Now’s the Time to Get Your Name on Our List

If you already have your spring/summer log home maintenance scheduled ….. GREAT!  If not, now is the time to get hold of us to schedule a time for LHRS to inspect your home and complete any routine maintenance or repairs.

Do not procrastinate!  Most log home maintenance and repair contractor’s schedules fill up quickly.  It is easier on everyone if you get your name added to our list as soon as practical.

The Importance of Routine Log Home Maintenance
Every log home typically requires some maintenance each year.  This can be as simple as caulking around windows and doors to completely restaining and sealing the exterior of your home.  In the long run keeping up with routine maintenance will minimize the more expensive problems that can occur like having to replace logs where water, exposure to the sun, and insects have caused more significant damage.

Look for Future Problems
Walk around your home and look for those tell-tale signs of future problems. Logs that are turning gray indicate that the wood fibers near the log’s surface are drying out. This leads to cracks forming where water and insects can penetrate into the logs. Eventually logs begin to rot and water and outside air can find their way into your home.

Are there areas where the wood is getting soft and beginning to rot, or you notice there are logs with areas that accumulate moisture?  This too, can lead to logs rotting and areas that insects will use to find their way into your home.

Look for missing chinking and caulking.  If you see gaps and holes forming, you’ll want to temporarily fill them with caulk to stop water and air leakage until you can make more permanent repairs.

Make sure your gutters and downspouts are mounted securely and water is not able to run between the edge of the roof and the gutter.  Ice dams that form along your roof line can cause damage to gutters leading to water not flowing properly away from your home.

Schedule Your Spring/Summer Log Home Maintenance Now
Contact Log Home Restoration Specialists at 765-838-8092 and we will add you to our schedule.  This insures that your home’s maintenance needs will be addressed in a professional and timely manner.  It will also give you peace of mind and a log home that is ready for next year’s inclement weather.

Lack Reliable Information
Procrastination is often the result of a lack of reliable information.  Have a question on a maintenance concern or what steps to take next?  Give us a call at 765-838-8092 or send an email to pete@repairmyloghome.com.

There’s No Place like a Log Home for the Holidays

What makes a log home special during the holidays is hard to explain, especially for those who do not live in a log home.  From America’s founding the log home has represented our forefather’s sense of independence and distinctly American way of life.  Today log homes continue to have a special place in our culture, not to mention our hearts.

The warmth and comfort of a log home during the holidays.

Grateful for What We Have Been Given
Over the holidays, as we spend time with our families, we also are very grateful for all that we have been given …. our families, friends, and, for those living in log homes, a special place to gather and celebrate.

Here are some of the reasons we are grateful to live in a home that offers a truly unique living experience.

• Log homes stand the test of time and provide a connection with past generations of American pioneers.
• Enjoying the warmth and comfort of sitting by a cozy, crackling fire.
• Sitting on the porch on a crisp autumn afternoon and taking in the peace and solitude of having nature surround us.
• Disconnecting from today’s world of technology to enjoy a slower, less stressful pace of life.
• Experiencing the nostalgic feel of a simpler way of life.
• Being part of an amazing picturesque setting as we watch the leaves change color or the snow fall softly.
• Knowing that our home reflects a natural, tranquil setting both inside and out.
• Recognizing that our home is a unique, one of a kind, place that was designed for our needs, and is the envy of our friends.  🙂

Tell Us What Makes Your Log Home So Special
We’d love to hear your stories about what makes your log home a special place for you and your family.  We’ll post your stories on our blog and share them with others who know how special log home living can be.  Please send them to Kelly Rosi at kelly@repairmyloghome.com.

Enjoy the holidays!

Pete, Tim and Kelly Rosi

12 Easy Steps to Winterize Your Log Home

For those who don’t live in their log home 12 months of the year, closing up your residence for the winter is an annual task that must be done thoroughly. Making sure your log home is ready for the colder months can insure that when you return in the spring that there are no surprises.

Proper winterizing precautions should be followed in order to ensure that the log home is not damaged while it is vacant. The last thing you want when you return to your log home is find it damaged from the cold.

Winterizing your log home is important to prevent damage over the winter months.

Winterizing Your Log Home
Here are our suggestions on winterizing your log home this Fall.

