Log Home Owners?

[twabscs]

Yeah, I know the stain is there for good. The RE agent tried to tell me it would "sand off", but I knew better than that (also raised the "Hmmm" flag). Water stains are always deep.

No worries, I need to hear the truth and the true depth of what I'm getting into here. I'll ask some additional questions. I really don't think the house is over 3-4 years old max so there may be time to save it. I can live with the water stains as long as I get the damage stopped. Over time with some bleaching and other treatments, I'm sure we can reduce the effects of the staining.

Thanks for talking me through this,

 

[To20Chris]

Boy, that's a tough one! Nice place, nice setting, but I agree that water stain will be tough to get out. Assuming the wood turns out to be sound, you'll have to decide what you like the most about the place - the look of the logs, or the land and setting? The overhangs look pretty skimpy, but I suspect the real problem is the chinking, or the window installation if the satins are all below windows. What is the chinking like on a new log structure like that? Or maybe what was it supposed to be like? Something has to shed the water between the logs, or it will pour in, and it kind of looks like it has. Do they put the material in between the logs as they build it, or apply it afterwards as in our old (1835) log house?

Sorry for more questions than answers! You may be able to hide the stains with a high pigment stain, but that will sure change the look. It would also be good to figure out what kind of finish they used on the inside, as I've had trouble with water-based polys on floors that stained like that with just a little bit of water exposure. Sanding all that surface area would be a tough job.

 

[twabscs]

Hi Chris,

All good questions and ones that I'm currently researching. Here's the link to the manufacturer Log Homes

Seems I may also have a problem finding insurance. Going through some old threads here and they mention that log homes are hard to insure. Not sure why, but I'll check that out tomorrow too.

My plan now is to call some of the local dealers to see what they have to say about the damage and see if I can get someone out to do a walk through with me. Not sure if this type of construction needs chinking. However, there's no doubt that a much larger overhang is needed. Having a basement garage also doesn't help with that large northern exposure.

Oh, it seems the home is 7 years old. Initial info pointed at 3-4 years. Seems the details are a bit tough to extract...

 

[Egon]

Chances are the only way to stop the water leaks would be to install siding and reset all the doors and windows. A jacknife probe should be an indication of the log condition.

For some reason I suspect there may be little or no cauking.

Egon

 

[Dave___in___CT]

HI...


Garage... looks like the driveway slopes down to the garage doors... does it ?

It should slope away from the garage... if not... be prepared for water going into there... may have an unexpected pond... look for signs of water entering...

Nice setting !

I'd benchmark the price of this problematic house with building a new home that's done right...


Dave...

 

[rtvman]

Hello Tom,

I live in a log home which is very similar to this one. I must say that the water stains that you have shown us here are definitely concerning. I had similar water stains inside my home which was caused by the failure of the flashing around my stone chimney. I was amazed how quickly the staining occurred after just a couple of heavy down pours. I am happy to say that the flashing has been fixed and I do not have anymore problems with that. In my case repairing the stain damage was fairly simple to do but time consuming. I had to sand and refinish the entire wall in order for it to match up correctly with the other adjoining walls. A lot of work but simple to do. I doubt seriously that you have damage beyond repair from what I see in your pictures. Knowing that you will be faced with a lot of repair work (don't underestimate your time!) to get it back to snuff, I would figure this into your bid for the house. Obviously, the current owner knows that he is handicapped with this so I bet
you could negotiate a really good price! My advise to you is to proceed with caution, get a second opinion from someone you trust and negotiate the best deal.
I should also add that beyond fixing the water problem you will need to consider the maintenance of the logs on the outside. Sun and weather play havoc on wood and will need to be cleaned and refinished about every 3-4 years. Good luck to you!

 

[SPIKER]

All good replys so far:

the icepick probe is a great tool to check for ROT or if it is just discolored. chinking on that style of log is not real common, depending on the profile it has between the logs. staining has to be done like others said 3~5 yr cycle as needed and gets fewer as it gets older. the first years it needs done more often. I would buy a few log home books and get some calls into log restores quick prior to making a bid. they all have adds in the back. get names # numbers from them and call any local log builders too for actions tellthem you will be looking to repair it if need be and will be hireing it out. anyhow most of the info is good. the window wall appears to be log siding maybe rather than full log walls around those windows and that is why they look different. will need a sand & re-seal/stainging to match and also will probably have to go darker...

hope you have good lck.

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[dmccarty]

Tom,

We looked into getting a log home but decided that it was not worth the trouble and risk. Trouble meaning that the walls have to be sealed to protect from water, wood peckers can be an issue, bugs, water leakage regardless of the sealent, etc. Risk in missing an area of wall, getting a loan and/or insurance.

I did a search on the Internet and within 30 minutes or so found enough scary stories to stay away from a log home. I'm sure people live in them without problems but I'm into No Maintainence or Low Maintainence. We are building a brick house. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

One thing I picked up in my research was that logs with lots of knots can be a problem. The knots can allow rain water to soak into the house. More knots also means cheaper wood. How much money do you pay for a piece of lumber that has no knots? How much for a piece with lots of knots? We looked at one sales home and I was most uniimpressed with the huge number of knots as well as all of the checking in the logs. This house had lots of porches which are very nice. But porches are expensive. BUT they are a good idea on log homes since it keeps the rain water off the walls...

I also did not like the homes that had corners where the logs extended past the sides of the house. It looks good but its an inventation for water problems.

When you are looking at the house see if it looks like its the chinking and/or the knots causeing the leakage. Would the addition of porches help. If so deduct that from the selling price.

Later,
Dan McCarty

 

[twabscs]

Thanks everyone for the excellent replies and feedback.

I called about insurance and my agent says that it is similar to stick-built homes and shouldn't be an issue, at least not in this area. The primary difference is how to price the "replacement cost" of the home, but that can be negotiated.

Also spoke with the manufacturer and tried to get in contact with a local dealer (no answer all day, Hmmm). They indicated that the local dealer had done a number of "fixes/restorations" and that it is common (Hmmm). Will continue to seek out an expert that can visit the home for direct feedback.

I'm going by there tomorrow for a more detailed analysis of the home. Will also be looking at other properties as this one definitely has issues. My plan is to make a low offer that would compensate for all risks if accepted.

Thanks,

 

[moeh1]

It rained like the devil the year I built mine and I got alot of staining. If it is only surface i.e. no deep rot there are several ways to reduce it, including a few chemical washes that are bio friendly. I used a TSP and bleach solution and a stiff nylon brush with good results, but mine was fresh. One way to really clean up is corn cob media blasting. Ads show black logs coming back to almost pristine. New Chinking materials are available that are wonderful compared to what was likely used. Sashco has some great perspectives on restoring on their site,as well as a product line ( I don't work for them). Menco and Schroeder have a lot of products on their site, have a look ( I don't work for them either). When you have done the best you can, everybody has graduated levels of pigments stains ( with free or cheap samples available) and you can blend the walls to look uniform if you are willing to darken to that level. If it isn't rotten, I wouldn't let it stop me, but I'm a glutten for punishment.
Good Luck