Maintaining Your Log Home

Maintenance on a log home begins with annual inspections. It is important for the home owner or property manager to perform these inspections to develop an understanding of how the building is ageing. By doing this you will begin to note possible problem areas, locate early decay that you may have been unaware of or find a flaking finish that needs refinishing. This is a basic checklist that we reccomend to homeowners to use to help determine if any services are neccesary.

Does my log home have…

Dark patches around the base?
Gaps between the logs?
Cracked or weathered chinking or caulking?
Upward facing checks or cracks?
Wood boring insect holes?
Soft spots or hollow sounding logs when tapped?
Vegetation growing up or around logs?
Faded and or flaking finish?
Logs extending past roof line?

If your log home has one or more of these issues it is a good time to have us come out to do full analysis of your property. Our log specialists can help determine the best course of action to help preserve your investment and prolong the life of your log home for years to come.

For maintaining your Log home you may wish to do some of the smaller projects on your own. We recommend that you consult with Schroeder Log Home Supply out of Grand Rapids MN. They are a great company with a knowledgable staff that can assist you with any questions you may have.

Easy Maintenance

There are a few simple things you can do to help maintain your log home.

One thing you should do is to cut back any plants or trees that are in contact with or close to your log home. Leaves will shade the logs so if there is rain or moisture the logs will not dry as rapidly as they should, and if in contact with they will keep them damp for very long periods of time.
Have gutters installed if you do not have them already. Water splashing up from the ground is one of the worst problem causers we see for log homes. Hiring a contractor to come to your property to install gutters will be much cheaper then having to replace your sill logs in the future because of something that was completely preventable.
During the fall makes sure leaves do not build up against logs. If so simply rake them away, a very easy step that does make a difference.
During the winter take the time to shovel around your building where there is snow drifted up against the logs. If snow drifts are left once spring arrives the warming and cooling can keep the logs under the snow wet for weeks.
I have seen instances where people have had boards leaning up against thier home in the back. It seems fairly innocent, but can create a shaded damp area. It does not have to be boards, but as part of your personal maintenance keeping "clutter" away from your home can also be a simple way to help keep your home free from deterioration.
The most important thing is to form a relationship with your home and develop an understanding of what is going on in and around your logs. Having this "relationship" will allow you to know when something is a potential problem. Log homes are not the same as vinyl siding, that is the reason we love the and hate them sometimes. They need a little extra care, but they can offer so much more. So take the time to walk around your home once or twice a year and just look at what is going on.