Log homes during the winter
Oct 23, 2008 Uncategorized
As the temperature drops, problems arise especially to those living in log homes. Before the snow flies, make sure to inspect the condition of your logs. Pay attention to the areas of your home that are subject to splashing or accumulation of heavy snow.
Take the following pieces of advice to maintain your log homes cozy and energy – efficient during winter.
- Know your maintenance duties to deal with before winter starts
Inspect the chinked joints of your log homes. Pay special attention to seals at corners and in vulnerable locations close to the ground, where rain or snow from previous winters may have weathered or loosened the sealant. If the sealant is damaged, pull it off and replace it. Sometimes, what you only need is touch up gaps. In other instances, you might have to remove the sealant and replace it. Never add new sealant on top of the old, loose materials because this will only join the old one allowing air and water in your log wall.
Spray your log walls with a garden hose to determine if the wood preservative has been compromised. If water beads and runs off, they’re ok. If the wood darkens and stays damp – or you find gray or black splotches on the logs – its time to reapply a preservative.
Give your gutters a thorough cleaning, and make sure downspouts are free to carry water away from your home. Position splash blocks so water can’t reach the logs. Trim shrubs and don’t forget to rake leaves – they absorb moisture like a sponge and create conditions favorable to wood rot.
Call a professional to checkup your heating system thoroughly. Make sure that the furnaces, boilers and heat pumps are in good condition and do not forget to replace the filters. Check the fireplace chimneys if there are birds or chipmunks nesting there. Install a damper in the flue.
Examine the window glass seals and check if they’re carefully intact. Look if the area between the double – pane windows is clear and not cloudy.
- Prevent critters from hollowing up your log homes
Do not just sit there and wait for the critters. Remember the medical saying that it is always important to prevent than cure? This is also true to our case during winter season. So, get up and look for any opening in your roof which can allow critters to enter. Make sure to cover up the soft ball - size openings by heavy gauge wire mesh. Do not use light window screens because these can be easily chewed by these not so friendly creatures. Remember to check the crawlspaces that can provide entry to chipmunks, mice, squirrels and the like. After all, they are tenants during winter that do not pay rent at all.
- Avoid the formation of ice dams in your roof
When moist air inside your log homes settles underneath your roof, snow on top of it will melt; thus, ice dams form. The said melted water runs down the roof until it hits the overhung unheated roof and freezes. The ice tends to accumulate and forms a dam in that part of your roof and a fabulous ice sculpture will be formed. However, your problem will start here because this ice formation can destroy your gutters and create leaks into your roofs.
But don’t panic. You can still do something about it. If you log home has an attic, always inspect it regularly to make sure that the insulation layer is intact. Just in case you’re just on the planning stage of having a log home, you still have the chance to prevent this worse scenario. Involve yourself in the construction part of building your homes. Be sure that the workers will install vapor and insulation barriers to prevent having ice dams.
- Make sure window glass seals are intact
Create a seal that stops air and water as close to the surface as possible. Keep water from getting behind the trim. If you prefer to have the caulk seal visible around the window and door trim, remove the trim and seal behind it before replacing. But remember that exposed cavities between logs and trims provide habitat for the insects during warm weather. Thus, make sure your window glass seals are intact. If there is cloudiness in between the double – pane windows, that means the seal has been broken. Call a window manufacturer or window company to replace the glass units.
- Check your wood burning place
During winter, everyone loves to sit in front of the roaring blaze set in the fireplace. If you don’t want to spoil your ultimate time to warm your body, get ready for the winter. Install glass doors to prevent the warm air to go out.
Consider the installation of dampers to the chimneys. When the fireplace is not in use, cold air settles in the chimney and flows through the damper back inside your home. A top damper seated on the op of the chimney and prevents the water and air to come in.
These are just some of the tips we can check out when the winter season comes. This will definitely ensure the safety and comfort of the log home owners.
Tags: advice, do it yourself, home, how to, ideas, log, maintenance, services, winter
Finding Rots and Decays in your Log Home
Oct 11, 2008 Log home maintenance
A simple technique to help you locate any areas of rot or decay is by tapping the logs with a hammer every few feet. Sound wood will have a nice resonate tone. Rotten wood will have a dull thud. The best preservative for your logs are the borates. They are less toxic to humans than table salt, they don’t change the color of the wood, they have no smell and they poison the wood as a food supply to just about every wood destroying organism know to man, including decay fungi, beetles, and termites. However, there are limitations. Wood needs to be retreated about every 5 years, the wood needs to have some moisture to allow for proper diffusion and you must apply and maintain a water repellent finish over the borate treated wood to keep them from leaching out. Given these few limitations, Borates become very inexpensive insurance against a host of problems. Borates disperse into wood through a process called diffusion. Better that you can Consult Experts to do this. Click here for More Info on Maintenance of your Log Home.
Jaworski Coatings Inc.
Tags: Log home maintenance, Log Home Refinishing, Log Home repair
Log Homes Interior Design
Oct 1, 2008 Uncategorized
Log Home Contemporary and Modern Design Style
Modern and contemporary interior design styles for Log Homes are defined by clean lines accentuated by sculptural furnishings, art, and bold contrast. Some find a contemporary style stark and unwelcoming while others find the underlying simplicity refreshing. Almost everyone can enjoy the uncluttered, relaxing vibe of a modern style.
Colors used in contemporary and modern design for Log Home range from neutrals to bright colors, though it is the use of black that defines the contemporary palette. Muted colors and monochromatic color schemes are also popular in modern interior design including hues of white, cream, brown, and taupe. Pops of color are often added with accessories and accent furniture pieces.
