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| Maintaining a Maintenance-Free Home |
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| By Jim Cooper |
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Next to the myth about log home costing less than conventional
houses, one of the most pervasive misconceptions is that log homes
are maintenance-free. I have no idea where such a notion originated
because it runs so contrary to common sense. Also, I've never heard
such nonsense promoted by any log home company. Low maintenance
maybe, but never maintenance-free.
Still, a fair number of log home hopefuls have told me how they hate
home maintenance chores and how owning a log home is going to rescue
them from all that drudgery. I advise them: If you want a
maintenance-free home, rent a condo with a maintenance agreement.
Log homes, like any other house, require periodic routine
maintenance. I would go so far as to say that log homes require no
less maintenance than conventional homes; the requirements are
simply different. For example, instead of exterior painting, as on a
wood-sided house, a log home requires the application of a sealant.
The maintenance curve of a log home is also different. In a
conventional home, maintenance tends to increase with the passage of
time. In a log home, maintenance requirements seem to decrease with
time, provided that the house is maintained properly in its early
years
By "log home maintenance," I mean the structural and
cosmetic care required by the unique characteristics of logs and log
construction. Maintaining plumbing, heating and electrical systems
will be no different from conventional houses because the systems
are similar. You do have some control over the maintenance
requirements of your log home. In fact, some of the chores I've
heard log home owners mutter about were brought on by choices they
made in designing and constructing the home Because log home
manufacturers and sales people are not mind readers and one person's
drudgery may be another's hobby, it's not always fair to blame them
for unexpected maintenance chores.
The place to begin reducing maintenance requirements is in the
design stage. Certain design choices or features can either increase
or decrease maintenance requirements considerably. Wide roof
overhangs (24 inches or greater), for example, will protect wall
logs longer from the weathering effects of sun, wind and rain. They
will not eliminate the need for regular applications of an exterior
weatherproofing sealant, but they can reduce the amount of chemical
required and the frequency of application. By protecting the logs
more, they may also slow settlement, thereby affecting other
maintenance concerns, such as checking (the tendency of wood fibers
to separate along the direction of the grain in the log, leaving
short splits, often mistakenly called cracks).
Of course, the ultimate wide overhang is wraparound porches. I'm all
for 'em. They protect the entire log wall instead of just beneath
the overhangs. In addition to reducing exterior maintenance, there's
nothing quite like sitting on a porch swing during a downpour.
Speaking of rain, gutters aren't just to keep raindrops off your
head while you fumble for the front-door key. Their main function is
to direct water away from your foundation. The landscape plan for
your log home should include sloping the ground surface away from
the foundation and using downspouts to carry water well away from
where it might seep back. In addition, any full basement foundation
in rain country should include drain tile around the base. Even with
positive drainage, water can collect around a foundation, finding
its way inside or, worse, cracking or collapsing a wall. If you
don't want gutters, make other provisions, such as a French-drain
system, to carry away water running off the roof.
Your floorplan can influence the amount and kind of maintenance to
expect in your log home. If your lifestyle involves muddy feet or
very dirty clothing, consider an entry with water-resistant flooring
leading to a mud or utility room. A large utility sink can further
reduce the risk of tracking up expensive carpeting or marring
hardwood. You might even consider all-weather flooring-tile, slate
or vinyl-at each entry from the outside. That, coupled with outdoor
mats, can save a lot of floor maintenance.
Interior wall coverings represent another design choice that affects
maintenance. Drywall may be the least expensive, but
tongue-and-groove (T & G) paneling will require the least
maintenance. A good coat of polyurethane will give an almost
permanent finish to T & G, whereas drywall will require periodic
painting to cover scuffs, mars and settlement cracks.
Once design is complete, construction considerations can greatly
affect log home maintenance requirements. Certainly one of the most
important is preliminary insect treatment. Logs may come from the
manufacturer already treated with an insecticide, chemicals may be
available as part of your kit, or treatment may be left up to the
home owners. In any event, logs should receive some initial insect
treatment. Particular treatment depends somewhat on geography and
wood species; to determine your specific needs, ask log home owners
who have lived in their house a few years or call a local
pest-control company.
