Archive for the ‘Common Problems’ Category

Log home repair – What can you put off until next year?

Now that the warm weather is behind us, we are busy finishing up the jobs we have lined up for the rest of our season. Once the snow flies, we take a break from log work and refinishing until next spring.

We are getting calls from people who are looking critically at their log homes and realizing that they are in need of some log home repair services.  They also realize that it is getting late in the season and they are wondering if it is detrimental for their logs if they wait until next year to have the repairs done.

blasting

Don't do the blasting if you can't get the stain on it soon after.

Here is some general advice: If you are thinking that the finish on your log home needs to be removed, but you are not sure you will be able to get it re-stained before the cold weather sets in, it is better to wait until spring to have the finish blasted off so that the new stain can be applied shortly following the blasting process. Letting logs go through a winter with no stain or protection on them is not advised.

What about logs that you know are rotten? Will they continue to rot over the winter and be even more deteriorated come spring? This is where cold weather is a benefit to logs with rot. The microorganisms that cause rot need to have temperatures in the 60-90 degree range. Once the temp drops below that range, the rotting process is halted temporarily until it warms up. Having said that, it is important to make sure that in the spring, the snow piles are not left to melt up against the logs. Moisture up against the logs is a problem waiting to happen.

cracks

A good example of checks that should be filled before winter.

The one thing that is advisable to do yet this fall is to check for cracks that are wider that ¼” and are on the up-facing side of the logs or in vulnerable places. Filling these checks with a quality caulk will keep the moisture from snow and rain from migrating into the logs and causing problems with rot. Click here for more information about filling checks and cracks in logs.

We are still doing estimates for people who are interested in having log home repair services done yet this year and we are also lining up projects for next spring. Give us a call at 877-378-4403 if you are interested in getting an estimate OR contact us via email.

RELATED LINKS AND TIPS ON LOG HOME REPAIR

Top ten ways to protect your logs and your investment
Frequently asked questions
Common Problems

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Log home dry rot and what can be done to resolve it

dry rotWe frequently get calls from log home owners saying, “My home has some dry rot.” When you look at the logs affected with rot, they DO look dry.

Whether the rot is dry or wet, rot equals decay and that is a serious problem in log buildings. Rot can lead to the need for replacing part or the entire log. There are several factors that can contribute to a log getting rot, but they all have to do with moisture getting into the wood. When wood fibers have a constant moisture level between 14-20%, wood will start to rot.

For more information on how we replace rotten logs, click here.

RELATED LINKS AND TIPS ON PREVENTING LOG HOME DRY ROT

Why do logs rot?
What to look for when buying a log home
Proper way to flash a deck to a log wall

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Log home maintenance: Porcupines are chewing on my log home…

damage from porcupineLog home maintenance problems can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes but here is one that we hear about at least once every summer – porcupines chewing on the logs. In fact, three times over the last two months we have fielded calls from log home owners that have had this issue. This photo is a good example of the damage they can cause.

We asked Scott Cravin (Extension Wildlife Specialist and Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison) for an explanation. Here is what he said:

“Porcupines chew on all kinds of things…either to sharpen their teeth or because of some attraction in the glue, paint, sweat or whatever is on what they decide to chew on.

damage from porcupineSiding is usually attacked because of the bonding glue in plywood. Logs, as such, should not be much of an attraction unless whatever stain or preservative that is on them is attractive.

So….what to do? Corners and edges can be ‘armor-plated’ with angles of sheet metal, dry wall corners, hardware cloth, etc. but that may be unattractive. Repellents based on capsaicin (hot sauce is the active ingredient), thiram (a fungicide), or other mammal repellents could be applied. Even a small mesh bag of moth flakes/balls (napthalene) placed near damage may help. And there’s always the more direct approach of eliminating the offending animal. Good luck.” Scott Cravin

damage from porcupineIf your home is under attack by porcupines, you may want to consider following Scott’s advice, at least in the short run. If a porkie is gnawing off the finish on the logs, it is a good idea to take some measures to prevent it from continuing. At that point you will re-apply a good finish on your logs home.  To do this you will need to sand down the logs and reapply the stain.

