Logs are not maintenance free. The first thing to remember about a log home maintenance is that it is an all wood structure. As obvious as this statement might seem, many home owners apparently think of logs as though they were made of some alloy impervious to insects or decay. In fact, there has never been, nor is there likely to be, an all wood home in North America that does not require maintenance. This is as true of logs as it is of stud walls and wood siding.

Improper home designs which allow moisture to remain in contact with wood, poor construction practices that permit water infiltration into log joints or lack of a regular maintenance schedule to prevent insect attack or wood decay will lead to the need for log wall repair. The good news is that these repairs can be done. The bad news is that this specialized work does not come cheap.

The vast majority of radical log home repair jobs are avoidable. In some cases, they are the fault of the company, which sold the buyer on an inadequate wall joinery and sealing system or a design that had short roof overhangs or poor drainage. In others, the onus should rest squarely on the home owner who had “refused to listen to reason” when it had come to the design of his or her home and a prudent schedule of preventive maintenance.