Log cabin maintenance?

scottmandue · 12:19 PM

I am still a few years away from retirement... but we are starting to plan.
Point #1 is get the heck out of the city.
#2 Is find a home we can buy for cash.
#3 Is it must be single level so we can spend our years not climbing stairs.
#4 Is (my criteria) MUST be low maintenance.
#5 Has no carpets... but that is an easy fix before we moved in so not a deal breaker.

So wife send me this:
5321 Greenwood Hts, Eureka, CA 95501 | Zillow

Great location, a little more $$ that I wanted to spend, I could build a ramp up those front steps... but all that wood! Don't want to spend my golden year sanding and varnishing!

I know paint/varnish tech has come a long way, but for low maintenance should I stay away from a cabin like this? (love the look and feel... and location of this place otherwise)

PS: This place will be long gone by the time we decide to move so this is just a rhetorical question.

Norm K · 09-16-2016, 12:27 PM

Depending on the climate you can expect to have to re-chink a log home every few years. A good washing every Summer will help you identify any areas that might need attention a bit sooner. You'll also get to re-stain it every 4-6 years, again, depending on the climate - more often if you use lower-quality stain.

_

Cdnone1 · 09-16-2016, 01:09 PM

I've got a place in Big bear that is like the place you are looking at. You will love the tin roof as it has been maintenance free for thirty years but it makes a lot of noise when it rains.
I have stripped the exterior down with a wire wheel and re-stained it twice in 30 years but it needs to be done again this year. Prep is key, proper drying between coats and you will get at least ten years maybe more between redoing it

HardDrive · 09-16-2016, 01:41 PM

Don't go cheap on the beaver repellent.

legion · 09-16-2016, 01:55 PM

scottmandue · 09-16-2016, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cdnone1

I've got a place in Big bear that is like the place you are looking at. You will love the tin roof as it has been maintenance free for thirty years but it makes a lot of noise when it rains.
I have stripped the exterior down with a wire wheel and re-stained it twice in 30 years but it needs to be done again this year. Prep is key, proper drying between coats and you will get at least ten years maybe more between redoing it

Thanks! Frankly I will be retiring at +60 so I would farm this out to a contractor but nice to know that expense will be once every 10 years.

What about the interior? What is maintenance on the knotty pine?

look 171 · 09-16-2016, 02:41 PM

Stucco it

Just think about this, will you be able to perform the maintenance when you turn 70?

Bugsinrugs · 09-16-2016, 02:44 PM

Research the product Sikins. More money but lasts much longer.

Cdnone1 · 09-16-2016, 02:48 PM

I've not done anything to the interior but the master gets a lot of light and needs to touched up, it will be the first time.
here is my place

Eric 951 · 09-16-2016, 05:28 PM

The new tech for exterior refinishing is sandblasting with corncob. A place that size could be an easy DIY. A few other considerations--no ductwork, what type of heat/cooling is in that place?
Wood bees-they drill a perfect quarter sized hole then do a 90 degree turn. Then woodpeckers come to eat the bees PITA

You will need to re-chink at certain stages

pete3799 · pete3799's Garage

Depends on the wood.
We built ours with northern white pine (from Maine) and have not done a thing to it in 23 years.

kevin930t · 09-16-2016, 07:28 PM

What a beautiful home

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scottmandue · 09-17-2016, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin930t

What a beautiful home

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

Not sure if you are referencing the cabin in my OP or one of the two nice cabins posted to this thread.

If Time and money were no object I would be all over the cabin in my first post.

Mind you I would do some renovating before moving in.

Funny but one of my concerns is the dirt driveway ( 40" anual rain, I know "buy a Subaru")

On a much darker note... our marriage is not all rainbows and unicorns... not sure we will still be together when I retire

Nickshu · Nickshu's Garage

My business partner has what she calls a "cabin" and I call a "luxury log 2nd home" here in Colorado, built in 2006. I'd guess the place is about 4000 sq feet.

Last year (so about 10 years old) she had the whole thing re-chinked (or whatever it's called) and then stained/sealed along with a few small repairs where logs had settled, etc.

Cost was about $40,000 for the work.

notfarnow · 09-17-2016, 08:33 AM

Be sure to factor in home insurance premiums. I've sold a handful of log homes, and the rates to insure a log home tend to be VERY high in comparison to a conventional stick-build home.

scottmandue · 09-17-2016, 08:51 AM

This would be more my speed:

3622 Middlefield Ln, Eureka, CA 95501 | MLS #245609 | Zillow

Both are in the same town, I fear my wife likes the idea of living in a cabin in the woods but I feel the inconvenience would wear thin after a while.

recycled sixtie · recycled sixtie's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Not sure if you are referencing the cabin in my OP or one of the two nice cabins posted to this thread.

If Time and money were no object I would be all over the cabin in my first post.

Mind you I would do some renovating before moving in.

Funny but one of my concerns is the dirt driveway ( 40" anual rain, I know "buy a Subaru")

On a much darker note... our marriage is not all rainbows and unicorns... not sure we will still be together when I retire

My observation re log homes is that I imagine they are dark inside. Your last comment is a bit depressing and hope you resolve that situation.

scottmandue · 09-17-2016, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

My observation re log homes is that I imagine they are dark inside. Your last comment is a bit depressing and hope you resolve that situation.

Yeah, sorry about that...

I'm going to try to get into couples counseling... I love her and she admits to being codependent (and yes, acknowledging you have a problem is the first step) but we have to move forward to making some changes.

At this point I feel like I'm staring down the barrel of a gun... don't want a divorce but also don't see myself living like this for the rest of my life.

Wow, I just hijacked my own thread!

Cajundaddy · Cajundaddy's Garage

Yep, staying married can be very tough sometimes but if you can work through your differences I think it is worth it. Hang in there...

RE: the cabin? The seller wants about 2x what it is worth for a cabin down a dirt road in the woods. It looks nice but no garage?? Gotta have a garage.

The other house looks much more reasonable for life in the PNW. I have family in Ft Bragg CA and he is with Oakland FD. They are just finishing a house build on their property. The big issue on the north coast is moisture. Mold and moss get into everything due to a lot of rain, mild temps, and proximity to the ocean. They love it there though.

Evans, Marv · 09-17-2016, 04:09 PM

Scott, I'd consider seeing if the marriage difficulties are going to get worked out before jumping into potentially more stress because of a change of homes. Kind of like those couples having trouble and having another baby as a solution. I lived in a log cabin for two summers. It was built in 1941. The last summer I had to dig a trench around the perimeter of it, so the construction crew could come in, jack it up off the ground, and put a new course of logs on the bottom to replace the original that had started to rot from contact with the dirt. They don't make them that way anymore, but I was amazed the original base course had held up that long. It was chinked with oakum and I didn't hear of it ever needing to have it replaced.