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Small Cabin Forum / General Forum / Is this old log cabin worth repairing?
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carcrossguy
Member
# Posted: 7 Oct 2011 21:56
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Seller claims it was built in 1965. I was going to replace rotten logs and sand and paint the good ones. needs a new roof. some of the boards are hand made so i want to replace them. cement chinking i might replace as well. only seen pics of interior but it looks good.dry walled. lots of the same trees growing on property. i think they might be douglas fir. I could just rebuild entire cabin and hope the government doesnt notice because i think it costs a lot in permits and upgrading septic field to modern standards.

trollbridge
Member
# Posted: 7 Oct 2011 22:18
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It doesn't look bad. It is very large and it looks solid. The roof isn't sagging.You're thinking about buying? How's the price?

Just
Member
# Posted: 7 Oct 2011 22:20
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you would want to get it up off the dirt first . the rest looks good maybe hire a mover to rase it and build a footing ,fix any bad logs , and i think it would be a treasure,
not sure what that would cost ,but it should come off your bid,
good luck

Nirky
Member
# Posted: 7 Oct 2011 23:43
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Cement chinking will make for a lot of drafty areas, plan on replacing it with permachink or logjam. I'd lightly sand and stain the log courses without painting. Maybe look into new siding? Douglas fir is pretty durable for a softwood, if there is some dry rot it may be due to the lack of eave protection. Log cabins can stand for hundreds of years but not when directly exposed to the elements.

neb
Member
# Posted: 8 Oct 2011 10:44
Reply 


Boy I would think you could do some repairs and make that a nice place. If nothing else use alot of the materials and build a new one. It may be a a lot of work but you would have to material. I would fix the problems and use it.

dvgchef
Member
# Posted: 8 Oct 2011 16:31
Reply 


Sweet cabin! Find out what the zoning rules are in that community - sometimes if there is no change to the foot print there is no need for upgraded septic - check with the town!

carcrossguy
Member
# Posted: 8 Oct 2011 19:50
Reply 


Thanks for the useful feedback. I was pretty much thinking it would have to be destroyed until i read these comments and did some research on old log cabin restoration.

neb
Member
# Posted: 8 Oct 2011 22:43
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What is the size of the cabin?

carcrossguy
Member
# Posted: 8 Oct 2011 23:11
Reply 


1170 sq ft. the front porch they say is 200 sq ft. Also has root cellar. the 1170 could be counting the cellar and porch but if that porch is 200 then by comparison the cabin part probably is 1170.

hattie
Member
# Posted: 8 Oct 2011 23:36
Reply 


I'd definitely save it, but I'm partial to rescuing old buildings. If it has a root cellar that is a HUGE bonus. I say Save it!!! *S*

dstraate
Member
# Posted: 9 Oct 2011 01:00
Reply 


Save it. Move in and fix things as they arise. It will be a labor of love.

mag162
Member
# Posted: 9 Oct 2011 08:44
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All log cabins are worth saving

smitty
Member
# Posted: 9 Oct 2011 10:08
Reply 


Save it.. Unless they are asking too much.

TomChum
Member
# Posted: 10 Oct 2011 18:26
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Looks pretty cool. Nice setting... I think 1170 SF is a house not a cabin.....

Look at that gable end wall, it has no eave to protect logs from the weather, possibly similar on the backside. Also the flashing at the porch appears to be external of the gable end siding. Some simple observances that don't look good for longevity....

.....good luck.

carcrossguy
Member
# Posted: 12 Oct 2011 02:37
Reply 


What type of vaneer could you use to cover the log part because it is pretty ugly. I guess cedar siding boards?

TomChum
Member
# Posted: 12 Oct 2011 16:41 - Edited by: TomChum
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Try to restore the color of the logs first. Covering up the logs on a log house seems like the wrong way to start out. It may well be where you end up, but I'd try some other things first. For example just water with some Clorox (bleach) can restore the color of some weathered wood. Have a look at the photo below. It did not take much work. However, the shingles in the pic were genuiniely "new" (1 year in the weather). I don't know how much bleach was in the water (not much) - probably 20:1.
Effect of Clorox bleach on weathered shingles
Effect of Clorox bleach on weathered shingles


carcrossguy
Member
# Posted: 12 Oct 2011 19:11
Reply 


thanks, tomchum. I'm worried about the how straight the logs are and the gaps between them. The sides of the cabin are pretty crudely built. I found out it has a cement brick foundation so I guess that is good. rebuild is an option but lots of permits required.
as far as cleaning old logs, people are using corncob, broken glass, sand etc to blast the oxididation off.

CabinBuilder
Admin
# Posted: 19 Oct 2011 22:23
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Admin Note: part 2 continues here


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