The Long-Term Benefits of Regular Maintenance for Log Cabins
Generally speaking, log homes will require a bit more maintenance than will conventional homes built with vinyl siding or any other traditional building material. Natural wood is much more subject to degradation than is vinyl or something similar, so it stands to reason that it would require more protection in order to retain its beauty and effectiveness as a shelter for your family. Below are described some of the reasons that it will be to your advantage to conscientiously conduct regular maintenance on your log home, and the benefits you’ll receive by doing so.
Protecting your investment
Log homes are not inexpensive alternatives to home construction, and in fact they can be more expensive than conventional homes, depending on the style and the size of a given home. It makes no sense to invest so heavily in a gorgeous log home, and then allow it to be degraded by weather elements or perhaps by critters attracted to the natural wood. For most people, purchasing a home is the biggest investment they’ll make in their lifetimes, so that is an investment you should protect by any means possible. By carrying out regular maintenance, you’ll have the best chance of protecting your investment, and ensuring that it lasts throughout your lifetime and beyond.
Maintaining weather-tightness
When you conduct regular inspections of your log home, you should notice if there are any logs which have been damaged by weather or other elements. You should also see any signs of wear and tear on the chinking, which is the caulking or sealing material between the logs. Being weather-tight is absolutely essential, both for protection from inclement weather, and for excluding moisture that can wreak havoc on the construction of your home. Periodic maintenance will go a long way toward making sure your log home is protected against weather, which means it will be able to provide that same protection to you and your family members.
Benefiting from log construction
One of the great benefits of having a log home in the first place is to take advantage of the awesome characteristics of natural wood. The air pockets embedded in logs allows the logs to keep your home cooler in the summertime, and to insulate your home against the cold weather of winter. However, these benefits are only available if the logs themselves are properly cared for, and allowed to maintain their natural integrity. Once the logs have been compromised by attacks from critters or by weather elements, all those marvelous benefits might be out the window. One of the main benefits of doing regular inspections and maintenance of your log home is finding any issues before they have a chance to develop into problems that will compromise the integrity of your natural logs.
Resale value
When you moved into your beautiful new log home, you surely weren’t thinking about what its resale value might be in the future – you were just thrilled to reside in a structure that held such rustic appeal and natural beauty. By faithfully carrying out regular maintenance on your log home, you can ensure that it retains its value in the coming decades, and perhaps even appreciates in value. If the time ever does come when you begin considering a relocation, you’ll want to at least recoup your investment, and hopefully even realize a profit on the home. Even if you never leave the home, you’ll want its value to remain intact or to appreciate, because you will probably bestow it on your children. When that time comes, you’ll want to pass on a home that has tremendous value to someone, either your children or to new buyers.