Chinking Concern

[John W]

Hi folks, first post.
As with everybody that gets drawn into this world, I read everything I can find on this site and others. Been looking through the log home magazines at the rack for years, recently bought some books at Borders going out of business sale. Thorougly hooked.
Question / concern on chinking. If you use green logs, will Permachink stay adhered to the logs and stretch to cover shrinkage? I would think the traditional mortar type chinking would cause problems with green logs in a few short years (months?).
What price estimate would Permachink be with your standard 30 X 30 home? Are you looking at thousands of dollars? I read on another thread $160 a bucket.
The only other thing I worry about is the rebar. If things go wrong and you get water below a log, is there a danger of the rebar rusting out or will you notice the water damage to the log before the rebar is too bad.

[Cruiser]

John, since you have been reading here a while, you know its coming...take the class! :) It will answer most of you questions and the other side of the forum will answer the rest. Permachink is VERY expensive. It is not the holy grail of chinking either. I will be using mortor for several reasons, all which are explained in class. Don't worry about the rebar. If you construct using the LHBA methods, your home will be around for generations to come. We are glad to see you here and wish you best in your adventure...but the real fun starts with the class.

[loghousenut]

All to be covered in class. And none of your concerns are problems.

John,

Glad to see you found us. Keep reading. Have fun with those Borders bargain books but realize that your image of the perfect log home is about to change. As you peruse those books and magazines you'll see fantastic mansions that are riddled with problems and a mortgage. When my LHBA log home is complete it will be a very liveable log home that we built with our own hands. There will be very little yearly maintenance to perform and it'll still be really cool looking and have a WOW factor for future generations. You've taken the first step by asking questions about a 30x30. Somehow you have steered yourself away from the meandering log mansion idea that is so easy to drool over.

Permachink is very expensive and yet it's not too expensive to use. A lot of LHBA members use it and it looks as good as new ten years after installation. Don't worry, if you want to use it you'll be able to afford it. By the time you are ready to chink, your logs will have stabilized enough that there will be no problems. More about that in class.

Mortar also will do just fine and most LHBA members use it for chinking. It is nearly as cheap as dirt and it has an "honest and rustic" appearance that I and my Wife prefer. More about that in class.

About the rusting rebar problem, it's a non-issue. You'll be building in a style that eliminates the rot, as well as rusting rebar, issues. Follow the few basic rules and it'll never cause you a bit of lost sleep. Long after your contemporary kit house owners are replacing lower logs and gouging out sections of walls that have turned to powder, you'll be living in a worry free log home that seems to improve with age. These things are nice to look at when new, but it's the 40 year old LHBA homes that are really cool looking. More about that in class.

The only rot that will be a concern in my LHBA log home will be the rotten, spoiled Grandkids that will inherit it someday.

PS... Great first post. Looks like you've been lurking and reading for quite awhile.

[loghousenut]

All to be covered in class. And none of your concerns are problems.

John,

Glad to see you found us. Keep reading. Have fun with those Borders bargain books but realize that your image of the perfect log home is about to change. As you peruse those books and magazines you'll see fantastic mansions that are riddled with problems and a mortgage. When my LHBA log home is complete it will be a very liveable log home that we built with our own hands. There will be very little yearly maintenance to perform and it'll still be really cool looking and have a WOW factor for future generations. You've taken the first step by asking questions about a 30x30. Somehow you have steered yourself away from the meandering log mansion idea that is so easy to drool over.

Permachink is very expensive and yet it's not too expensive to use. A lot of LHBA members use it and it looks as good as new ten years after installation. Don't worry, if you want to use it you'll be able to afford it. By the time you are ready to chink, your logs will have stabilized enough that there will be no problems. More about that in class.

Mortar also will do just fine and most LHBA members use it for chinking. It is nearly as cheap as dirt and it has an "honest and rustic" appearance that I and my Wife prefer. More about that in class.

About the rusting rebar problem, it's a non-issue. You'll be building in a style that eliminates the rot, as well as rusting rebar, issues. Follow the few basic rules and it'll never cause you a bit of lost sleep. Long after your contemporary kit house owners are replacing lower logs and gouging out sections of walls that have turned to powder, you'll be living in a worry free log home that seems to improve with age. These things are nice to look at when new, but it's the 40 year old LHBA homes that are really cool looking. More about that in class.

The only rot that will be a concern in my LHBA log home will be the rotten, spoiled Grandkids that will inherit it someday.

[Basil]

I've been in my house for 3 years now, and haven't had a problem with the chinking at all. I used the mortar type of chinking. When considering permachink, the main consideration in my mind is cost and ease of building. This style of construction is intended for people that are working alone or as a family, who will only be "rough shaping" their logs. For this reason, gaps ccan be large. Permachink is sold by volume, and is designed for an industry where trees are milled and shaped by machines to fit precisely, which creates a very small gap. The permachink bill for my home would have been many times higher than it would have been for a comparably sized kit home.

This leaves two options: 1) Pay more for permachink, and build as the majority of the members have built, or 2) Spend a great deal more time shaping your logs. If I were going to use permachink, I think I'd spend the extra time on my logs, as I'm not sure how good the permachink would be at filling large gaps. It's just not designed for that.

To be honest, I wasn't sold on the idea of mortar for chinking, even while I was doing it. I could picture the chinking breaking up and falling out like boulders within a short time, and all the work having been for nothing. Some of the chinking has been in for 4 years and hasn't had a problem. I know that's not terribly long, but when I inspect it I find no indication of future problems either.

As a side note, I DID build with green logs. However, I built a HUGE house with no help. So, by the time I got to chink, my logs had seasoned for 2 years. When I did my main chinking, the logs had cured for 3 years. If you build faster, YMMV.

As far as rot is concerned, I always advise people to do what I did: Build a wrap-around porch that's wide enough that your logs never get rained on, and rot will not be a concern. As an added bonus, you have all that room to sit outside with a dog and drink beer!

[merc66rkm]

... I always advise people to do what I did: Build a wrap-around porch that's wide enough that your logs never get rained on, and rot will not be a concern. As an added bonus, you have all that room to sit outside with a dog and drink beer!
Now THAT is a great idea!

[edkemper]

Basil,

Are you or the dog drinking the beer?

[Basil]

yes..............

[edkemper]

Thank you. Just wanted to be clear.

[LogLover]

Thank you. Just wanted to be clear.

me just loves clarity :D