In addition to log treatment, most areas of the country pre-treat
foundations for termites. A chemical is applied to the soil around
the foundation or before the foundation is backfilled. Periodic
inspection and re-treatment are necessary.
Finally, treat the exterior with a log sealant designed especially
for log homes or exterior wood siding. Look for chemicals that
include pigments to block the ultraviolet rays in sunlight that
cause graying or bleaching. Look for water repellence rather than
waterproofing. The former allows logs to breathe and continue to
season; the latter may trap moisture, leading to wood rot.
During construction, pay particular attention to any settlement
details specified by the manufacturer. These include settling spaces
over doors and windows, settling spaces in interior partitions and
flexible joints in plumbing to avoid pressure on pipes as log walls
settle.
Don't trust any manufacturer's claim that its houses don't settle.
Even if one house doesn't appear to have settled, each log home is
different, and there is too much variability in logs to allow the
claim that settlement never happens.
Many manufacturers also incorporate such features as throughbolts to
keep logs tight as they settle and jacks to lower the roof or
second-floor suspension system to match settling. The adjustments
usually are not difficult; your log producer should provide
procedures and a schedule.
Most logs will contain some knotholes and checks in their exterior
surface. If these are in a position to catch rain water, they can
become the starting points for decay. Knotholes, checks and joints
where water might collect all should be caulked soon after
construction and the caulking inspected periodically. As the logs
season, caulking may need to be touched up or replaced. Several
caulks, designed especially for log homes, are more resilient and
should require less attention than conventional caulk. I've met
people who insist that a properly built log house shouldn't require
caulk. Large timbers and log construction are too variable to permit
eliminating caulk altogether, however. The highest quality
construction cannot completely eliminate the need to caulk.
So far, we've dealt with design and construction details that take
place during the building process. In most cases, they cost little
more to do than not do, but they can save considerable time and
money later when you want to be enjoying your house. Even so, there
are unavoidable periodic maintenance requirements. You can save
yourself some time and headaches by developing a maintenance plan
that describes the type of maintenance and how often it should be
performed. Here are some considerations for ongoing maintenance.
Inspect the exterior of the home at least once a year. Examine any
caulking and touch up as needed. If new checks or insect holes
appear, caulk them as soon as you notice them. Examine the sealant
job and re-treat according to the sealant manufacturer's schedule or
as soon as you notice sun-bleaching, graying or the logs remaining
dark and damp for a prolonged period after a rain.
Inspect for insects and have routine inspections by a professional.
If you live in the woods, you can count on occasional insect visits,
even if there are no serious problems. I recommend a periodic
interior insect treatment by professionals, as is often done with
conventional homes. Pay attention to carpenter ants. They aren't
wood eaters, but they do nest in decaying wood. Their appearance may
mean nothing more than that they are out sightseeing, but it may
also mean they have found a pocket of decay in a log. Follow them to
see where they go, or have a professional track them. Finally,
because firewood and construction materials offer potential insect
housing, store them well away from the house.
Clean gutters at least twice a year, especially if you live in the
woods. Clogged gutters overflow, damaging fascia and creating the
potential for basement water problems.
Inside, inspect periodically for signs of settling: cracks in
drywall or sticking doors and windows. Make any adjustments
according to manufacturers' recommendations. Settling adjustments
are most frequent in the first few years following construction. As
time goes on, change becomes slower until adjustments should no
longer be needed. If your construction system incorporates
throughbolts, be sure to tighten them as the manufacturer suggests.
There are new self-tightening throughbolts available that may
eliminate these steps.
A final word on log home maintenance. The amount and detail depend
somewhat on the tastes and lifestyle of the owner. If perfection is
your goal, doors that never stick, floors that remain perfectly
level, follow maintenance recommendations to the letter. But if you
are a casual kind of person who is not offended by a slight swell in
a floor or a doorjamb out of square, be comforted that a log home
can often absorb more maintenance neglect without showing it than
can a conventional house. Maybe that's where the rumors started that
log homes are maintenance-free. |
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