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Bryan3300
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2019 05:06pm
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I recently found an old cabin I am extremely interested in making an offer on. I can tell it was well cared for at one time but appears to have been abandoned many years ago. In great shape considering. On the side of the cabin exposed to sun all day, the lower course of logs have lost most of the stain. There are some large cracks that were filled with oakum and caulked at one time. The caulk has since come off. I know it’s hard to tell just by looking but wanted some experienced opinions on the condition and how difficult it would be to replace the logs if needed. I like the cabin and property and this is the only detail making me shy away from it. See photos: Wall 1, Wall 2, Wall3 and Wall 4
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ICC
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2019 06:26pm
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Did you have a pick so you could see if the log interior was solid or punky?
Logs that sit on the ground like that are always going to be a problem. I would not want to deal with lower log replacement.
Is the price for land and cabin cheap? Maybe disassemble and rebuild on a good concrete foundation? A friend of mine did that with two old log cabins. Dismantled two, kept all the good logs and made one new cabin.
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Brettny
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2019 12:07pm
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You tube martins cabin. One of his videos he shows him raising and whole cabin and fixing some logs. Hes a older gentleman and 1mi walk into the cabin. He also makes very interesting videos.
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AKfisher
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2019 01:03pm
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Drilling a core sample into the logs or using a screw driver to pick at them to see if they are punky is your best bet. From the looks in the picture they don't look too bad, but... That doesn't mean squat. If they turn out to be in good condition there are remedies to keep them that way: Longer eve, penetrating oils, crack filler with rot prevention etc...
If they are bad or half bad there are ways to fix them. Just takes time and money.
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KinAlberta
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2019 02:12pm - Edited by: KinAlberta
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How is the interior floor built inside? Boards that can be removed? Or maybe plywood that could be easily cut out?
Lifting it to replace the log shouldn’t be a big deal. I lifted the corner of our unfinished garage just by screwing a couple 2x6s on the vertical through to the inside studs to give me something to hook a farm jack to. (These are VERY untrustworthy jacks so I NEVER EVER put my hand or even fingers under anything I lift. I’ll carefully push anything into place.)
A friend replaced the rotting sill plate and all the lower bits of every stud in his stuccoed garage just by jacking it up slightly and working his way around the building.
I did a very small portion on my stuccoed detached city garage using teleposts and a beam on top to spread the load. (Only needed to jack it up slightly to slide in new 2x4s.)
With a log building I could also envision cutting or drilling through for cross supports to lift it.
Or using a bunch of heavy duty nylon slings. Under the first good log, slice a slot every few feet put some sort of post with rod/ring/hook on the inside, slide the strap through to the outside where it could be lifted and locked in place.
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Bryan3300
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# Posted: 12 Apr 2019 02:49pm
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Thanks all for the replies. The Martins cabin videos have challenged my manhood. I’m going up to look at it again tomorrow and will take a screwdriver to pick at the logs. Sounds like it’s doable to replace the logs if need be for sure.
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toyota_mdt_tech
Member
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# Posted: 12 Apr 2019 03:33pm
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Remove lower logs, go up 2, 3 feet etc, replace with nice stone type wall. Fake stone over concreate or real stone and mortar.
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neckless
Member
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# Posted: 13 Apr 2019 01:15pm
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ok what i did to my house........ had two bottom logs 12 ft rotten from a bad check an not repairing soon enough ... the logs were soft 2/3 way through . so took a power saw cut two spots a foot wide to block foundation made a forum out of tin and poured themm full at a slot in the top let set now they were holding the top logs up . power sawed the remainder out and made forums out of a 10" water pipe pored that full .. seems ok. that was ten years ago ... i did screw some 3/8 x 6 lags in upper logs to bind with concrete and added some mesh in hole , and filled block holes with some foam to stop crecte from falling in wall....
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