Repairing log cabin walls – is it possible to replace rotten wall logs in a log cabin?
The simple answer is yes BUT it’s not something for a DIYer or even a “professional” handyman. We have specialist equipment and decades of experience carrying our log cabin repairs and in all things “log cabin”. Click here if you would like to know more about us.
Analysing the problem (we don’t just guess what work or repair in needed!)
The usual logs that need replacing are of course the ones at the very bottom. This is where they get wet from rain splash back dripping off the roof. The bases are all too often oversize. This then creates a “shelf” for rain to drip onto from the roof. Or even just heavy rain that lands on it, causing splash back. When timber gets wet over a longish period it also causes any paint to peel off. This exposes the bare timber and making the situation even worse.
It may not be just the wall logs
The next in line is the floor of the cabin – all too often, cabins are built straight onto the concrete base. There is no form of damp proof course or membrane. So although customers think that it is only rotten wall logs at the bottom of their wall(s), it is very often the case that the floor bearers have gone rotten as well. Leading to a comment such as “I thought the floor was a bit bouncy over there”!
Avoiding a bodge job repair (that will only make matters worse)
Log cabin walls are built from the ground up. Fully interlocking into the logs above and below as they go up. That means it is not possible to just simply remove and replace a log. Someone not knowing this would probably just try to repair the log cabin wall by cutting the log in question out. They don’t necessarily think about how they would get a new one back in. This probably resulting in a bodge with glue, filler and screws that would end up leaking.
Hortons have the knowhow (and the right equipment) to carry out log cabin repairs
Hortons have developed a method to carry out these log cabin repairs where we actually lift the whole cabin up above the rotten logs. How is this possible??? We use hydraulic rams! We lift it high enough to be able to simply lift the log in question up out of the notch joints in the corner.
The gap needs to be about 150mm to do this. Then we just slot the replacement log into place. Then simply lower the cabin back down again for a seamless repair.
Do everything once and do it right
We can also easily replace rotten floors / floor bearers as well whilst the cabin is up in mid-air. Cabins are always built off of the floor bearers meaning that they are trapped under the walls, making them very tricky to replace. In order to get to the floor bearers, we need to lift the floor boards first. Unfortunately nearly all floor boards are nailed down and it’s almost impossible to avoid damaging them when taking up, so new floor boards are usually required. However, the good thing is that we can take advantage by also laying a full damp proof membrane (DPM) over the whole area to stop this ever happening again (see a video of how we lay our DPM here).
Our log cabin repairs are as good as new – Sometimes even better!
By the time we have finished, the cabin is in a great state of health and will last more many more years to come, just look at the corner log cabin below being repaired. This is a list of things that were carried out in this cabin repair –
- New damp proof membrane
- New replacement bottom logs around the whole cabin
- New timber base ring beam and floor bearers
- New floor boards
- New windows and doors
We give our customers peace of mind as well as many more years of use for their log cabin!
This is not a job for the fainthearted! Unless you are a real expert, we don’t suggest that you even think about trying it.
