An online (log home) community for log home enthusiasts.

What To Do First???

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forums and log home living and have some basic questions regarding maintenance.

We purchased a log home last October and have been working on the maintenance issues since we closed. We have gotten to the point that we need some specific advice as to how to proceed since the 28 year old home has suffered from neglect in the past.

The home's construction is handcrafted. The exterior was coated with brown deck stain at some point (we found the can in the garage) and there appears to be some caulking that has 'failed' in places on the south side of the home. The rest of the exterior has never been caulked...nor the interior for that matter... For the most part the logs are sound, but there is evidence of insect or water damage to a few logs which we know will have to be repaired and/or replaced.

I am aware that the home will require a lot of maintenance to bring it back, but with winter just a few months away, we need to button things up. My questions are these:

Should we caulk on the exterior first? If so, is this something that we can do ourselves with the correct type of caulk?

Then, until we can get the questionable logs replaced, should we treat the surrounding logs with insecticide (impel rods) and fill the holes and checking in the logs?

Or will all that be for nothing if we have the house cob-blasted next year?

It is all a little overwhelming, but we are up for the challenge. I guess we just need a little direction as to how to proceed and in what order.

Thank you for your advice.

Donna

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Permalink Reply by Tom Heatherington on July 20, 2008 at 11:52am: Hello Donna and welcome to the neighborhood...

There are owners, manufacturers and restoration people that reside here and I can promise you that you'll get your questions answered. Like you, I'm an 'owner' and my knowledge of maintenance and construction issues is enough to make me dangerous... but I'm no expert. I can assure you that you'll hear from some of them soon.

As to your question, I would recommend that you upload a few pictures so that the experts can give you the best advice. My question of you would be... "are we talking caulk or chink?" If caulk, no problemo - re-caulk for the winter and address the big problems next spring... but if you are talking about chinking, you may have other considerations. Seeing the pictures of your 'problem areas' will help get you the best advice.

Looking forward to seeing some pics and hearing about your progress.

~ Tom
www.logcabindirectory.com
(See list of some companies that specialize in log home repairs and renovation); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Donna on July 20, 2008 at 12:44pm

Thank you Tom for your kind welcome!

We are talking about caulk for this home. There are narrow lines between each "D" log (I'm still learning the log home lingo...) so no chinking is necessary. Thankfully, the house is only one story and I'm thinking that DH and I could do the caulking ourselves. Of course, I've only done caulking on 'regular' homes, so I don't really know how caulking a log home (other than the type of caulk required) would be different. Any guidance there would be appreciated.

OK...so now I know that I CAN caulk right now and that will "hold" me until next year. Great!

I've uploaded photos of the sorely neglected exterior. It is very sad looking and in need of some serious help. The first photo is of the large log checks that need to be tended to. The second photo is of the extremely 'weathered' exterior. The third photo is of the caulk and where they stopped. I suppose to have a better finished product, I should scrape out all the old caulk, right?

I have all kinds of "plans" for the home; cob blasting, repair, light staining, porch adding, re-decking... Yep...I can see this will go on for a while! DH and I have been renovating 'standard' homes for many years, but owning a log home is a whole new animal.

Thanks again for your welcome.

Donna

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Permalink Reply by ANGELA on July 25, 2008 at 12:58pm: First things first: your house has already been neglected for 28 years, nothing is going to happen in the next year that will make anything much worse. In other words, there's no reason to rush through anything or make any quick decision. Good planning will make your project easier and give you better results. Temporary fixes are often a waste of money. I don't think Impel Rods will help you at all.

I happen to work for Perma-Chink and would be happy to take all the time you need to talk you through your project. Give us a call and ask for Angela. 800-548-1231 There is more than one right way to take care of a log house, though, so talk to other finish manufacturers and contractors too. Just make sure they are log home specialists, not your run-of-the-mill stain manufacturer or painter.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Donna on July 25, 2008 at 1:19pm: Thank you Angela for your response.

I have been hesitant to talk with anyone for the very reason that you stated. Most 'contractors' around here are just home improvement guys with no REAL knowledge of log home maintenance and the local log home builders are not interested in talking to me because they are mainly interested in selling NEW log homes...sigh...

Thank you for your kind offer of assistance. I will definitely take you up on it.

Donna; ▶ Reply to This