A Log Home Inspection

Some friends of mine, a young couple, are looking at purchasing a log home in the area. It's a nice home with a very appealing design. Unfortunately, it has a few issues to take care of before closing. Some of the log ends have deteriorated and will need repair. Many of the ends are sticking out far, even past the eaves. It's a perfect example of how gutters, log eaves, well-stained log ends, and caulking on upward-facing checks could have gone a long way to prevent headaches down the road. The existing problems are repairable, but protecting the log ends better would have prevented them altogether.

For the areas where there is enough sound wood that replacement isn't necessary, repair will include flooding the rotted wood with borates like Penetreat to kill rot, filling the void with WoodEpox, and finding ways to keep water out of the log in the future. Preventing future rot includes keeping the logs underneath the overhang (even if that includes trimming them back), caulking upward-facing cracks, and soaking the ends with a log home stain that will keep water out while maintaining the log's ability to breathe. Go here for more tips on log repair.