Log Repair
If you have neglected the proper care of your log home you may be staring log rot in the face and trying to figure out the best solution to deal with it. We have you covered at Log Home Rescue. Sometimes homeowners are unaware that they even have log rot until the rotted area unveils itself. There is only one answer to this problem, remove the rot before it spreads further and attracts unwanted insects! 
There is wood putty, wood fillers, and epoxies, but they are only a temporary fix to wood rot problems. They are essentially like putting on a Band-Aid that will fall off in time. The wood fillers can also be just as expensive as replacing the infected area with new wood. Of course, both wood fillers and a new log are going to stand out from the rest of the cabin but there are ways that we at Log Home Rescue have come up with to help those new logs blend in with the rest of the home.
At Log Home Rescue we commonly see log rot and the most common reason for that rot is water. Log corners that are exposed more to rain, logs above a deck where you have rain backsplash coming off a roof, and any area of your home that you may have plants, trees, a propane tank, or a personal item that may cause backsplash is going to be a problem area for your log home. The best advice we can give at Log Home Rescue is for you to remove that canoe or trash can up against you house, cut back all trees and shrubs, install gutters or steel grates, and find ways to divert the water away from your log home.
Check your stain and caulking frequently in these problematic areas. Be observant because the water will wear away at both your caulking and stain overtime. With the proper upkeep, you can avoid repairing logs in the first place.
After removing several logs, Log Home Rescue found that the middle of the logs, below those that are visibly rotted, are also compromised. They should no rot on the exterior, but are clearly still a big problem.
If you do need to replace a log, Log Home Rescue will work to get you the exact type of log and log profile that you currently have on your home. Our sales team is always seeing the work of another company or contractor that was hired and used whatever they could find for logs or log siding, whether it matched the rest of the home or not, and it stands out like a sore thumb. If we can’t find your log manufacturer, then we will have one of the many log mills we have a relationship with produce a profile that replicates what you have.
Another thing that we come across with log rot is insects. Carpenter ants love damp and decaying areas of wood to establish their colonies in so that they don’t have to work for a home, it is just provided for them. Carpenter bees can also destroy your log home over time, so be aware of what they look like as well as what the holes that they will drill into your logs and trim look like. If you find them or their holes, this is a problem that you want to address right away. Log Home Rescue has removed logs where the face of the log only had one or two carpenter bee holes, but those few holes can turn into multiple holes and the tunnels that they can create run quite a distance. You may also notice you have a woodpecker in your neighborhood and he is most likely coming and causing damage to your log home. The woodpecker will go after the carpenter bee larva as a food source. The woodpecker will follow that tunnel that the bee creates until he reaches the tasty treat he wants.
When we produce a quote for your log repair, we can only quote for what we can see or hear in the log and we do our best to give you the most accurate price we can based on our findings. Logs don’t always rot from just the outside. Once a log begins to rot, the water can often destroy the log that is below or above its location. Log Repair can vary in price depending on difficulty of the repair, location, amount of linear ft, and the type of the log. The best repair is the one you never have to make so its imperative to keep up with the finish and caulking on your log home!