Comments for

Comment on Log bridges for sale by Matthew Edmunds

Matthew Edmunds — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:20:43 +0000

Some folks have asked about the permitting process in regards to building a new bridge. In Wisconsin if you are building a bridge over “navigable” waters then a permit is required. If its not navigable then no permit is needed. Here is a link to more from the WI DNR:

http://dnr.wi.gov/waterways/water_levels_crossings/bridges.html

Comment on Log home maintenance – Another story from on the road by CHATROOM

CHATROOM — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 06:10:05 +0000

Thanks for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do a little research on this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more from this post. I am very glad to see such magnificent information being shared freely out there.

Comment on Log Home Restoration on the Family Summer Lodge by Blaise Sopiwnik by Matthew Edmunds

Matthew Edmunds — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 03:18:39 +0000

Here are some more photos of this log cabin restoration near Duluth Mn:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/restorelogs/sets/72157629920474125/

Comment on Log Homes Using Turned or Manufactured Logs by Matthew Edmunds

Matthew Edmunds — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:57:54 +0000

Here is a video of the turning process we use to make logs that fit your home……

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOa3owaG4DA&context=C44266abADvjVQa1PpcFO45VoZtyoOpcwuldAKiOQ-8OiHzlSJhYM=

Comment on Log Home Construction Finnish-style by Blaise Sopiwnik by Dennis Crowe

Dennis Crowe — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:12:53 +0000

Here in the southern parts of northwestern Wisconsin (Polk and Burnett Counties) tamarack was also chosen for log construction. They tend to grow pretty straight and are very rot resistant, although they have a twisted grain and many the ones we salvaged were deeply checked lengthwise. We took down what was then a chicken coop on a Swedish (I think) homestead farm in the Trade Lake area. They had been hewed with two flat sides and about 7-8 inches thick. We were told that the building was the original cabin built in the later 1800s. Only the logs in the ground were rotted. Some of the logs we did not incorporate into our house we used as posts outside. Some are still standing after more than 30 years.

Comment on Log Home Construction Finnish-style by Blaise Sopiwnik by Leslie Sutphen

Leslie Sutphen — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:15:14 +0000

Thanks for showing our restored log cabin in Port Wing at the top! In our case, it was bult by a Swede! The cedar shake siding protected it all these years but the previous owner never got beyond removing the shakes.

Edmunds came in and replaced the rotten logs at the bottom and blasted and stained the logs to their current beautiful state! They even recreated the original dove-tailed joints on the edges!

Comment on Log bridges for sale by Maintenance companies London

Maintenance companies London — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:23:28 +0000

That is very interesting, making a market out of family project during a Christmas break! What else can be more fun! All the best.

Comment on Introducing Spring 2012 Log Blog Article Series by Matthew Edmunds

Matthew Edmunds — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:06:38 +0000

Leslie,
I can’t tell you the number of stories like your we have heard over the years. News papers from 100 years ago in the walls, carved names and dates in logs. Great history. Its fun to try to find out why and how a log home was built and who lived their lives in it.
Take care and thanks for posting……
Matt E

Comment on Log homes back then and now by Matthew Edmunds

Matthew Edmunds — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:03:28 +0000

John,
There are still many folks we run into these days who have the dream of building a log home as you and your wife have done. Congrats on creating a dream. Its always a lot of work…but worth it as you know.
Thanks for posting….
Matt Edmunds- Edmunds and Company Log Home Restorations, llc.

Comment on Log bridges for sale by Matthew Edmunds

Matthew Edmunds — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:50:22 +0000

See more photos of the bridge here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/restorelogs/sets/72157629160966084/

Comment on Log homes back then and now by John

John — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:52:50 +0000

Since a very early age, I always wanted to build and live my own log cabin.
I even bought books on log construction from about 12 years old.
I suppose some of it had to do with growing up in DE near the PA line, and knowing of and seeing some of the earliest American log,stone and timber structures.
Many years later and my wife and I decided to build our own small V notch cabin, in Maine…..using white cedar logs, some of them very old reclaimed / untreated phones poles……hand adzed.

Comment on Introducing Spring 2012 Log Blog Article Series by Leslie Sutphen

Leslie Sutphen — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:38:24 +0000

What a fun idea!

Our cabin has a lot of history as you know. We found a note that someone had written to his daughter about a cradle that he had built for his grandson. Not sure which of the previous owners had written it but it was not in Norwegian or Swedish so it was probably one of the later owners.

I often wonder about the burned floor beams in the cellar too.

Comment on Log home refinishing – Best practices for removing old finish by Matthew Edmunds

Matthew Edmunds — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 23:39:30 +0000

I was asked today about the different medias we use to blast log homes including the use of corn cob in log home blasting. 80% of the jobs that we do now are with recycled glass. While it may be counter intuitive; cob actually can do more damage to the wood fibers than a harder material like glass. Here is why; when you bring the nozzle of the blaster over any area and you have to stay in one spot longer ( and you do with the corn) …….this heats up the surface. Our experience has showed us that this heating actually re-bonds the finish to the wood and makes the operator have to stay even longer in order to get the material off. With the glass; the paint or stain is removed quickly and the surface remains cold and brittle and the wood fibers stay solid. Obviously this is a general rule and does not hold true for every situation. That is why we look at each job to determine what media is best for a given project. Cob can be useful in some situations where there is a lot of aluminum trim around because the the cob will not etch glass or the trim. One needs experience to be able to know what media to use when. We have this experience. Call us at 877-378-4403 to set up an appointment to have your log home inspected.

