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Here we discuss the inspection and diagnosis of rot and leak damage on older log homes and other log structures. This series of articles provides information on the inspection and diagnosis of damage to new and older log homes and includes description of log home insulation values and alternatives, and also a description of the characteristics of slab-sided log homes. Our page top photo shows an antique log cabin in Molde, Norway. Additional older traditional log cabins and fishing camps are illustrated and discussed at Vertical Log Walls on Cabins & Homes.

© Copyright 2009 - 1991 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Guide to Inspection & Damage on Old & Antique Log Home Diagnosis & Repair Guide

The antique log cabin shown in this photo was found along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania during a log cabin driving tour we took in 2007.

In photos and with comments below we point out some of the construction techniques and the resulting condition of these homes. These small cabins varied considerably in condition; the second cabin in this row was collapsing, almost certainly because its owner did not maintain the roof, which was collapsing when we found these homes.

The principal causes of extensive rot damage we observed on this string of log cabins along the river included:

• Failure to keep the roof intact, letting water enter the structure and run down both sides of the log walls
• Logs at ground level not protected from soil contact
• Leaks around the chimneys, sending water down the logs behind and abutting the chimney

Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

LOG HOME GUIDE
    Types of Log Houses - Log Choices
    Antique & Old Log Cabins
    Cracks, Checking or Splitting Beams & Log Homes
    Condensation &Moisture in Log Homes
    Energy Efficiency of Log Homes
    LOG HOME WALL INSULATION VALUES
    Leak Diagnosis & Cure for Log Houses
    Log Wall Height Changes
    R-Values of Log Homes
    Sealants, Caulks, & Coatings for Log Homes
    Shrinkage In Log Home Walls
    Slab Log Cabin Siding
    Spline & Gasket Designs for Log Buildings
    Spline Gaps & Gasket Omissions
    Vertical Log Walls on Cabins & Homes

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• Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
• Thanks to Arlene Puentes for the photograph of a checked log in a log home exterior. Arlene Puentes, a licensed home inspector, educator, and building failures researcher in Kingston, NY. Photographs © Arlene Puentes 2006 All Rights Reserved. Text © Daniel Friedman Arlene Puentes 2008 All Rights Reserved.
• "Shop Talk," Martin Mintz, AIA, Builder Magazine, April 1986, detailed solutions for log shrinkage movement by using a "T" jamb at windows and doors. A January 1986 Builder Magazine article shows window installation details in 8" thick log walls.
• "Caulking, Chinking, Insulators, Sealants - which System works Best," Log Home and Alternative Housing Builder, Nov-Dec 1983.
• Lincoln Log Homes Marketing, Inc., 6000 Lumber Lane, Kannapolis NC 28081 704-932-6151
• Insulating Characteristics of log homes were neatly summarized by Roger Rawlings in "Log Homes in a New Light," Rodale's New Shelter, April 1983, p. 28

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