Posted: 1/12/2017 4:39:06 PM EDT
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Found a house that I like, just looking for opinions from those that do or have owned a log home. I read about termites and carpenter bees/ants and mildew and staining it every 3-5 years. Anything else I should watch out for?
This one was built in 2009, it's on 3 acres but the driveway goes across other people's property which there is a legal agreement to use. Plenty of woods around it and a huge pond / small lake out front. I checked the flood zone stuff it says it's not in one. It's only 1160 sq ft and been on the market almost a year, hopefully that gives me negotiating leverage. Plus the dumbass driveway situation. It's WAY off the road though, ideal for what I want. No pics becuase opsec |
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I helped build one way back in the 70's.
We used all lodge pole pine, peeled and seasoned for a year before we started. First thing is, nothing is square. Nothing. My brother has been living in it since then. He does his oiling thing on the sides I think every other year. You might want to make sure everything is accessible, like plumbing and electric. Nothing worse than climbing around in mud trying fix a leak in the middle of winter. (Yes he had to do this. He learned) Good luck and I hope you make the deal. |
| I think getting a loan is often a problem. But I would check to see how much they know and did on adjusting and maintaining as part of the process. After looking these over before they do take regular upkeep. I seem to recall the need to tighten the metal fasteners if used. That could be something to check. |
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They look great but can be costly to maintain. Had a part time job refinishing them in highschool. That job sucked, sanding the old coat off, restrain then seal. The stuff we used back then lasted 5-6 years modern stuff may last longer. I know I would get one of those termite/pest contracts. Being able to shoot in my back yard would be epic though, especially for videos. |
| Grew up in a fake'ish log home. Tongue and groove knotty pine inside and half logs outside. You are spot on in regards to maintaining the exterior and insect problems. The one thing I hadn't seen mentioned , and may not apply or matter to you, is that the interior finish keeps getting darker over the years. Other than the seemingly constant maintenance it was just my style.... loved it. |
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Also in regards to refinishing the exterior (again, half logs), I'd spray some type of bleach smelling solution on an area, let it sit for an hour or two, pressure wash, let dry for a day or two, and then re-stain. Like another poster said , there is probably better options now than in the 90's.
Country Living is the best! Shooting whenever I want (or have time to) is awesome. Good luck ! |
| If it does not have porches all around try to check to see if the corners are water tight. I had one built for me in 2007 and in heavy windy rains the corners would leak. Partly I think because of checking near the butt ends of the logs, partly because it's hard to seal a corner well. Porches tend to block the rain from right up against the logs. |
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Grew up in a fake'ish log home. Tongue and groove knotty pine inside and half logs outside. You are spot on in regards to maintaining the exterior and insect problems. The one thing I hadn't seen mentioned , and may not apply or matter to you, is that the interior finish keeps getting darker over the years. Other than the seemingly constant maintenance it was just my style.... loved it. The interior getting darker is a real issue. Do people with drywall ever paint all the walls with deep dark brown paint? Also if you have round logs in the inside, you will be spending time dusting the tops of the logs. |
| I had a log home built back in '94, made of lodgepole pine. It was milled on site to be the square log with dovetail corners, approx. 4200 sq. ft on 2 floors with a full basement with 10 ft ceilings. The "perfect" home - yea right. First of all, I checked with every insurance company I could find - no problem getting it and it was comparable to the stick built home I sold, but I did get a discount for fire alarms built in with the security system. The upkeep on one is a killer if you want to keep it looking new. Every year I stripped and resealed the outside of it using a product similar to Thompsons Water Seal and at the end of 2008 when I sold it the house looked like it had just been built. Sure, it's a lot of work but worth it to me. Now that I'm a little older (pushing 60) I want more time to enjoy life a little and not work so much! |
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There's a lot of different ways to build a "log home".
They all have different issues. I'm a member of the Log home builder's association of North America. I wouldn't buy a commercial milled log home unless there was a compelling reason to do so. There's a ton of stuff that has to be done correctly to get an actual chinked log home right, it takes a decade, nobody does that. These days it's difficult to get appropriate timber to do it in CONUS. |
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Quoted:
There's a lot of different ways to build a "log home". They all have different issues. I'm a member of the Log home builder's association of North America. I wouldn't buy a commercial milled log home unless there was a compelling reason to do so. There's a ton of stuff that has to be done correctly to get an actual chinked log home right, it takes a decade, nobody does that. These days it's difficult to get appropriate timber to do it in CONUS. |