Matt Edmunds – Edmunds and Company Log Home Restorations, llc

http://www.restorelogs.com

log home cob blasting

Comment on Log home maintenance: Porcupines are chewing on my log home… by Bill Frykberg

Bill Frykberg — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 13:34:53 +0000

LogFinish.com has a product that has proven effective in getting rid of all kinds of log home pests. It is NBS 30. It is a citronella based product that you can add to log home finish or just add to water and spray it on. Give it a try.

Comment on Log home refinishing: How to choose a stain – oil based vs. next generation latex stains by Bjorn

Bjorn — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:01:06 +0000

Great article~ The world of waterborne has come a long way. Now with multiple step products as well as fantastic single coat -transparent/semi-transparent/semi-solid & solid products as well. They are lower VOC, better color retention, works better on higher moisture (which most logs have) and in our changing climate give you more chances to get a project done in a damp summer.

Comment on Log home maintenance tips for new homes – Cleaning exterior logs with bleach by Bjorn Hanson

Bjorn Hanson — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:55:53 +0000

Great Subject. From the coatings side the biggest issue created on logs is “MOISTURE”. Sanding & Blasting is still the BEST prep that can be done. The high bleach mixture is kind of a kiss on the cheek. It brightens them up but does not really help the situation. For a wet cleaning 4-8 oz of bleach per gallon of water is plenty to kill any mold or mildew. That is the purpose of the bleach. Then rinse. Although then you need to ensure that the substrate is properly dry before the application of a coating. Best bet~ Blast or Sand then coat.

Comment on Chinking log homes – An important part of maintenance by Matt Edmunds

Matt Edmunds — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:05:29 +0000

One question that came up from this post is about ‘sanded’ caulking. Sanded caulking like ‘energy seal’ from Permachink is sort of between caulking and chinking in the sense that it has a small amount of ‘aggregate’ compared to the chinking that has more and the caulking that has none. These sanded caulking products are good if you want the smallest line possible and want the superior adhesion an aggregate type product. These sanded products fill a line that you want to be thin and still have the qualities of chinking. Caulking still has its place….its important choose the right product for your log home chinking / caulking project. I hope this clarifies things……

Comment on Log home maintenance you can do yourself – caulking cracks in your logs by Edmunds & Company

Edmunds & Company — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:55:06 +0000

Here is some additional information on how to caulk these checks.

• Stuff flexible backer rod such as SOF rod into the check to about 3/8″ from the surface.

• Sometimes we use painters’ tape to mask off the surface of the log to prevent caulking from being smeared on the surface of the log.

• Next step is to apply a good quality silicon-ized latex caulk (not pure silicon) into the check bringing it out close, but not even, with the surface of the log.

• Now the caulking is skimmed off with your finger or a putty knife being carful to make sure the caulking makes strong contact with the top and bottom of the check.

• Finally, if tape was applied remove it.

Now that you have caulked checks on your house, you need to make this a place that you routinely inspect to make sure that the caulking has not split or cracked. Caulking that has split is the main reason we don’t recommend caulking checks under 1/4″. Checks less than 1/4″ wide move so much as a percentage of their size that they are almost impossible to keep filled. The caulking simply can’t handle this amount of movement.

Filling checks is part of an overall water management plan. Failure to control water is a guarantee of future problems including rotten logs and failure of finishes and chinking. Applying a quality caulk can seal these up-facing cracks and prevent water from penetrating into the log.

For more information on how we handle problematic cracks, contact us.
877-378-4403 or email us at info@restorelogs.com

Comment on Log rot repair – Epoxy fillers are not a good solution. by matt@restorelogs.com

matt@restorelogs.com — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 01:27:33 +0000

I can understand your concern and I appreciate the feedback. I do think you come to this from a bit of a different point of view than the average log home owner. It was once explained to me by the historic architect at the Minnesota State Historical Society that from a “historical” perspective one needs to treat these log buildings as if Lincoln himself may have touched these logs. For this reason in “historical log home restoration” one wants to preserve, preserve, preserve. In my opinion there are special cases where fillers can be a good choice : the above mentioned historical considerations and a few practical ones. For example if the end of a 50′ long purlin was rotted at the end, one would not choose to replace the whole log. For example here is a project we did for the State of Minnesota back in 2004: The sixth photo in this sequence shows us repairing the end of a purlin by cutting off about 16″ of rot and creating a lapped joint with a new piece of cedar log. Click here.

In short, it is my opinion wood is preferred. But… if the rotten spot was small in size and did not compromise the integrity of the log, then one could choose a filler for this application. This filler should be synthetic chinking or one of the sanded caulking materials. I would clean out the rot, treat with borates, fill any void behind the surface with expanding foam, allow this to cure, trim the foam and apply chinking or caulking over it. The advantage of this is that the material remains flexible and will last. My experience with epoxy fillers is that they tend to break around the edges of the patch and eventually (not too long) let in water and the rot will continue. This is the biggest reason not to use epoxy to fill these areas. I know some folks might say that the chinking won’t look as good as the epoxy filler and I would say they are right. Bottom line: Epoxy fillers don’t do the job!

Matt Edmunds- Edmunds and Company Log Home Restorations

Comment on Log rot repair – Epoxy fillers are not a good solution. by ameyer

ameyer — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:02:25 +0000

I work for a state agency that has to have all of our log building resoration work approved by a State Historic Preservation board. The preservation board favors preservation of existing materials to replacement, so as a result, we tend to use wood epoxy/sawdust mix solutions more often than you would. We use it mostly in the situation that you said it was most suited for; minimal rot on the end of a rafter tail or exterior rafter support log. I would appreciate any tips that you have for using the product as successfully as possible.