RELATED LINKS AND TIPS FOR LOG HOME MAINTENANCE:

Finishing log homes
Blasting log homes
A refinishing job we did in Gordon, WI

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Log home problems – rotting log railings

rotten pine postLog home problems sometimes include rotting railings around a porch or deck. The look of log railings is often desirable but railings are prone to rot for a number of reasons.

To get the most longevity out of your log railings, here are three things that we recommend homeowners do to extend the life of their log railings:

  1. Use caps on the top of the posts. These are available from a number of different outlets on the web. The nicest ones I have seen are made of copper and fit snugly around the top of the post. It is important to glue them on rather than using screws. This helps insure that moisture can’t penetrate into the end grain around the screws.
  2. At the bottom rail, we recommend drilling a ¼” hole up from the bottom into each larger hole coming from the top. What we are doing here is giving the water that will inevitably make its way into this hole a place to go and drain out the bottom.
  3. post sitting on spacerWe recommend “stand-off” post bases. These create an air space between the end grain of the post and the ground or footing.  By placing these post bases between the bottom of the post and the ground, air is allowed to move through this area and dry out the post.

Doing all these three of these things will add life to log rails.

The last important thing to do is to keep a good finish on the railings.  The fact that they are typically out in the sun and rain makes it very important to keep good finish on the railings.

Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Railings have so many surfaces and contours that they are a real pain to apply and keep stain on. None-the-less, it is important to keep a quality stain on them, which is part of the solution to maintaining and extending the life of the railings and keeping them from becoming a log home problem that you have to solve.

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Log Home Maintenance – Top 10 ways to protect your log home and your investment

Log home maintenance, done on a routine basis, is your best homeowners insurance against costly repairs. Check this out:

darkened logs

Time for new stain.

1. Keep the finish on the exterior logs in good shape. This means checking it every year on every side of your house to make sure when you wet the logs, water will still bead up and the finish is not fading or graying.

2. Make sure the caulking or chinking between your logs is in good shape… no cracks or splits in it.

3. Make sure the decks on the home are flashed correctly and are not allowing moisture to be held up against the logs.

4. Caulk up-facing checks in your logs if they are ¼” wider or more or are in vulnerable places on your home, i.e. just above a deck surface or on a high gable wall.

Check for leaks in gutters

5. Keep gutters on your home functioning properly, i.e. not full of leaves or debris and not leaking. This will also help to keep the logs dry. Splash back from decks is the #1 cause of log rot.

6. Clean the exterior logs on your building once a year. Dust and pollen promote the start of decay.

chairs against the logs

Look familiar? Don't do this to your log home.

7. Keep deck furniture, grills, wood stacks, and other items away from the logs around the home. They can hold moisture against the logs, which can cause rot.

8. Make sure every log on the home is inside the “drip line” of the roof. In other words, makes sure water does not drip off the roof onto the logs. Logs exposed completely to the weather WILL rot… it  is only a matter of time. Consider installing gutters where water comes off of the roof and lands on a deck. Again, splash back from decks is the #1 cause of log rot.

9. Flashing around chimneys should be inspected every year for signs of leaking. This is a place where rot can take over very quickly.

10. Keep records of what has been done to your logs. This will help when  it comes time to refinish or when trying to explore causes of problems with the logs down the road. Click here for a checklist of things to look out for.

log cabinThese are the most important things you can do for good log home maintenance and to keep your log home in good shape. Being an astute log homeowner is very important to protecting your investment.

Seeing little things that need attention day-to-day or year-to-year will be the difference between minor fixes and major repairs.

RELATED LINKS AND TIPS ON LOG HOME MAINTENANCE

Maintenance you can do yourself
How to check for rot
Log home common problems

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Log Home Restoration – Info on insects

carpenter ants

Carpenter ants

The log home restoration business in Wisconsin and Minnesota puts us in contact with many different kinds of log homes and consequently, many different insects.

Recently through Wisconsin Public Radio and the University of Wisconsin, I came across this link to Insect ID. Click here.

I found that this page and site had allot of good information for the log home owner, whether it had to do with wood boring insects or pest-type insects that are typically found in log cabins. The presence of these insects is sometimes an indicator that you may be in need of log home restorations services.

Below are some resources from our site that might also help with info specifically related to log structures.

RELATED LINKS AND MORE TIPS ON LOG HOME RESTORATION:

Can Borates help prevent infestations

Why do insects infest our log homes?

My logs are infested with bugs. What can I do?

