Log Home Cosmetic Surgery

The biggest problem in buying an antique log house: surprise discoveries of rot. This is most common where logs intersect at corners and where additions are built on and poorly sealed. Some of our logs had serious rot issues, and we even had to remove an entire wall in the dining room because the previous owner's awesome craftsmanship in building the new addition allowed water to leak in and settle in the bottom logs, which in turn attracts termites.

In removing this wall, we had to install a pump jack to support the logs above it, pour a new section of foundation and build the framing for a sheetrock wall. I admit to having little to do with this process.

S's dad points out where the rotten logs were chopped off and removed:

However, we are fortunate to have the best of the best helping us to fix them. It just so happens S's childhood friend Chris is in the log house restoration business, and Chris's grandfather is one of the most respected log home experts around the Mid-Atlantic. Having them in the neighborhood = huge blessing.

Lately Chris has started working to get everything sound and sealed. We had some rot at the corners, and he first had to cut out the bad parts and shore up the corner with a 4x4 post. Then he cut a full-sized log (recycled from where the new front door was installed) into these thin veneers:

Then he nailed them over the places where the rot had been, painstakingly matching the shapes and cracks so well that in some places you can't even tell the log is not continuous!

Once he's done sanding, staining and chinking, I really think you won't be able to tell that they've been patched unless you get really close. Amazing! Thanks Chris!