Log cabins are beautiful places, often filled with family memories. However, without proper
consideration, these structures can become maintenance nightmares. Fortunately, there are steps
you can take to reduce the maintenance load on you throughout your log cabin owning years.
Wood Aging
Wood makes your cabin a log cabin. However, it’s also responsible for creating a large part of
your maintenance workload. As wood ages, it tends to decay. Every time it rains, for example,
water is absorbed into the material and can lead to rot. Exposure to natural elements must be
combatted if you want your log cabin to last decades instead of years.
Unfortunately, combatting wood decomposition without design help is intensive. You do not
want to re-stain entire sides of your log cabin each year to keep nature from weathering it away.
Instead, there are smart design choices you can make or modify to give yourself the luxury of a
cabin without the monotony of maintenance.
Roofing
Roofing materials are a significant maintenance consideration. In a traditional cabin, the roof is
also wood, either log or shingle. On top of requiring a ladder to access, the roof can sometimes
deteriorate faster than the walls due to its exposure. Therefore, the roof is an ideal choice for
using modern materials. Asphalt shingles alone can take a beating without deteriorating for
years. You wouldn’t need a ladder and repair time each year. That’s definitely a maintenance
win for you.
Siding
Siding is another place you can make choices to go to minimal maintenance. In a traditional log
cabin, the logs are the siding. However, this leaves the logs exposed to the elements. Unless the
logs are perfectly finished when assembled, staining and sealing become an ongoing process in
order to preserve them.
These days, there are many humanmade alternatives. Steel siding, for example, can be colored
and shaped to mimic several tree species. Using this material even only on the most elementally
exposed parts of your log cabin can dramatically cut your expected maintenance time.
Exposed Areas
The traditional log cabin in your area may have a unique exterior layout based on the climate.
For example, log cabins in Texas require extensive porches on most of the sides to shied the
logs. However, you may not want these adaptive features in your own log cabin home. That
means compensating with materials, so you do not have an ongoing maintenance battle.
At the very least, you should consider alternative materials in hard to reach areas. Everything
from stone design work to vinyl shakes preserves the rustic log cabin look you love without
compromise. However, these materials require significantly less maintenance after being out in
the elements. Incorporating them into the design of your log cabin, even just as updates when it
becomes necessary, saves you a significant amount of maintenance time.
