Log House Blues

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Bearcarver

Gone but not forgotten RIP
Original poster
OTBS Member
Group Lead
Sep 12, 2009
45,279
18,182
Macungie, PA
Log House Blues


A Log House isn’t all fun & games:
The need of UV protection & Carpenter Bees are biggest problems with a Log Home:
You have to treat it with some type of oil to protect it from the weather, and mostly from the UV Rays of the Sun.
The first time was when it was just built, and the General Contractor got a Professional outfit to stain it, mixed with a coat of Woodguard. There was also 8 ounces of “Bee Gone” mixed in per 5 gallons of Woodguard.
You have to put it on heavy, and then when your brush is relatively Dry, you have to go over it to remove the excess that didn’t soak in, to keep it from running down & leaving streaks. The North side doesn’t take as much, because it doesn’t get hammered by the Sun as badly as the other three sides. My house takes between 5 and 6 gallons of Woodguard to give it all it can take.

The whole thing has to be done on average every 4 years, and last month was the 6th time it has been done in 20 years. It was supposed to be done in Early July, but the Painters were way behind due to all the Rain in SouthEast PA. Then 3 guys got started, and pressure washed the whole thing, and started painting the next day.
They painted for 2 days, and the rains came again. They said they’d be back Monday, but it rained that whole week, as usual, so they didn’t get back until the following Monday.

Well anyway, it got done, and all of the chalked off light spots are gone. It’s too dark right now, but it will turn lighter over the next month or two when it dries completely. I don’t mind it this Dark, but Mrs Bear wishes it would be lighter.
The first couple times I did most of it myself, but I only did the bottom 14’, and left the 3 highest peaks to the guys with the equipment. The front & back peaks are the worst, because they are 20’ & 22’ off the ground, and they have a 4’ overhang at the peak. The last few times I had it painted by others. I’ve got enough trouble with my balance while standing on the ground, so I don’t even think about doing ladders any more.

So below is a “Before” Picture, and a bunch of after Pics to show you the difference.

BTW: I still get between 50 & 100 Carpenter Bees in my Traps every year, even when using “Bee Gone”, so I’d hate to see what it would be like if I didn’t use any Bee Gone.


Thanks for looking.

Bear


Before: Here you can see how the UV Rays of the Sun dry out the surface & cause the color to "Chalk Off":
IMG_7564.jpeg


Fresh Coat of Woodguard. Right wall is still wet & shiny:
IMG_7634.jpeg


Front after new #6th Coat:
IMG_7635.jpeg


Excuse this Pic---Sun got to it. East End of House:
IMG_7637.jpeg


Back of House after New Coat:
IMG_7638.jpeg


Back of House from different angle:
IMG_7639.jpeg


Garage End of House:
IMG_7640.jpeg


View taken from the Road:
IMG_7641.jpeg


Right fork of Driveway goes down to Bear Junior's Tower Shop & Wood Shop, and to his house:
IMG_7642.jpeg


Front of House, after new Coat of Woodguard:
IMG_7643.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Ya got a great looking place there bear I always wanted a log home but I dont see it happening.
 
Beautiful home,
but there is a lot of upkeep. Not so bad when we were younger for the maintenance but some things just need to be hired out.
 
That's a beautiful home and landscape Mr Bear ! I know you're proud and hard work has definitely paid off !
 
Beautiful place you got there. I always wanted a log house, but never knew much about the up-keep. Now I'm glad I never got one. Still love'em but now I see I'm just too lazy and cheap to maintain it right.
 
Looks great John . Thanks for the pics . That's a ton of upkeep , especially with the walkout elevations . Lot lays nice too .
 
Looks great Bear, Not too dark, But like you said it will lighten up for Mrs. Bear in a month or so. Beautiful home and yard.

And yes that is too steep for me on the East end of the house. I am not to crazy about ladders after last year had a ladder go out from under me .
It was not a great month after that, now I am way too cautious when I'm on any ladder now.

Bear where are you 3 pet BEARS that normally guard the garage area of the house

David
 
And I will admit I thought this was going to be a continuation of the other "blues " thread. Maybe Bear and a little harmonica lol ?
 
That's a beautiful spread John, you must be proud of that home! RAY

Thank You Ray!!
Yes, We are Proud of it.

Bear


Ya got a great looking place there bear I always wanted a log home but I dont see it happening.

Thank You Jim!!
Mrs Bear always wanted one, but the first 30 years we couldn't afford one. Let's not forget our first 2 1/2 years of marriage, I was in the Army. Plus I knew the Upkeep on a Log Home was Heavy. Every couple years I'd see new Brochures from various Log Home Companies laying around our house. Then Bear Jr bought 14 acres & a Home, and wanted both of us to move up here & work for him. So we sub-divided 1 acre from his, built this House, and the rest is History.
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear
 
I had never heard of carpenter bees until now, sounds like a good idea protecting against them. We have termites here and you really need to ensure any timber is treated before using or your house ends up in a heap on the ground very quickly. We have our home treated very two years as all the internals are timber.

Your home and area you live are absolutely amazing, thanks for sharing your pics.
 
Beautiful home,
but there is a lot of upkeep. Not so bad when we were younger for the maintenance but some things just need to be hired out.

Thank You Rider!!
Needing Oxygen 24/7 makes everything more difficult. PITA !
But Thanks for the Like.

Bear

That's a beautiful home and landscape Mr Bear ! I know you're proud and hard work has definitely paid off !

Thank You 912 !!
And For the Like.

Bear
 
Beautiful place you got there. I always wanted a log house, but never knew much about the up-keep. Now I'm glad I never got one. Still love'em but now I see I'm just too lazy and cheap to maintain it right.

Thank You Mosparky!!
Appreciate That!

Bear


Looks great John . Thanks for the pics . That's a ton of upkeep , especially with the walkout elevations . Lot lays nice too .

Thank You Rich!!
Raining all the time doesn't help either!!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear
 
Beautiful home and grounds. With a title of “Log House Blues”, I can picture Chris Stapleton rocking and strumin on your porch…
 
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