1. Adjust your thermostat. Set your thermostat to stay around 50-55 degrees to prevent pipes from freezing.
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2. Shut off the water at the main shut off valve in your house. You’ll want to open up all your faucets and drain your toilets and water heater — also keep the faucets open to prevent pressure from building up in your pipes.
   This will help prevent pipes from bursting as the water expands with changing temperatures.
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3. Turn off your gas line to prevent a gas leak or other gas related incident. If you have a gas heat, you won’t be able to do this.
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4. Close the house up tight. Snow and rain can get through the smallest of openings. Check the log siding, windows, and doors, as well as the roof and chimney structure. Any leaks should be sealed with an exterior caulk, or other recommended sealant. Store all outdoor furniture, grills and yard tools indoors.
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5. Unplug all appliances and electronics. This will save a little on your electric bill and prevent these items from being ruined by an electrical surge caused by a close lightning strike.
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6. Check your sump pump. Make sure it functions properly. No one wants to find a wet basement when they return in the spring.
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7. Close the damper or flue on your fireplace. This will prevent snow, rain or animals from finding a way into your home.
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8. Protect the interior of your home. Furniture, carpets, and mattresses should be protected from mice and other vermin. Safe chemicals are available to discourage them from building nests. Dryer sheets also work well when randomly spread on areas that could be possible targets.
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9. Remove perishable items from your refrigerator and pantry. Wipe your fridge down, unplug it and be sure to keep the door to your refrigerator and freezer open. Closing it up will lead to a foul smelling fridge and promote mold and mildew growth from residual moisture.
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10. Put any non-perishable food in air-tight containers. Any food you do leave behind should be in air-tight containers to prevent pests from finding it.
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11. Double check your gutters. Clean your gutters before you head out. Clogged gutters can cause all sorts of problems once snow, rain and cold temperatures arrive. Drain spouts should be designed to take heavy rain away from your house.
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12. Have Someone Check on Your Home.  Asking your neighbors to keep an eye on your property is a good idea.  Have them contact you if they see something that doesn’t seem right.  It is also helpful to have someone check on your home periodically with the ability to get into your house.  If something significant happens, like your heat going out, you don’t want to find this out upon your return in the spring.

Just As You Left It
Winterizing your log home properly for the winter months will give you the peace of mind that when you return in the spring everything will be just as you left it.

If you need any assistance in closing up your log home, please give Log Home Restoration Specialists a call at 765-838-8092.  We’ll be happy to help if at all possible.

 

It Was a Great Bunch of Guys Who Worked on our Log Home

Often you hear just about the quality of work LHRS does and not perhaps about the people who do the work.  We want to thank Kim and Mike Olson for reminding us just what a good crew we have and how important their contributions are.  Thanks guys!

An email from Kim and Mike Olson (9-5-19)
“We just wanted to let you know again, what a great bunch of guys you had working on our home. We really appreciated you putting the extra crews on our house after the rain delays.  It was sooo nice to have the home completed in such a short amount of time.  I know it was a push for your crew to finish in the shortened time frame but we really, really appreciated it. 

Jeff and the LHRS crew that worked on the Olson’s home.

Jeff was great to work with; he listened to every concern and answered every question we threw at him. All of the crew members were very friendly, polite, and hardworking and they did a wonderful job. They made sure to clean up at the end of each day, which we appreciated.  We also appreciated the care they took in making sure we were satisfied with the end result.  I know they ran into a few problems with removing all the old paint that was on the house and dealing with the damage to the logs on the back of the house. 

Jeff originally brought the issue of the damaged logs on the back of the house to our attention.  He offered a solution that would give us the best result possible, which it did.  It added a lot of extra work for the crew but it was well worth the cost for us to get the best result possible.   I really appreciated him making sure that we would be satisfied with the end result.  The work they did on the garage was great also.  It turned out a bit better than the house due to it being stained originally and not painted.  

We wanted to again thank Jeff, Tyler, Guy and the rest of the crew for all their hard work.   I am sorry to say we did not know all of them by name to mention but see the picture for reference.  We look forward to seeing a few of the guys back next year at maintenance time as we continue to work with your company to maintain our home’s new look.   

We also want to thank you Peter, for always returning phone calls, texts and answering all of our questions and concerns. It really made things easy working with a company like yours.”

Thanks again,    Kim & Mike Olson

The Official End of Summer is NOT Labor Day

For many, the traditional end of summer is celebrated over Labor Day weekend, which is always the first Monday of September.  But according to our official calendar of seasons, the actual end of summer is the Fall Equinox that falls this year on Monday, September 23.

But for most of us, Labor Day weekend marks the end to summer vacations, trips to the local pool, summer camps, back yard barbeques, and taking advantage of those warm and lazy days of summer.

So to mark this occasion we thought we’d provide a few fun facts that you can toss out at some point during your weekend activities where, according to my extensive research, 40.6% of us will be barbecuing.

We Are Not All Outside
Even though many of us think of Labor Day as a time to be outside doing different activities like cookouts, picnics and one last weekend at the pool, there are many who are heading for the local Mall. Labor Day sales are second only to those on Black Friday.

