Shade, Moisture, and Log Rot: A Branson-Area Cabin Repair

This log cabin near Branson sits in the wooded Ozark hills, under a stand of large evergreens. Its weather-facing wall gets very little direct sun, so after a storm it stays wet for days. That constant moisture rotted several logs, mostly in the lower courses under the windows. Our crew replaced the damaged logs and caulked between every course to seal the wall against storms.

Repairs only solve half the problem, though. We recommended the owner remove some of the large evergreens to get more sun and airflow on that wall. With log homes, there’s a happy medium. Too much sun dries out and cracks the wood. Too little keeps it wet, and wet logs rot. Getting that balance right keeps these repairs from turning into the next round of replacement.

To keep costs down, the owner is handling the cleaning and staining himself. We focused on the repairs that keep water out and the structure sound.