To keep your log home exterior maintenance up, we recommend that you follow these steps to maintain your curb appeal.
- Make sure to hose down the exterior once or twice a year to remove dirt. Otherwise microorganisms in dust and dirt may eat away at any finish on the exterior material.
- Check around doors, windows, sill plates, vents in your roof, for any intrusions in your home, and for leaks or cracks in the seals.
- Inspect downspouts, gutters and any place rain or other sources of water may splash up onto your walls. This should include exterior railings or trim. Make sure downspouts are running the water at least 5 feet away from your foundation.
What type of exterior maintenance does a log home require that a conventional home does not?
All log homes do not require the same maintenance and all frame homes do not require the same maintenance, so there is no simple answer to this question. A frame home that has wood siding on the exterior will require the same maintenance as a log home. If you choose a Gastineau Oak log home (https://oakloghome.com/why-oak-log-homes/), maintenance is more cosmetic because the wood is naturally resistant to insects and decay. If you own a Gastineau Pine log home, we recommend that you apply Borates on the exterior of the logs every two years in addition to cosmetic treatment. The exterior stain will maintain a fresh wood look on the logs for many years.
The other aspect of exterior maintenance is caulking the horizontal joints. Gastineau Log Homes incorporated a caulk channel into our exterior joint in 1994 which allows for placement of backer rod into the joint prior to caulking.
What interior maintenance is required to make sure my home is well maintained?
Here you will find some significant differences between log homes and homes that are all drywall inside. A log wall may usually be wiped down with a rag to remove dust and that will be the only maintenance you will need for a long time. Drywall will require repainting about every 7 – 10 years and if there are any “accidents” they will require patching.
Gastineau Log Homes has over 40 years of experience helping people realize their dream of building a log home. Contact us today and let’s explore your log home dream together.
