses I’ve read about have had a center fire pit.

However, some roundhouses, such as the one at Kule Loklo, have a center pole, which
necessitates placing the fire pit elsewhere. In the Kule Loklo roundhouse, the fire pit is
between the center pole and the entrance.

The smoke hole needs to be directly over the fire pit for fire safety reasons; however, the
absence of a central smoke hole allows smoke to build up at the roof’s peak and causes
the roundhouse to fill with smoke quickly if the fire turns smoky. One solution to this
might be to enlarge and lengthen the smoke hole toward the center.

The Kule Loklo roundhouse was built with just one entrance, facing east, but several years
after its construction, a 28" x 56"opening was added on the west side to aid with airflow
and to reduce smoke. Smoke reduction is a problem with any indoor fire, especially in a

structure without a chimney, like the roundhouse. There are several steps you can take
to minimize smoke.

The most fundamental is to use only high-quality wood. Oak and madrone are best for
this, but make sure it’s dry and seasoned. Wet or green wood will smoke more. If it’s
properly seasoned, you should see small cracks forming in the firewood cross section.
One risk in using low-quality wood is getting a pitch log. This is usually pine log with a
large amount of resin in it.

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