I have been renting a log home and am considering buying it. it was built in 1987 and was not very well maintained. Look like it probably was not ever restained, but most definitely was not in the least the last 10 years. And there is an unknown amount of carpenter bee damage. There a lots of visible chambers (not just the entry holes) in areas. The bees were treated with some kind of borax last summer by the landlords, but they are back. How big a nightmare am I looking at?
First the borate will not work on the bees since they do not digest the wood fiber. If you are considering buying it keep in mind that once you get it back into the shape it needs to be, it will cost you about $1.50 per square foot of living space, per year to maintain professionally. A 1,500 square foot house will cost you about $18K-$20K to get back into proper condition, plus a $2,250 budget per year to maintain.