What to look for when visiting a log home or
log cabin cabin re-sale.

Many home buyers solicit the services of home inspectors before they purchase a home, especially a home re-sale. There are plenty of licensed and certified home inspectors qualified to inspect standard residential construction.  But log homes and log cabins are different from “stick” construction and, to the best of our knowledge, there are no certification programs for log home or log cabin inspectors.  If it is not possible to find an inspector who has previously passed judgment on a log home, it may still be wise to hire a home inspector.  However, this means that the prospective buyer needs to exercise a little extra “due diligence.”

What follows is intended to assist prospective log home and log cabin buyers exercise that due diligence prior to purchase, especially the purchase of a re-sale.

EXTERIOR

Your inspection begins as you approach the house.  What is the condition of the log walls?  Are you satisfied with the finish/appearance of the walls?  If you feel the finish should be renewed, the cost could be in the $5,000 - $10,000 range.  Some log home owners never apply a finish, preferring to allow the walls to gray naturally.  However, unfinished log walls may mildew.  Mildew should be routinely removed.

Also from a distance, look at the roof shingles.  If the shingles are fiberglass or asphalt, are they flat or curled?  If they are curled, the problem is probably in the roof design, i.e., the builder or designer did not provide air space between the roof sheathing and roof insulation for ventilation.  Proper ventilation is essential to keeping the shingles cool and flat during hot, sunny days.  Curled shingles will require premature replacement.

Now, look closer at the log walls.  Make sure the bottom logs are solid and not rotted by rain splatter.  If the home has gutters, this problem will be minimized or non-existent.  Look closely at caulking and chinking.  Is this in need of repair or replacement?  Look for checking (drying cracks) in the logs.  Especially obvious checks should have been caulked.

All log home and log cabin owners eventually must cope with the Carpenter Bee.  How has the present owner been combating the Carpenter Bee.  B and H has found two ways to deal with this pest.  First, pest control companies can treat the dens each year.  Second the home owner can do it himself with a product, CYPER-WP.  Use any search engine to find a supplier.

INTERIOR

Operate every window to make sure the operation is smooth.  If the windows do not operate smoothly chances are the builder or designer did not allow sufficient space above the windows to accommodate settling of the log walls.  All log walls dry and settle after construction.  If properly designed and constructed, the windows should operate smoothly.

Are the floors on the second floor flat and level.  If not, are “jack screws” available to  correct this problem?  Again, a properly designed and constructed log home or log cabin can deal with this issue.

Are the log walls air tight?  Ask the home owner for copies of their utility bills.

Are the log walls water tight?  Look for water stains.
 

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