Posts Tagged ‘log home restoration’

Log Home Restoration: Do it right the first time and you won’t regret it.

replacing half logsLog home restoration means many things but one thing it can often mean is replacing rotten logs. Does that mean replacing the entire log? No. Generally, we replace a log with a “re-facing” or half log if there is at least 50% solid wood left in the section of the log needing repair. Our replacement logs are dried Cedar because this type of wood has natural rot-resistant properties.

half logs replacedReplacing half of the log is a cost savings over replacing an entire log in terms of materials. If the log is more than 50% rotted, we recommend replacing the whole log. When replacing a half log, new replacement logs are attached to the existing building with galvanized screws.

half logs replaced and stainedAny spaces between the new and the old logs are filled with expanding foam and/or backer rod and chinked or caulked. The heads of the screws are sunk to a depth of an inch below the log surface and the hole is filled with caulk matching the color of the log.

Check back again as we will continue to post information related to log home restoration.

Here are some relevant links you may find useful:

Our replacement logs are dried Cedar
Replacing whole logs
Replacing vertical logs
Why do logs rot?

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Posted in Log Home Repair, Log Home Restoration, Log Homes and Rot |
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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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Posted in Common Problems, Log Home Maintenance, Log Home Restoration, Questions and Answers |
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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.

    • (more…)

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Happy Thanksgiving!

This time of year brings back many fond memories of time spent with family and friends. Up here in the north woods, it is the start of our “winter wonderland” with the trees being frosted with pure white snow. This is the middle of dear hunting week and I personally have been spending lots of time sitting in the woods waiting for a deer to come into view. In the morning, it is going out in the dark and watching the gradual change from dark to dawn. Other than this time of year, I miss out on being a part of this magical transformation. Then in the afternoons, it’s a walk into the woods to sit and patiently wait again, this time watching the sun gently set into the cold quiet that is a winter’s night. This time of year makes me very nostalgic.

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day and those of us at Edmunds & Company are celebrating the holiday with our various family and friends. It has been another excellent season for us, which we are thankful for, and we are now enjoying some well-earned time off. Working throughout the warm months on log homes is a special calling. Many of the log homes we work on have lots of memories attached to them. Some have been “in the family” for generations. Others have been recently purchased by new families who are looking forward to creating memories together under the roof top of  a uniquely wonderful log home. I don’t know about you, but I have maintained an image of the perfect holiday scene and it includes a bunch of people gathered around a crackling fireplace that is at the center of a home built out of logs. This, to me, says Happy Holidays!

Here is to a holiday season, in whatever type of cozy home you live in, that is filled with good food, friends, and family.

Susan Hall
Office Manager
Edmunds & Company

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Log Homes with Cantilevered Decks

Cantilevered log decks are a potential area for problems with rotten logs. We run into this type of deck a number of times each year. A cantilever deck is a deck that is supported by a log that sticks through a wall (on the outside) and supports a deck. These decks are usually located on the second floor of a log home and most times are small in size.

The problem is that most of the time, they are constructed with pine logs that are designed or allowed to stick right out beyond the roof line where they are exposed to the weather. They take on so much moisture that they become susceptible to rot.   When these logs begin to rot, it often happens very fast.

This one was built right. Notice the drip edging around the perimeter. These logs underneath see very little water. Built to last.

In our assessment, there are basically three options for the home owner:

1) The deck can be removed. This is an option but leaves you with the problem of what to do with a “door to nowhere”

2) The length of the extending logs can be shortened enough to get them inside the drip line. This means cutting them back typically between 12″ and 24″, which eliminates the rotted portion of log. Usually with this option, the railings can be modified and used again.

3) Convert the deck into a roof. To do this, we take off the railings and decking, make a new platform and create a flat roof.

Here are some related links that may be of interest:

Replacing rotten logs
Replacing perlins
Borate as a preservative

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Seeing the forest for the trees – The fine art of log installation

Bottom: Barb, Jed, Jesse, Matt. Top: Jared, Eric, David, Susan, John, Tsavo. Missing: Dan

This note is in homage to the log workers at Edmunds and Company Log Home Restorations who sometimes achieve the impossible and whose work often approaches a level of craftsmanship in restoration that one could safely say is unequaled.  The previous statement is made with deep respect for their skills and extraordinary efforts, sometimes against great odds.

