Considering Building - PROS and CONS of owning a log home??

[mnailor]

Hello,

I have done a lot of research on building a log home and the only thing holding me back from building right now is that a lot of people tell me that the maintenance is not worth the bother. I was told you need to stain log homes every three to five years and spraying on the stain does not work as well as a brush application.

Questions? :roll:

1. Is it possible to do a good stain job with a good sprayer?

2. How much does it cost (per square foot) to have a home stained by a pro.

3. How often do you stain?

Any candid comments on the Pros and Cons of log home ownership would be appreciated.

Thank You,

Mike :roll:

[WNaegele]

Hi,

There is a lot of negativity out there preventing you from doing what you dream. If you are serious about wanting a log home, this Association provides a class about building a log home and is worth it's weight in gold, as they say. The class is given in a Log Home that has never been "treated"; and is, I believe, over 20 years old. Whether you build it yourself or have someone else build it, you will have the infomation you need to build your own conclusions AND HOME!! :D
www.loghomebuilders.org

[salinamatt]

Houses with any kind of wood siding have to be restained every few years. It can cost thousands of dollars to do it professionally or you can buy your own stain for a few hundred dollars and take a few days and do it yourself on a log home. The amount you will save in heating bills each year from being in a log home as opposed to a stick built home will probably be the few hundred that you need to restain the logs.

[rreidnauer]

As WNaegele has pointed out, Skip's home has no sealers or stains, and Ellsworth and Steve specifically recommend that you do NOT stain or seal the logs, when built using Skip's techniques. The lots of people you heard from are speaking from an ignorant perspective. (that's not an insult, just that they simply don't know any better, hence, the definition of ignorant) That jargon has been bred in peoples' minds since the revolution of kit log homes, and their inherent problems. (and shoddy fixes like sealing)

When I attended the class, I was deeply concerned about what the "finishing" costs were going to be, like expensive commercial chinking, stains, and sealers. What a surprise when I found out NONE of those things are used in a Skip style log home. It was then that I realized that building my own log home was really viable!

Keep in mind that many students still go ahead and use the commercial finishing products, probably as many that don't. Really, it just comes down to personal taste.

If you follow Ellsworth and Steve's advice, you will end up with a practically maintenance free log home. Now how's that hit ya?

[Logbear]

I had a co-worker ask me about maintaining and repairing his "log house". He had a lot of problems that I have never experienced and was not familiar with. It turns out the he has a "Cedar home", not a "log home" like I have.

My "log home" is going on 16 years now and I wouldn't think of staining it. Sometimes I take a broom to sweep the cobwebs off. That's the extent of maintanence I do. I've never re-chinked it either.

[Tim Nirk]

The negativity you may experience concerning log homes is actually a good thing for us who build or plan to build a Skip-style log home. I hope it continues. :D