Log Home Maintenance, Restoration and Repair in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Log Home Inspections are also available for Handcrafted or Milled Kit Log Homes.
Why do log homes need maintenance and repair?
To keep a log home from deteriorating, it must be kept dry or rot can get in. Rot is caused by a microscopic organism that eats away at the wood. And then the insects get in, but that’s another story. Rot needs four things to get established:
- Temperatures between 15º and 32ºC (60º and 90ºF)
- Oxygen
- A food source, i.e. wood
- Moisture in the wood fibre of 20% or more.
Moisture is the the only one of these factors that we have control over.
How to keep your log home dry and prevent rot
Exterior finish
The exterior finish on the logs is very important. You want the log to repel rain, but also to breathe, to be able to get rid of moisture that gets into the log because of humidity, temperature and other factors. Basically, you need GORE-TEX, but for wood! And given our maritime climate, it needs to be applied regularly.
Build high
If you’re building new, set the house high on its foundation to reduces water splashing onto the lower logs. It also keeps soil and vegetation from interfacing with the logs. Lifting an existing house onto a new foundation is a big job.
Caulk and chink
The caulk or chink between the logs must be kept in good condition. Take advantage of developments in the technology. Modern caulks are silicon-based latex. It’s also important to seal around windows and doors.
Keep stuff away
Keep your stuff away from the logs to prevent splashing and to allow the logs to dry when it isn’t raining. That includes propane tanks, woodpiles, etc.
Overhangs
Does your house have adequate overhangs? More is better.
Gutters
Good working gutters can really help to keep the water splashing off the roof, down to the ground or a deck, then on to the lower logs – which is the number one cause of rotten logs in a log home.
About decks
If your log home has a deck, the lower logs behind the deck are vulnerable from (a) splashing and (b) UV light and heat from the sun. Limit decks around a log home, and make sure to use proper flashing between the logs and the deck. It will be hard to get at those logs to re-stain them once the deck is on. That area needs to be completely sealed.
Windows
Make sure that the logs under your windows are not vulnerable. There must be a complete seal between the bottom of the window and the log below. Any sill must direct water away from the window.
Please contact us if you need help restoring or maintaining your log home.