We Love Our Beef
Labor Day ties with the Fourth of July as the second-most-popular day of the year on which to eat beef. Memorial Day is number one.  Overall Americans eat 13 billion hamburgers a year and between Memorial Day and Labor Day we consume 7 billion hot dogs.  That’s 818 per second or 22 per person!

Are You Sure?
Did you know watermelon is not a fruit, but a vegetable?  It’s a member of the cucumber family.  The largest watermelon on record weighed 268.8 pounds.

We Are On The Go
Heading to see family, or off for that one last trip to the seashore, 25% of Americans plan to travel out of town this Labor Day weekend. An estimated 16.1 million people are expected to fly between Wednesday, Aug. 30 and Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Dressing for the Season
At one time it was not considered stylish to wear white after Labor Day.  During the warmer months wearing lighter colored clothing made practical sense. When temperatures turned cooler, white garments were not considered appropriate. Today with most buildings temperature controlled, this former standard does not apply.

Enjoy!
Regardless of how you are dressed, or what you eat, enjoy the last days of Summer 2019!

Wallethub has compiled a long list of interesting facts and data about Labor Day.  To view their website go to https://wallethub.com/blog/labor-day-fun-facts/23742/.

 

Now’s the Best Time to Fill In the Gaps in Your Log Home

We spend a lot of time outdoors during the summer months taking advantage of the warm weather and peaceful settings surrounding our log homes.  But this is also the ideal time to be doing minor repairs to get your log home ready for the cooler weather and rush of insects that invade our homes in the fall.

Drafty Windows, Missing Chink & Caulk
Now, while the weather is nice, is the time to inspect the exterior of your home for those small openings where chink and caulk are missing.  Or where you feel drafts inside your home.

Redoing chinking and caulking will fill in gaps where air, water and insects can enter.

These small openings allow bugs, moisture and air to enter your log home and make it less inviting.  Inspect around windows and doors, and where logs meet in corners.  These are the most common places where small gaps appear.  It’s amazing how mice and other insects can enter through the smallest crack.

Several companies sell products that will seal openings and will solve your problem.  If you do not have many gaps to fill you should be able to make the repairs yourself.  If the gaps are wide, or you have a large number of them, you may want to arrange for a contractor experienced in log homes to do the work.

Areas around your windows can often be where air and insects enter your log home.  If this is the case then you’ll need to remove the casings around the window and fill/caulk/patch any openings you find.

Caulking around windows will eliminate drafty rooms.

Why Do This Work Now?
It is always easier to do chinking and caulking repairs when the weather is nicer.  It will also prevent problems in the fall when insects and rodents are looking for warm places to reside over the winter.  Eliminating drafts also will make your home more comfortable and lower your heating bill.

Need a Little Advice?
If you have questions on what products to use, or on how to fix gaps around your log home, please give Log Home Restoration Specialists a call at 765-838-8092.

 

Your Log Home Porch Sanctuary

Porches are integral parts of just about any log home floorplan. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine a log home without one.  And while log home living is as much about the living as it is the logs, it’s also true that a lot of that living occurs outside the home.

Porches move log home living into the outdoors where we can take advantage of the views, the solitude, and the friendly conversation with our guests or neighbors.

Creating a Comfortable Outdoor Space
A cabin porch is all about creating an outdoor space that’s comfortable, pleasant and enjoyable.  If you have a front porch and are looking for ideas on how to make it feel like an extension of the home, here are a few suggestions.

• Having ample seating on your front porch is important. Depending on the size of your porch, create seating groups with chairs that match the décor of your cabin.  If space is at a premium consider building a corner bench with a table that takes up less room. Don’t forget the bench swings or hanging chairs that are always favorites.
  

  Create separate seating groups to take advantage of the size of your porch.

• Decorate your porch with antiques, rustic accessories, throw rugs, lighting, planters and flower boxes. This will allow you to match the charm found inside your cabin with what you’ve created on the outside.

• If your front door looks old or in disrepair, the front of your log home won’t look inviting. You can either replace the front door, or get creative and repaint or restain the door, while adding some decorative touches to help set it apart.

• Consider screening in your porch if you want to take advantage of it when the bugs are out, it is raining, or even when it is very hot outside.  Add a ceiling fan and this space can be a cooler area to relax on those long, hot, lazy days of summer. Having a screened in porch can add extra space to your log home that can be used for dining and just hanging out.

A screened in porch can add utility to this outdoor space.

Take Advantage of Your Porch
With the extra space and utility a porch offers you’ll want to find time to enjoy it. There’s nothing like sitting out on the porch with a cup of hot coffee or a glass of wine; or watching a sunrise or sunset; or simply taking in the fresh air that surrounds your log home retreat.