House Type - izba

An izba (Russian: изба́; IPA: [ɪzˈba] ) is a traditional Russian countryside dwelling. Often a log house, it forms the living quarters of a conventional Russian farmstead. It is generally built close to the road and inside a yard, which also encloses a kitchen garden, hayshed, and barn within a simple woven stick fence. Traditional, old-style izba construction involved the use of simple tools, such as ropes, axes, knives, and spades. Nails were not generally used, as metal was relatively expensive, and neither were saws a common construction tool. It is built in the style of the timber cottages in which Russian peasants dwelt in times past. Both interior and exterior are of split pine tree trunks, the gap between is traditionally filled with river clay, not unlike the Canadian log cabin.

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izba