Restoration of old Log buildings.

Restoration of old log buildings is beautiful work. The feeling that you get when repairing and old building is one of joy and relief that you are helping to save a wonderful structure. It is almost like you can hear the building thanking you when working with it. Below is a link to a quick slide show of one such building that we helped to save a few years ago. It was a 100 year old church that was listing and as you can see in the slide show the logs were severely damaged. We had to lift the building using 10 ton jacks and replace the logs all the way around and under most of the windows, replace the paneling and driplists. We also had to take up the floor and restore the under-structure as it was very badly damaged. There are a lot of simple logic rules to follow when living in a log building and they were completely ignored for 20-30 years in this building.
Such things as keeping the ventilation holes between the granite foundation open during the warm summer months so the subfloor can breathe. Then closing them when the freezing temperatures arrive so to have better insulation. In Finland the old saying is that you close these holes when the lakes freeze and open them when the lakes thaw again.
Also during repairs in the 1960-70's they put plastic around some logs which was just crazy and even worse poured concrete in around other to fill in old stove foundations. Needles to say this just destroyed the logs.
They also built a modern altar around the beautiful old carved altar which we uncovered when under the floor.

Have a look and see for yourself. Just click on the following link.

http://terrafirma.fi/services/restoration.html

If you have any restoration projects that you would like to share please forward them with a little description of the work and I can post them here for you..