Old log cabin

[chestnut]

 I recently uncovered a 1880's log cabin.



 
It had t&g boards on it, then covered with t1-11. The logs look good but the old daubing is coming out and exposing the angled wood chinking. I was wondering whether I should remove the wood chinks or just cover with metal lath and mortar/sand mixture?
Here's a pic of chinking


 

Thanks

[pnhd65]

Very interesting, I'm also in central PA, eastern end of Clearfield County. Where is the cabin? There's an historical landmark near me. The old Saint Severins church. I'm not sure of the date on it but it's close to the same time frame. The construction looks very much alike. Your building looks to be in very good shape.

[chestnut]

 Hello pnhd65
  I'm located in southern part of Mifflin county.  The cabin is in pretty good shape, the floors are a little wavy but not too bad. There's a few soft spots on a couple of logs but not big areas. 

[beenthere]

From the looks of it, I think I'd skip the metal lath, chip out the loose sand/mortar and put new mud in. Maybe there is a better product on the market to plaster in over the angled chinking.

[Autocar]

There's a show on TV called barn wood builders they use some kind of plastic/putty stuff that gives when the weather changes. Beautiful cabin you have and they showed a week ago how to replace a bad log in the wall very interesting show.

[John.Howard]

I'd suggest removing only the loose mortar and repairing with a mix of sharp sand and moderately hydraulic lime on a ratio of 3:1. You could also use sharp sand and non-hydraulic lime putty at 3:1 but don't use cement or any kind of new product. Stick to the traditional practices, the old ways are best. Lime draws out moisture, cement holds it in and cement causes a lot of damage to old buildings. Don't use hydrated lime either.

[S.Hyland]

I would second John Howards advice. Very nice cabin by the way.

[Ljohnsaw]

What a fantastic find.  Is it your cabin or are you restoring it for someone?  Careful with that back door - that first step is a doozy!

[chestnut]

 Thanks for the replies fellas. I'll have to search the net on hydraulic lime. I've never used it before. I don't even know if I can find it around here.

ijohnsaw   The place is mine. I just bought it a year ago. There used to be a porch under that step but, it was probably more dangerous than falling to the ground.

Here's a neat picture of the basement door 

 

[outlawcowboy]

There's a show on TV called barn wood builders they use some kind of plastic/putty stuff that gives when the weather changes. Beautiful cabin you have and they showed a week ago how to replace a bad log in the wall very interesting show.

I seen the show that you are talking about and was wondering about the same product. So I got to looking on the internet and came across what they where using (can't recall the name at this point) but it is high dollar stuff, for a 5 gallon bucket it is around 300 dollars and does not cover very much depending on how far apart the logs are. The reason I got to looking is because I'm in the process of building a cabin.

[chestnut]

There's a show on TV called barn wood builders they use some kind of plastic/putty stuff that gives when the weather changes. Beautiful cabin you have and they showed a week ago how to replace a bad log in the wall very interesting show.

I seen the show that you are talking about and was wondering about the same product. So I got to looking on the internet and came across what they where using (can't recall the name at this point) but it is high dollar stuff, for a 5 gallon bucket it is around 300 dollars and does not cover very much depending on how far apart the logs are. The reason I got to looking is because I'm in the process of building a cabin.

  I think it was Perma chink and according to they're calculator, I would need about 11 buckets. That's tooooo expensive for me. And that was for just the outside!!!

[D L Bahler]

Also to consider,

Being built in the 1880s in PA, there's a pretty good chance the logwork on this building was never intended to be seen. A lot of cabins were built and immediately sided, it was an easy way someone could build a house without having the structural expertise necessary to raise a timber frame or the infrastructure in place to saw out lumber for a balloon frame.
In Indiana, for example, settlers would bring with them a wagonload of siding and a few buckets of nails, put up a log cabin, and then put the siding over it.

That's probably the reason this building is so well preserved, those logs never saw the light of day after the building was up.

[clww]

Gorgeous find and purchase.
I really like the markings on the basement access door, too.

[Chilterns]

It's obvious from the second picture posted above that the logs used to construct the walls of the cabin have never been exposed to weather and so must have been covered with siding from day one. This building should be re chinked and then siding re applied to continue to protect the log structure.

It would be interesting to see a picture of the building with it's original siding still in place as most people don't appreciate that historic planks would have cost more to produce than a hewn log and so ripping off and discarding same is somewhat of a conservation practice folly.

Chilterns

[chestnut]

It's obvious from the second picture posted above that the logs used to construct the walls of the cabin have never been exposed to weather and so must have been covered with siding from day one. This building should be re chinked and then siding re applied to continue to protect the log structure.

It would be interesting to see a picture of the building with it's original siding still in place as most people don't appreciate that historic planks would have cost more to produce than a hewn log and so ripping off and discarding same is somewhat of a conservation practice folly.

Chilterns

Hello Chilterns
  I agree these logs haven't seen light for many years. I have a picture from around 1905 that shows the same boards in the picture below, that I just took off a few weeks ago. I would like to have saved some but they were so dry rotted that you could crush them with your hands.

 
Something else different about this place is a basement that I can stand up in at 6 ft tall


 

[D L Bahler]

Ya, if the siding was underneath other siding for an extended period, it's a pretty safe bet it would be destroyed.

Conservation, also, is not always the issue. People restoring log cabins might not want to have wood siding, they might want to see the logs
So I like to let people know the way things were, so the can approach their restorations and renovations more informed.

The matter here is, originally this building had siding to protect the logs, something that can be taken off and replaced if needed. Now you have taken that away, so the logs are exposed. If you want the logs to remain in the condition they are in, you will have to do something different to protect them, like give them a bigger roof overhang for example.

[chestnut]

Ya, if the siding was underneath other siding for an extended period, it's a pretty safe bet it would be destroyed.

Conservation, also, is not always the issue. People restoring log cabins might not want to have wood siding, they might want to see the logs
So I like to let people know the way things were, so the can approach their restorations and renovations more informed.

The matter here is, originally this building had siding to protect the logs, something that can be taken off and replaced if needed. Now you have taken that away, so the logs are exposed. If you want the logs to remain in the condition they are in, you will have to do something different to protect them, like give them a bigger roof overhang for example.

I agree on the protection. I plan on having a porch roof over three sides next spring. I just recently visited the Perma-chink store for borate spray, stain and sealer. Talk about a kick in the wallet ;D