I am in Minnesota and am looking at puchasing a log home. There look to be a few problem areas on the corners of the home that will need replacement logs and the home will need a complete Staining. Do you have any recommendations?
Walk around the house with a hammer and tap on the logs. You will learn the sound of good logs, when you hit a bad one it will sound different. Hollow. Places to look are along decks where water can splash down from the roof on to the deck and then splash up on the logs. Bottom corners of windows and doors, the corners of the house and where ever down spouts are connected to the logs. Another thing to look at is to make sure the overhangs of the house extend beyond the log ends of the house.
As for the finish, if it is faded, splitting, peeling or has black mold growing on it, it will need to be stripped and restained. Also check the caulk or chink for excessive breaks or cracks. If there is no chink or caulk I would recommend having it installed. Call Mike at 866-670-3020 for more help.