Winterizing a log cabin

[cckrobinson]

I would like to hear if anyone has had any success winterizing a log cabin. My parents built a log cabin in northern Minnesota 30 years ago. They have been using it strictly as a summer home, but they would like to retire there full time. They are convinced that they need to sell it because they don't think it can be winterized properly. Here are the details:


~1000 sq ft foundation (crawl space) with a 500 sq ft loft
30 year old inefficient windows with most of the large windows facing north
Minimal R-Value in the roof
No heating source of any kind currently
The logs have a spline with a thin layer of fiberglass between each log.


Here's what I'm thinking they would need to do at a minimum to effectively winterize it:

Replace the windows
Remove the existing shingles and add sleepers plus the necessary insulation to achieve an R-44 (R-44 is the ceiling requirement in Minnesota)
Install a radiant floor heating system to serve as the primary heat source (warmboard or thermalboard). I don't think the floor would support a concrete or gypcrete over pour.


Backup plan - Add gas fireplace in addition to the radiant floor heat

Thoughts?

[rreidnauer]

I like the plan, plus add insulation to the floor if not already there. Adding 2" poly-iso board to the crawlspace walls and floor would also be a big improvement. The log walls are what they are (you don't say how thick) and there really isn't much more you can do with them. My opinion on a gas fireplace is, it would only add a small portion of needed BTU's to keep things heated. A woodstove would be far better, though I doubt your retiring parents would want the task of moving wood around.

[Codeman]

I winterized a log cabin once and it burned down! What happened is I drained the water lines, I thought. I should have left the drain valve open underneath the place. Water built up in the bottom section of pipe. That winter it froze and broke. I hired a "reputable" plumber to fix it. He crawled under there and went to soldering pipes and started a fire that burned the whole thing down. Because of that is why I'm building this Butt&Pass. I know it's not the same winterizing but an interesting story anyway. Good luck

[loghousenut]

Ahhh, the true beauty of plastic pipe comes to play.

[rreidnauer]

Keep in mind that the OP isn't asking about winterizing by definition, but rather upgrading for four-season's use.

[jrdavis]

If the wood stove is out ( I don't like gas/propane ones) I think that a great compliment to radiant flooring is the ductless hvac's.

They were exclusively used in Iraq for the military and civilians there.
Even the Iraqi's who could afford electricity had them.

Here's two from a google search: -not an endorcement from me.
http://www.mitsubishicomfort.com/en/consumer/product-solutions/product-showcase
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,192764,00.html

[cckrobinson]

I like the plan, plus add insulation to the floor if not already there. Adding 2" poly-iso board to the crawlspace walls and floor would also be a big improvement. The log walls are what they are (you don't say how thick) and there really isn't much more you can do with them. My opinion on a gas fireplace is, it would only add a small portion of needed BTU's to keep things heated. A woodstove would be far better, though I doubt your retiring parents would want the task of moving wood around.

The log sizes vary slightly, but they are typically 9-10" diameter. You are correct that my parents would not be interested in splitting\hauling wood.

[rreidnauer]

Well, that's actually a pretty good size. With your other planned mods, I think it would work out pretty well. Keep in mind that the radiant type heat system is slow reaction. Unlike a forced fan system, temperature changes are going to happen much more gradually, and there will be some learning curve for your folks, and lead to some frustrations. In the beginning, it will be likely that they will be overshooting on the thermostat trying to change the temperature. Better to set the temp at one setting and leave it be.