Early Maintenance Tips for your new Log Home

Your log home has the potential to last hundreds of years.  The key is keeping it properly maintained.  Because it is a  natural material, the wood is subject to the natural deterioration caused by sunlight and water. Maintaining your log home should not be intimidating.

If you are still in the planning stage for your new Log Home, design in wide roof overhangs and porches to keep the logs dry.  Good design lasts a lifetime.  

Obviously, walls exposed to the weather will be most inclined to need attention. Check your home in the spring and fall.  Check all the walls. Spraying water from a hose onto the logs will tell you whether it is being repelled or soaking into the wood.

Settling and log movement occur most during the first two years. You can expect to "lace up" a house by re-caulking butt joints, doors and windows and any new upward facing checks at this time.  Pay attention to log ends as they are likely to catch the brunt of weathering. 

Small checks that face upward and allow water to enter can not only lead to exterior finish problems, but they can also serve as a channel for the water to possibly work its way to the interior of the home.  Identifying and correcting small problems can save labor and expense if left for extended time.

Mildew has started to grow in this tiny check.

Spindles that fit into a bottom rail must be caulked to prevent rain from collecting at the base and running into the horizontal support rail.