Vertical-wall log cabins:

This article explains the inspection and diagnosis of rot and leak damage on older log homes and other log structures that used vertical logs to form the building walls.

This series of log cabin articles provides information on the inspection and diagnosis of damage to new and older log homes and includes description of log home insulation values and alternatives, and also a description of the characteristics of slab-sided log homes. Our page top photo shows an older vertical-log walled log home along the Susquehanna river in Pennsylvania.

Guide to Vertical Log Wall Homes - the Original Green Cabin

Shown here is the Green Cabin, a vertical-log cabin in northern Minnesota. Photographed in 2006, this log cabin was built in the late 1920's or early 1930's as a fishing camp.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Thanks to the wisdom of the owners who at least kept a decent roof on the cabin, the log building endured for many decades. But it was in rough condition by the turn of the century, needing floor structure, roof, wall, and window repairs.

The vertical placement of most of the logs on this building permitted the original builders to use local cedar logs cut on this rocky point of land extending into a great lake even though the logs varied widely in diameter. There was no problem of mating logs of different sizes at the building corners when this approach was used, yet the building corners and structure remained intact, even absent the structural tie of overlapping log ends.

The original log structure was not chinked nor well-sealed but inside the builders nailed furring strips between vertical logs, in some instances using oakum or newspaper as a chinking material behind the furring.

Checking, Cracks, Leaks & Rot Concerns at a Vertical Log Walled Home

Checks in vertical logs do not pose the same risks as in horizontal logs in a building wall, because the checks or cracks naturally drain. This condition puts the logs at less risk for rot or frost damage. But the damage risks are not zero.

For example in the vertical log wall cabin shown here, the builder, or someon else later, poured concrete around the ends of the vertical logs (photo, below left). Unfortunately this detail, illustrated below, trapped water around the base of every log in the wall. Eventually, even though these were rot-resistant cedar logs, they decayed, as you can see at below right.

In comments and photographs below we illustrate the types of damage and log home failures that occurred in this structure.

The principal causes of rot and carpenter ant damage we found at this Minnesota log cabin were

• Rot at the bottom end of logs placed on sill beams that stretched between piers (Photo above right)
• Rot at the bottoms of logs behind horizontal trim boards - the boards may have been added later to cover existing damage, but the absence of any caulking let wind-driven rain enter and become trapped behind the trim boards causing extensive rot in these areas (Photo above left).
• Carpenter ant damage to interior partitions due to wood close to soil where floor beams rested on or close to dirt in more shallow areas of the crawl space at the right side of the building.
• Rot damage to several interior areas due to roof leaks, including fungal growth at the top of vertical logs inside where leaks at roof eaves soaked into the exposed end grain of the vertical logs. (Photo below left)

If you see fungus like this growing on a wood structure you can safely assume that significant rot damage is present and that the conditions that caused this damage are old and protracted.

The green cabin underwent an extensive renovation and reconstruction beginning in 2000, and it remains in frequent use as a dry (no plumbing) guest cottage.

Our photo above shows the original 1930's home-made sink that included plumbing that drew water from and emptied back into the lake - a system that was removed completely when the cabin was repaired and renovated.

Photos of this cabin before and after its renovation are

at ANTIQUE & OLD LOG CABINS

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2021-05-03 by (mod) - tips for floor refinishing close to curved or irregular log wall surface

In tight and irregular locations like the bottom of your vertical log wall, I use a small hand-held electric triangular detail sander like the 0.4 Amp Corded 2-7/8 in. Detail Sander (Ryobi) shown below. Start with a coarse pad and work to using a finer pad to finish the job.

You'll see that a tool like this one can get right into very tight spaces.

I also use a very sharp angled hand scraper - taking care not to gouge the surrounding surfaces.

Its a tedious hand-held sander job that is probably not in the bid a typical floor refinishing company.

The tricks in using a hand scraper like the Red Devil single-edge scrape shown here include

1. keep a very sharp blade in the tool

2. take care not to angle the blade out of parallel to the scraped surface or you'll leave a deep ugly gouge.

On 2021-05-03 by Libby - floor sanding details at vertical log walls in 100 year old cabin

We own a 100+ year old vertical log house and would like to refinish the wood floors. How do you refinish along scalloped edges caused by the vertical logs? What tools can one use to get through 100+ years of varnish? Help!!

We hired someone to do the floors and they just ignored the edges. Unbelievable!!

More details from house.

On 2020-06-25 - by (mod) -

If you're discussing vertical log siding the logs are nailed to a building frame. If you're discussing horizontal logs they're bolted through the subfloor to the Sill

On 2020-06-22 4 by John

How are logs held at the base onto the floor?

On 2016-08-16 - by (mod) -

John,

I think you may need to install temporary reinforcement on the cabin walls before trying to move it.
Use the page bottom CONTACT link if you'd like to send some photos - I may be able to comment further.

On 2016-08-16 by John Misner

I currently own a vertical log home also known as stockade style. How easy or difficult us it to relocate to a new location. It's curgently on a cement slab.

On 2016-03-13 - by (mod) -

Great question, Mark. There might be but it's not a software tool I've come across. I have not seen a modern kit log home that placed logs vertically. If you have, do let me know.

On 2016-03-13 by mark

is there any software for vertical log building construction/design ?

On 2015-08-04 - by (mod) -

TS

As with most construction, the siding needs to either extend out beyond or down over the upper edge of the foundation wall so as to avoid leaks in at the wall / slab juncture.

At https://inspectapedia.com/BestPractices/Wall_Flashing_Specifications.php you'll find some general sketches on how that joint is flashed.

If you were going to try to sit vertical logs atop the foundation wall you'd need to use a flashing tape that will seal around nails or bolts that secure the wall sill plate to the foundation top.

On 2015-08-04 by tshenolo

how do i construct the slab for this vertucal log house.merging the logs with the foundation.

On 2015-03-16 - by (mod) -

John

The cabin you ask about was in bad enough shape that irr was reconstructed using a horizontal log siding design.

An essential problem is the decision on repair when a substantial portion of vertical has rotted. The amount of labour to cut and piece sufch repairs and assure structural strength may lead to a decision to abandon bad wall sections, replacing them entirely.

If you want to send more details and photos to our email at CONTACT (at page bottom) its not anything like an onsite inspection but I may be able to comment further.

On 2015-03-14 by John

I'm interested to see pictures of renovations and if possible your log house in its finished state. I am looking at buying a vertical log house cabin in Canada but I cannot find an updated version of a property that has the same style. Let me know if it is possible. Thanks

On 2014-12-01 - by (mod) -

Anon,

The green stained vertical log cabin I photographed in Two Harbors MN was built by or for Croft, a European, possibly actually constructed by a Scandanavian builder, probably around 1930. I've seen photos of Chippewa cabins using vertical bark and other materials.

The Norwegian pioneer log homes I've seen used flat hewn horizontal logs.

On 2014-12-01 by Anonymous

what nationality built vertical log homes in mn.

On 2012-08-08 - by (mod) -

Anon:

We rebuilt the cabin walls, section by section, making sure it had a solid foundation.

On 2012-08-07 by Anonymous

How were the vertical logs replaced

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