Archive for the ‘Common Problems’ Category
Log home maintenance, done on a routine basis, is your best homeowners insurance against costly repairs. Check this out:
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. (more…)
Tags: cleaning log homes/cabins, failing finish on log cabins/homes, maintain log homes/cabins, power washing log homes not recommended
Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Maintenance, Refinishing Log Homes |
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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:
Tags: chinking log homes/cabins, log cabin repair, log home repair, log home restoration, repair log home/cabin
Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Repair, Log Home Restoration |
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Log 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 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.
Keep 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.
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Tags: cleaning log homes/cabins, log home maintenance, log home restoration, repair log home/cabin, repair log railings
Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Maintenance |
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Question: I have a home where the floor beams rotted. I ground off as much of the rot as I could and then I treated them heavily with a borate solution. Next, I sprayed foam insulation over them to seal them off. Do I need to be concerned that they will continue to rot despite my efforts?
Answer: Rot is all about moisture. Sometimes when it comes to the practicalities of doing repairs like yours, one has to leave some rot. The most important thing to its longevity is to keep that area as dry as possible. So… it sounds like you are on the right track. The only thing you might find is that some of the rotted areas could attract carpenter ants and/or powder post beetles. The borate treatment you used might help this but if the wood boring insects get really annoying, then you need to have an exterminator come in and treat these areas as well. Good luck.
Tags: log home repair, log home rot repair, repair log home/cabin, why do logs rot, wood boring insects in log buildings
Posted in Common Problems, Insects and Log Homes/Cabins, Questions and Answers |
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We regularly get inquiries about problems people have with their log home or cabin. We’ll post some of those questions on our blog in order to reach more people with solutions to problems.
Often these leaks cause discoloration of the wood on the interior.
Question: I have a problem with leaking around one of my windows. I have caulked all around it to prevent leading but nothing I have done has solved the problem. What am I missing?
Answer: Sometimes chinking or caulking just around the window is not enough to keep moisture out. The leak could be coming from above the window and getting behind the trim or into the space between the outer caulking and the inside of the logs.
One solution we have found is to take off the exterior trim and in these cases, we caulk directly against the window jambs. If the leaking seems to be coming in at the top of the window, it is likely that the leak is originating in the logs above the unit.
With extreme situations, all the trim needs to be removed and the entire wall chinked or caulked in combination with flashing above the header trim of the window. Click here for more information about chinking and caulking.
Tags: chinking log homes/cabins, cracks in log homes and cabins, log cabin repair, log home problems, maintaining log homes/cabins
Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Repair, Questions and Answers |
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We often get calls from people who are looking at purchasing a log home for the first time. A common statement is, “I am considering purchasing a log home but I really don’t know much about them. What should I be aware of?” It is standard practice when home shopping to have a home inspection done before putting an offer in. Home inspectors have varying degrees of knowledge about log homes and sometimes, a home buyer thinks the inspector has given the home a “clean bill of health’ when in fact, the logs may have hidden problems with rot or the basic design of the house is such that it can contribute to the common problems that log homes can have.
Log homes and cabins tend to have unique problems and often it takes someone who has specific expertise in log homes to be able to recognize these problems. When we have done pre-purchase inspections on log buildings, sometimes we discover major problems that need to be addressed such as:
Rot caused by improper flashing between attached deck and log wall
- Rotted logs
- Failing finish or stain
- Signs of leaking on the interior walls of the home
- Improper flashing of windows, decks, roofs, or doors
Other times during a pre-purchase inspection, we find problems that may not necessarily require immediate repair but could become problems in the future. Many times the new owner, in conjunction with the seller, can negotiate to have these issues fixed. When considering buying an existing log home, it is important to go into the venture with your “eyes wide open”. You want to know exactly what you are buying and what it takes to be in the position of maintaining your investment versus repairing it. 
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Tags: leaky roofs log homes, log home common problems, repair log home/cabin
Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Maintenance, Log Home Repair |
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Earlier this summer, we posted something about the down side of using logs for posts and railings on decks. Click here to read more. In that posting, we talked about the reasons why log posts and railings are so vulnerable to rot. We also gave some suggestions about what you can do to prevent or slow down the decaying process.
This wasn't part of the plan when this deck was first built.
We were on a job where the rot in the railings had become a problem because of what it was going to cost to replace them. Even more important than cost, the rotten railings were a real safety problem, as this photo demonstrates. No one imagines that the beauty of the deck on their log home can become a hazard to children playing on the deck, as well as to anyone who may lean up against the railings. Not a pleasant thought, to say the least.
The end of the road for these railings. Next stop - the fire pit.
The fact is, many log railing systems end up in a pile like this photo shows. Here is a recap of what was on the earlier posting as a reminder of what you can do to prevent this. There are three things that I recommend log home owners 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.
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Tags: log home common problems, log home maintenance, log home rot repair
Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Maintenance, Log Homes and Rot |
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