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Hand Hewn Log Cabins

Hand Hewn Log Cabins

Log Home Restoration: Things you should know from my experience (I live in one)

Log Home maintenance is a vital part of the overall experience for registration from home. Enjoying the beauty of rustic decor is very satisfying, but to neglect or postpone regular maintenance rustic could turn into ruin. Too often, the homeowner is too busy or maybe just unfamiliar with what it takes to keep a log home protected from the harsh elements. Regular inspections should be performed regularly and take appropriate action when a problem is found. Unlike stick built homes, records that a machine milled, hand-carved with flat or beams all have one thing in common. Either kiln dried or air dried, it expands and contracts as the temperature and moisture changes. Warping and twisting can occur causing the joint to separate, sealants and caulking fail to sag, and problems with the patch of accession. If not addressed, air and insects can easily enter the house causing not only a nuisance but make the house less energy efficient. Moreover, water infiltration can cause problems with mold and mildew, unsightly stains from the records and most importantly, the wood rot. This can be easily avoided. The following checklist can be used as a guide to help keep your home in good condition of registration, and beautiful weather tight for years to come.

1. Walk around your log home and really take note of problems or potential problems. You may be surprised at the list to compile.

2. If possible, it is a good idea to check up on the roof for loose or damaged tiles. Verify that the vent pipe flashings pipe are adjusted around the pipe and properly sealed with herpes zoster. Also, check the chimney flashing, rain diverters, gutters and downspouts. Time to close adequate drainage gutters. Clogged and backed up gutters fascia boards due to rot quickly and are difficult to detect from the ground. These issues apply to all households.

3. Take time to review the records and lining up close. Look for any mold growth. Where there is mold, there is often a problem humidity. Check for bushes or tree branches that can be trimmed back to allow more sun exposure and air circulation.

4. Check registries, the coating and finishing of small holes and / or sawdust. This is a sure sign of insect activity. Carpenter ants, wood borers, boring bees and a host of other insects can make thousands of dollars in losses in a relatively short period of time. Any holes should be saturated with a insecticides and caulked or plugged by the size of the hole. If your house has never had borate treatment is highly recommended when the house was stripped and before applying new sealant, the borate should be used to keep records of putrefaction and insects. This is not a long and difficult process, but requires a adequate knowledge applicator and drying time.

5. Check the corners, the boards of registration, butt joints, window and door trim and other areas, such as dryer vents, covered receptacle, HVAC lines of plumbing fixtures and caulking failure. Installed correctly, caulking is well maintained. The problem we find is that most of the time backer rod is not used when necessary and more applied caulking or under used and not "carved" in the joint or seam properly. When applied incorrectly, even the slightest movement will cause the putty registry to separate. The more records separately greater the chance of air, insects and water infiltration. Caulking Inspection and registration of your home should be a semi-annual project. If done on a regular basis, the average home could be maintained weather tight in just a couple of hours. Will be time and money well spent!

6. Test the finished record. Splash a little water in the timber. Do you have up and roll off, or soak into the wood? If it soaks into the wood, the finish is not doing its job. A well-sealed register (or any type of timber) should repel water. If not, it is time to return to the layer. If your home has reached this point, you should call a professional. The inspection and survey revealed the housing condition and determine what is necessary to establish a protective layer.

7. What kind of stain to apply to your home involves some thought. Depending on what is important to you, your personal preferences and location of the house will dictate which products will best suit your needs. The best advice is to stay away from the marks of Big Box store. There are some that under certain circumstances preforms pretty well, but overall retail products can not be sustained in the records.

8. Consult a professional. We do this every day. We have seen the products and contractors come and go. We have tried to target = "_new"> registration of many different products for restoration of his house and found some better than others. We only use products that work and use in my own log house. I love my job, but after working in wooden houses of my client, I really do not want to spend my free time working in the mines replace inferior products. If you have questions, call me, I love to help.

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Hand Hewn New Edition List Price: $7.95 See Reviews For This Product

The Classic Hewn-Log House: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building and Restoring List Price: $19.95 Sale Price: $13.57 You save: $6.38 (32%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description Nothing captures the romance of country life quite like a log cabin does — trees cut from the thick woods of the wilderness; hewn by hand into squared-off logs; then stacked to create a sturdy shelter, a warm hearth, a welcoming home. Author Charles McRaven knows these traditional structures from the inside out, and from the outside in. He restored his first log house in 1946, at the age of eleven. Since then he has built and restored hewn-log houses all over the country, and is considered the nation’s foremost authority on the topic. McRaven covers everything from hewing the first log to laying the last chimney stone. Readers will first learn about the history and background of these houses. McRaven then dives deep into describing the details of hewn-log construction, beginning with site selection all the way through to the finishing steps such as plumbing and utilities. Clear, how-to line illustrations accompany the text throughout. A fullcolor gallery of finished structures shows that, durable though they are, hewn-log houses are also warm, inviting, and artful homes. Features ISBN13: 9781580175906 Condition: New Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Hand-Hewn: The Art of Building Your Own Cabin Sale Price: $50.00 See Reviews For This Product

Building and Restoring the Hewn Log House Sale Price: $175.60 See Reviews For This Product

A Home From the Woods: Adventures and methods restoring and building authentic log cabins Sale Price: $16.95   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product Description If you’ve ever dreamt of building your own log cabin, or wondered if or how it could be done, you’ll find the answers and inspiration here. Half personal narrative, half how-to, A Home From The Woods details the methods used for four different log cabin projects: Uncovering and Restoring A Standing Cabin; A Hand-hewn Cabin; Building with Rounded Logs; and Taking Down and Recreating An Original Log Cabin. That straightforward advice is countered with a first person narrative as the author relates his young family’s experiences and misadventures completing these projects. With little finances and less know-how, but plenty of determination and a little creativity, they proved again and again that if you long for that idyllic cabin of earth and wood, it can be achieved. And, even if you’ll never set first foot in the forest you’ll be entertained reading what some people will put themselves through for “the simple life” in the country.

Building the Alaska Log Home List Price: $29.95 See Reviews For This Product Description "This thorough book on traditional hand-hewn log construction has a warm, friendly text and 192 pages of full-color photos of work at some amazing home sites" ("Washington Post"). "A unique and valuable guide".--"Country Living Magazine". 210 color photos. 41 drawings.