How much does log maintenance cost?


Why does log restoration cost so much?

When you analyse a true Log Home Specialist what do you expect?  A good log home specialist has experience building log homes, is a licensed contractor and has workers comp and liability insurance.  Also. a good log home contractor has years of experience and blends the trades of General Contractor, Painter/Stainer, Mason, Roofer, Carpenter, Excavator, Industrial Cleaner and Log builder.   Log homes have their own unique set of problems and challenges. You can hire a painter to put a maintenance coat of stain on your log home but are you confident that they will identify rot? You can hire a pressure washing company to wash your logs, will they know what detergent to use and what is a safe pressure?  You can hire a carpenter to repair your handrails and spindles, will he know the tricks to make them last longer? As you can see this is a niche trade and finding a good Log Home Specialist can be difficult.

As explained above log home restoration is a blend of many trades.  We have to acquire and maintain a large amount of tools and run heavy trucks, trailers and equipment to perform our job. Most log home contractors that I know have more invested in equipment and tools than most plumbers and electricians and seek just as much continuing education in the field yet charge less than half the hourly wage.  There are easier ways to make a living, believe me.

Before we go into cost lets understand that no two jobs are the same, and every structure is bid differently.  Things that can greatly increase the cost of a job that are common in the areas of upper midwest that I serve. Is the access road brushed out and passable or will it take a crew one day to brush out your road so we don’t tear out ladder racks off or damage equipment.  Can we turn our trucks around at the site or do we carry the equipment in? How tall is the home? Does it have a lot of details up high, for example dormers or porches? Is there a-lot of delicate landscaping? How much staging, ladders or aerial lifts will be needed? What is the grade around the structure, is it built on the edge of a drop off.  How close are your neighbors? Does the house have a adequate water supply or do we have to haul water? These are some examples of what can impact the cost of a job and the list could go on a lot longer. So when a customer asks for a quote with only pictures and blueprints it is nearly impossible to do so accurately.

Labor is usually the biggest cost of log home restoration.  Unless you are on a regular maintenance plan the job is usually much bigger than washing the logs and applying a maintenance coat of stain.  Again every job is different but most log home restorations have many steps and take at least a few weeks for a crew to perform. We do our best to walk in different areas and move equipment when not in use to avoid damaging the lawn and landscaping.  The fact is that as hard as we try most houses have trails around them from all the foot traffic during the restoration. Along with the total labor hours its the cost per hour. To run a legitimate construction business is not cheap. Paying employees what they are worth so they stick around, workers comp, liability insurance and taxes all add up. There are guys and gals out there that will work on your house very cheaply. However they probably won’t come back if you have a problem and if they get hurt on your job with no insurance then it is your liability. To understand just how much labor total log restoration is, most  go something as followed. 

  • Decoration and fixture removal
  • Wood and log replacements
  • Masking windows, doors and delicate areas
  • Stain removal
  • Sanding and osborn brush 
  • Cleaning up the mess
  • Application of wood preservatives
  • Blending new wood to look like original wood
  • Fixing failed caulk or chinking
  • Unmasking, window and door cleaning and remasking for staining
  • Drop cloths and shade cloths 
  • Staining. Depending on stain, up to 4 coats
  • Unmasking and final cleanup.

Second to labor is materials. I always recommend using a high quality stain and go as dark as you feel comfortable with.  There are alot of stains available and I recommend that you use a stain that is for logs. Log specific stains usual cost more but are worth it in the long run. Other than the stain or chinking there are a lot of hidden cost that property owners may not be aware of. Like I mentioned earlier this is usually more than just slapping on some stain and calling it good. Common things that get used alot on jobs are

  • Personal Protection Equipment for the crew
  • Fasteners
  • wood and logs for replacement
  • Saw blades and chains
  • Blasting media
  • Masking tape and poly
  • Fuel and lubricants
  • Sanding equipment
  • Rags
  • Solvents
  • Detergents
  • Brighners
  • Waste disposal
  • Equipment and fleet maintenance

So, how much does the average log restoration cost?

This can be a hard question to answer. Having starting my log career working for log home companies I have first hand seen the dishonest sales talk of some in the industry. “Log homes don’t take much maintenance” or “it doesn’t cost much to stain”  “our logs are dry” “Cedar doesn’t Rot” Or my least favorte that a boss once told me “I’m going to build it and you are going to fix it” If you want a log home that is easy to maintain build a small cabin in the woods with big eaves and overhangs three feet off the ground and no exposed porches, handrails, valleys, dormers or decks.  If designed properly you wouldn’t need to stain it of fix wood for generations. For most log structures this is not the case. The property owner is unaware of problems or sometimes in denial. One of the hardest thing for me to deal with is the couple that retired and built a dream home and is now living on limited income. The dream home had some major design flaws from the beginning and now the retired couple is looking at large scale renovations. What was once a life long dream has turned into a headache. What I am getting at is don’t wait. If you even suspect a problem call me today. It is always cheaper to build it right the first time rather than fix it after. Furthermore it is always cheaper to fix and address a problem early rather than letting it manifest into a much larger problem. 

On a average size home lets say between 1,500 to 2,500 square feet.  Can vary greatly in what a restoration cost. If the condition is in good shape and it is in my maintenance program of touch up and maintenance, roughly every 3 to 5 years. Then cost usually falls be between $3,000.00 to $8,000.00 every 3 to 5 years.  The difference in time is due to type of stain, exposure and customers preferred outcome. On the other hand full restorations on the same size homes that require fixing problems, removing the stain and and re application typically run between $20,000.00 and $45,000.00  The key to keeping cost down is not waiting and staying up on maintenance.