Interior Design For Log Homes
Through the use of negative space, each element in contemporary design has the appearance of independence while still contributing to the overall design of the room. Architectural and functional elements enhance textural interest and line.
Contemporary Decor
The underlying simplicity of line, shape, and form in contemporary design requires only a few well placed accessories. Contemporary art is simple, dramatic, and large in scale. Art pieces are set off from other elements in the room by lighting or solo placement on a pedestal. Textures such as brushed metal, chrome, and glass are popular in modern kitchen and bathroom designs.
Log home Decor
Woods like birch, ash, and maple are commonly seen in contemporary flooring and cabinetry. Plush or shag rugs add comfort and texture to wood or tile floors and help to round out the color palette. Lighting is an exceptionally important element in contemporary design. Recessed lights are used to wash walls and highlight art, while unique accent light fixtures serve as art statements.
Contemporary Furniture
During the early twentieth century, innovative materials started a revolution in furniture design. As a result, contemporary and modern furniture designers developed pieces from materials like acrylic, steel, plastic, and molded plywood. Influential design movements for modern furnishings include Scandinavian style, Bauhaus, and Art Deco. New materials are still being pioneered by contemporary designers who often seek out green design solutions.
Contemporary and modern furniture is often created in unconventional shapes with clean, smooth lines and no frills, ruffles, or carved details. Fabrics used on upholstered furnishings are often cotton or linen in solid neutrals, black, or bold colors. Sofa and chair skirts are flat or box pleated while exposed legs are thick and solid. Pillows, in clean geometric shapes, can be used to add a shot of color.
Since all contemporary and modern furniture is cleanly shaped, the upholstery is really what defines the casualness or formality of the room. Furniture upholstery in modern design tends to be low maintenance fabrics like cotton, microfiber, and leather. Upholstery colors range from bold primary colors to neutral hues of putty, cream, and black. More about Log Home Coatings and Restoration…
Tags: Log Home Decoration, Log Home Interior Design, Ohio Log Homes
Traditional log buildings in North America
Oct 1, 2008 Log Cabin History
Log cabins were built from logs laid horizontally and interlocked on the ends with notches (British English cog joints). Some log cabins were built without notches and simply nailed together, but this was not as structurally sound. Modern building methods allow this shortcut.The most important aspect of cabin building is the site upon which the cabin was built. Site selection was aimed at providing the cabin inhabitants with both sunlight and drainage to make them better able to cope with the rigors of frontier life.
photo credit: Let Ideas Compete Proper site selection also placed the home in a location best suited to manage the farm or ranch. When the first pioneers built cabins, they were able to “cherry pick” the best logs for cabins. These would be old growth trees with few limbs (knots) and be straight with little taper. Logs of this type did not need to be hewed to fit well together. Careful notching minimized the size of the gap between the logs and reduced the amount of chinking (sticks or rocks) or daubing (mud) needed to fill the gap. The length of one log was generally the length of one wall, although this was not a limitation for most good cabin builders.
Decisions had to be made about the type of cabin. Styles varied greatly from one part of the US to another: the size of the cabin, the number of stories, type of roof, the orientation of doors and windows all needed to be taken into account when the cabin design was being made. In addition, the source of the logs, the source of stone and the available labor either human or animal had to be considered. If timber sources were further away from the site, the cabin size might be limited.
Cabin corners were often set on large rocks; if the cabin was large, other stones were used at other points along the sill (bottom log). Thresholds, since they were usually cut into the sill, were supported with rock as well. These stones are found below the corners of many 19th century cabins as they are restored. Cabins were set on foundations to keep them out of damp soil but also to allow for storage or cellars to be constructed below the cabin. Cabins with earth floors had no need for foundations.g
Cabins were constructed using a variety of notches. Notches can vary within ethnic groups as well as between them. Notches often varied on a single building, so their styles were not conclusive.
Log cabins were constructed with either a purlin roof structure or a rafter roof structure. A purlin roof consists of horizontal logs that are notched into the gable-wall logs. The latter are progressively shortened to form the characteristic triangular gable end. The steepness of the roof was determined by the reduction in size of each gable-wall log as well as the total number of gable-wall logs. Flatter roofed cabins might have had only 2 or 3 gable-wall logs while steeply pitched roofs might have had as many gable-wall logs as a full story. Issues related to eave overhang and a porch also influenced the layout of the cabin.
The decision about roof type often was based on the material for roofing. Milled lumber was usually the most popular choice for rafter roofs in the areas where it was available. These roofs typify many log cabins built in the 20th century, having full-cut 2×4 rafters covered with skip sheeting and cedar shingles. The purlin roofs found in rural settings and locations, where milled lumber was not available, often were covered with long hand-split shingles.
Tags: designs, traditional log homes
About Log Cabin
Oct 1, 2008 Log Cabin History
photo credit: without you.A log cabin is a small house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. Log cabins were built both in rural areas and in cities in timber-rich regions around the world, but particularly in the northern hemisphere. Although their origin is uncertain, the first log structures were probably built in northern Europe in the Bronze Age.
By the time Europeans began to settle in America, there was a long tradition of using logs for houses, barns, and other outbuildings in the Scandinavian countries, Germany, and Northern Russia.
In the United States, log structures were first constructed by Finnish and Swedish settlers in what is now Wilmington, Delaware, beginning in 1638. Later German immigrants also used this technique. The Scots, and Scots-Irish had no tradition of building with logs, but they quickly adopted the method. Log cabins were not widely used by the first English settlers.
Few log cabins dating from the 18th century still stand, but they were not intended as permanent dwellings. When a larger, more formal house was constructed, log cabins were often converted into outbuildings for chicken coops, animal shelters, or other utilitarian uses.
Tags: about, log cabin, Log Cabin History