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Log home dry rot is a bit of a misnomer

A log with dry rot.Log home dry rot is not uncommon in log buildings. One of the most common complaints from log homeowners is that their logs have “dry rot”. Whether the rot is dry or wet, rot equals decay and that is a serious problem in log buildings.

Rot can lead to the need for replacing part or all of the log. There are several factors that can contribute to a log getting rot, but they all have to do with moisture getting into the wood. When wood fibers have a constant moisture level between 14-20%, wood will start to rot.

Simply put - rot is caused by moisture, even though it may appear to be dry. There are several factors that contribute to log home dry rot. Learn more about why logs rot.

Related links:

Rot at the bottom of vertical logs
Rot at the bottom of posts
Repairing rot on lodge pole pine cabin

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Logs homes made with “cabin logs”

Notice the flat surface on the up-side of the log.

Some of the worst log rot we have seen over the years is on homes made from “cabin logs”. These are round logs that are flattened on the top and bottom to allow them to be stacked easily on top of one another. While this is one of the fastest and least costly ways to build a log home, it can also be a recipe for decay down the road.

After repairing rotten logs in a home with cabin logs we often recommend chinking the home to prevent rot in the future.

What happens is that when it rains, the water running down the wall is allowed to sit on these “shelves” that are created by a smaller diameter log sitting on top of a larger one. Over time rot can occur in the log and eventually this log will need to be replaced. After repairing rotten logs in a home with cabin logs we often recommend chinking the home to prevent rot in the future.

Click here to see an example of a project where we repaired rotten “cabin logs” and chinked the entire home.

Other relevant links:

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Holes in knots in logs

Question: There are holes just in the knots of our log home. Are these from a wood boring insect or are these commonplace in the knots with aging?

Telltale signs of wood boring insects.Answer: It’s hard to say for sure if the holes in your logs are from boring insects but it sounds like they are. Small (or big) holes in your logs are a sign that something is wrong. I would suggest that you tap around the logs near these holes and see if the they sound hollow. If they do, then I would suggest that you have your logs inspected for rot.

At the very least – I recommend injecting these holes with a mixture of borates. The one we recommend for homeowners is called Bora-Care and it is available at Do It Yourself Pest Control.  I hope this helps.

Other helpful links to our site:

We have a brief video showing the application of the borate treatment.

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Log Home Maintenance – Give your log home a check up

check up drawingLog home maintenance is the cheapest insurance for the one place that brings your family together like nothing else. Maintaining your log home properly keeps your log home in the family for future generations. Don’t let dry rot, failing or graying finishes, or unprotected logs destroy your log home treasure…  We strongly recommend that log home owners give their homes a “check up” at least once a year. Spring is a GREAT time to do it!  (Click here to enlarge image.)

Here is a basic list of things to look for:

  • Keep trees trimmed and away from the logs.
  • Any leak you notice inside your house when it rains should be repaired.
  • Water splashing off decks will rot your logs, especially the bottom logs.
  • improper deck flashingImproper flashing between decks and walls allows debris to collect, which holds moisture up against the logs and eventually can cause rot. Click here for a PDF on the proper way to flash a deck to a wall.
  • leaves up against logsKeep plants at least two feet away from the logs and be sure to remove debris.
  • Watch for water splashing off objects stored near your house such as fuel tanks, wood piles, etc.
  • Eave troughs are necessary to keep logs dry – especially around roof valleys.
  • Windows and dormers should have flashing around them to prevent leaks.
  • rotten crownsNo log should project beyond the edge of the roof. Any crown (corner) or purlin that extends beyond the drip line of the roof should be trimmed and refinished to help prevent rot.
  • Re-stain  your house when water will not bead up when sprayed on a log surface. How often you need to finish varies. Click here for more information on refinishing.
  • Caulk around vents and pipes passing through logs.

Preserve & Maintain Log Structures
Prepared by the Technical Committee of the Log Homes Council, Building Systems Councils, and the NAHB, this 14-page document is a must if you are contemplating designing, building, and living in a log structure. It compiles features and methods that will ensure the permanent quality of the log structure. File download : Preservation of Log Structures.pdf

Some good advice: Keep a record of who did what and when to your house, including: any blue prints; what type of preservative was used; the brand and color of stain, caulk, or chink.

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