3R Home and Barn Project

[3RRL]

Hi Guy,
Loretta is doing fine, thanks for asking.
We are in the middle of refinishing our wrap-around deck, all the railing around, and the logs on the home and garage. She is still working full time from home, telecommuting so no driving to work or anything like that. And yes, she still helps me on the weekends with all our projects.

We have my tractor at the rental property and her Jinma here at home. I've found out that I can do at 90% of the work or more with her Jinma as I could with the Kama. The main difference is I have to take several smaller passes and loads than with the bigger Kama. And then there are the things the Jinma can't lift or move at all, but the Kama can.

Rob- How's the wife doing now a days? but

As I recall she was a hard worker around your place. Liked the posts about her having her own Jinma tractor.

 

[3RRL]

You're right Eddie,
The bottom logs seem to endure more rain and sun the other more shaded logs. From what I know now, it would be nothing to go around and hand paint them maybe every 5 years, or when weathering shows up with either more stain/sealer combo (Capture), and then a coat of clear coat sealer (Cascade). That is the system they use out here. It's a Shashco water based product. Exterior Stains for Log Homes | Twin Creeks Log Home Supply - Water-Based - Sashco Sealants and Stains | Twin Creeks Log Home Supply When the sheen starts to disappear it's time for a light coat of clear coat Casscade lightly and no back brushing is necessary. Some guys also add a coat of stain/sealer Capture first if they think it needs it, again lightly with no back brushing. Doing so will prevent real wear like on my home which now requires sanding all those badly worn logs ... a ton of work! Had I known the signs when to add refinish instead letting the finish curl up and disappear, the difference in work saved would have been immense.

Make sure that the initial coat is applied as much as the wood will soak up. The ends will take more than the sanded sides of the logs. That is important so that the logs are saturated with stain/sealer making them most resistant to water logging and sun and wind wear. Apply that first coat heavy and back brush into the wood, and add a little more with the brush if it soaks in right away. Wait a day between coats, then add a second coat lightly, and only back brush any runs. Otherwise, there is no back brushing required if the second (and 3rd) coat is applied moderately. What you spend on a little more product up front will pay dividends when other buiders are replacing entire logs on their homes where they skimped on the stain/sealer and clear coat applications!

As far as log settling, I had the builder do the adjustments about 2 or 3 years ago (no charge). Perhaps you remember that all the main posts (which don't settle) have screw posts and nuts for doing that adjustment. You can tell when it's time when some doors become harder to close properly. Another thing to look for is when installing rain gutters, take into account that the logs will settle and the posts supporting the rest or the exterior deck roof will not. Figure 1 to 2 inches. Now I have a couple of gutters that are lower at the closed end instead of the drain end. I'm also having to fix that as well!

Rob, that's good to hear. I've always loved log homes and really enjoyed seeing yours in person. I've worked on several here in East Texas that suffer from rot. they seem to have issues at the very bottom log that is exposed to the splashing from rain, and then on the logs that stick out at the outside corners where water will remain. A full, wrap around porch is the best solution.

Most of all the log homes here are from Satterwhite. They are the local log home company. They use the D style logs that come from standing dead trees in Colorado.

Did you have any settling issues? Did you have to adjust or raise your walls over time?

 

[EddieWalker]

Interesting. I would have never thought about the gutters. Where I'm from in CA, they are building houses on land fill along the edge of the SF Bay and those houses settle so much that all the water lines coming and going have to be flexible.