As a crew supervisor, last week I decided it was time to give credit where credit was due when our customer in Cambridge, WI, Joanne D., expressed her appreciation for the log work being done on her home. “Well Joanne, we don’t hire construction workers, we hire sculptors,” I quipped. This is only half true.  You have to be both.

Let me describe the process briefly.  First you have to remove the rotten part of a log on the wall.  This is an arduous task involving running chainsaws in sometimes very difficult positions and postures.  When done incorrectly, the saw would like to jump around in ways that can be very unsettling to the operator.  The removal of the face of the log with air hammers and other hand tools is not unlike dental work.  Now the challenge is to fill this void by shaping a new log to fit in that space and look like the old one, finally blending into the wall in a way that pretends no work was ever done.  Perfection is the goal, near perfection the reality.

Now comes the creative part of the process.  The easy part is we all know what the goal is.  The difficult part is how to achieve it.  Each worker brings a slightly different approach and mindset to the task.  This is not a science, but closer to an art, or at least a craft.  Yes, we have to measure things, but unlike the mistake often made by scientists where measurement is confused with precision, for us measurements and reference lines are only loose guides, all the while knowing the shape of the log and the space it is to fill will dictate the final result.  In other words, we arrive at precision through intuition, trial and error, skill, and a test of one’s patience that at times borders on exasperation. (more…)

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Log homes: Leaky roofs can lead to expensive repairs

Log homes: Important to keep your roof from leaking to prevent some expensive repairs down the road.

This is damage to the interior of a log wall after years of leaking... not many get this far along.

One common problem that we encounter in our inspections of log homes is leaky roofs or problems with water going where it does not belong. From the standpoint of protection of a log home or cabin, it is of utmost importance to keep the logs dry. This informs everything we do when it comes to maintaining log homes. Here are the areas to keep particular watch over in order to maintain a good roof system on a log home.

Give your home a check up around the upper roof areas, being sure to check:

1.  Valleys that concentrate water into one area of the roof. If leaks develop here, these can quickly become major problems. It is important to note that water from a leaky roof does not always leak into the house. Sometimes it goes into the soffit (the area of roof outside the “house part”). These leaks can sometimes be hard to notice. If the under-side of your soffit or overhang is wet after a rainstorm, more investigation is necessary. (more…)

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Log rot repair – Epoxy fillers are not a good solution.

There are many different companies on the Internet selling “stuff” to fix problems with rot in log homes. These include borate rods, liquid treatments and epoxy fillers.  If you’ve found this blog post, you have likely seen a few of these sites.  One of the most common log rot repair products out there is generically called “epoxy fillers”.  Basically this type of product is advertised as something one would use to fill holes where rot has happened.

Over the years, we at Edmunds & Company have worked on a number of buildings that have had epoxy “repairs” done on the logs in the past. We have seen that this type of repair does not last and at worst, it can cause further rot.

This is what is wrong with epoxy: Let’s start with the basic fact that epoxy is not wood.  Epoxy expands and contracts at a different rate than wood does. Here in lies the problem.  A few years after the epoxy patch is done, the wood surrounding the patch loosens and cracks appear around the epoxy.  When this happens, water is allowed to make its way into these cracks. Once the water finds its way in, the rot continues.  (See Why Do Logs Rot) (more…)

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Stories from on the road

"Quality is an understatement with the Edmunds group and their high-quality restoration work. We had a plaque made stating 'This home restored with superior craftsmanship by Barb, Blaise, Daniel, Jared, Jed, Jesse and Matt'. (Notice it on the wall behind them.) We would also like to add that those named above are the most wonderful people personally. Our very highest compliments to Edmunds & Company." Ken and Kay Uecker, Janesville, WI

Log Home Restoration – Stories from our work on the road

Jesse Sopiwnik, one of our site supervisors, wrote this account about an incident that happened last year when he and his crew were on a job in Janesville, Wisconsin.

In our business, there can be basis for some unlikely situations. We rarely have problems with our customers, at least problems that we cannot solve. Because many of our projects are on log structures that are second homes, the customer is not there to witness our work.

On the other hand, sometimes we work on primary residences. The customers are there having to tolerate the roar of chainsaws, tools and equipment scattered everywhere, and the dust and devastation of removing rotten logs. It often gets uglier before it gets better. This is sometimes hard to explain to customers who have never seen this kind of work being done before. (more…)

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