Submitted by: Jan Burmistroff
Many people travel to the west to see log houses. This type of house presents a special appeal to these visitors. From its simplicity to its rustiness, the cabin house is one major attraction of the west. It is usually found in ranches and sometimes reminiscent of the Wild West days. A log house is very easy to build. You can use prefabricated kits or just start from scratch. Each option gives you a durable cabin home.
Log houses pose a special kind of challenge to homeowners. Because they are made principally of wood, they require constant attention else they may lose their beauty or become dilapidated. We put together some few ways to get the best out of your property by way of routine and preventive maintenance.
The major problem with log houses is the blackening of the wood. This happens if the wood is not properly seasoned. Blackening causes the wood to lose sheen and appeal. You will therefore want to ensure that you occasionally treat the wood especially the outer walls of the home so that the wood does not stain to give off a dull looking dark appearance.
Logs can be very sensitive. You therefore need to take great care of them. You may need to apply stain stop termites and other wood destroying insects. Staining will help you to preserve the color of the wood and at the same time prevent it from rotting away.
Persevering the wood will prevent it from been chewed away by rodents and other destructive animals.
Ordinary cleaning will help you give your log house a great shine. You will need to wash off the dust or soil that accumulate on the house after rains or storm. As the dust accumulate, they attach themselves el to the wood and cause rot. Mud splashing on the walls can also cause the wood to lose luster and rot away eventually as then moisture is retained by the house.
Dew and mold are two other things that can destroy the log house. As they are created or forms on the wood, that part will begin to discolor and then rotting can set in. You will want to clean the dew and mold as soon as they settle on the wood. In advanced stages of this unwanted situation, you can use borate to prevent this negative effect on the wood.
With time, drainage can deteriorate. Be sure to put everything in order gain. Make sure that all runoff water is properly; channeled away from the foundation of the house. Water that runs parallel to the foundation alongside it can cause gullies and expose the foundation, leading to collapse of the log home. You should also not allow water to splash against the foundations. You can prevent this by making sure that the roof of the house overlaps so that the water drops a distance away from the foundations.
There are special coatings that you can use on your log home. These will not change the color of the log but will help reserve it. These coatings are specially made to hold off water from the log house, minimize the effects of sunlight that can leave the wood pale and the make sure that tewood does not get soggy.
There are many companies that specialize in this kind of activity. You can subcontract the preservation and maintenance of your log home to tem. If you are using the place as residential quarters, you can have them do the maintenance on as needed basis but if you are using as a residential property for rent, you may come into agreement with them to regularly come around to inspect the place and put in any corrective measure to preserve the house.
About the Author: Jan writes for HorseClicks Properties, classifieds of horse property listed for sale inSouth Dakota, including South Dakota farms and South Dakota land.
Source: www.isnare.com
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