The more information you have about a property the better off you are. Whether you are buying, selling or a realtor putting your reputation on the line, it pays to be informed. That's where we come in. SLR offers inspections to anyone with the desire to be better informed. We are NOT a substitute for a licensed home inspector. The inspection we offer is a safety net for all concerned.

     When we inspect a log home we look for potential problems as well as existing ones. We also look for things that have been done to protect the home. That is to say we look for the good as well as the bad. This is the same inspection we offer annually to our customers. Please read the Log Home Maintenance Program page. During this inspection we look for any signs of insect or water damage. We make sure there are not any problem areas around the home that can cause accelerated log rot. This can include flower pots, wall hangings, trees, shrubs, decks, flashing, downspouts and a number of other things.

    There is a myriad of wood consuming insects. Powder post beetles, carpenter bees, carpenter ants and termites are just a few. It is important to catch the damage causing insects quickly. It is much more expensive to treat for an active infestation than to catch it early and maintain the protection.

    We make sure the caulking and/or chinking is still serviceable. Caulking or chinking can fail due to many things. A few of which are; applicator error, time or it simply wasn't done during construction. Failing caulk can cause severe problems with the house. SLR inspected the personal home of a local log home builder that had not been caulked and within three years had log rot. If you look at the photos on the Log Replacement page you will see houses that had extensive damage due to improper caulking. 

  All log homes form cracks as they dry. These cracks are referred to as checks in the log home industry. Checks that face upward can fill with moisture during a heavy dew, when it rains, snows or gets sprayed with a wayward sprinkler. These cracks allow moisture to soak into the logs and rot from the inside out. If they are not treated the home in question could actually be rotten to the core with little visible damage. Throughout the inspection we look for the causes of log rot as well as log rot itself.

     We inspect the serviceability of the stain. Is it still repelling water, is it protecting the logs from the sun or is it completely worthless? Stains can look horrible and still be effective. Stains can look great and allow moisture to seep into the logs. Stain on a log home is similar to the paint on your car. It may look great for years, but one day you will see a little rust and just below the surface is a world of extensive and expensive damage. Stain is the single most important protection you can apply to a log home.

          What we offer is more than just an inspection. It is peace of mind for all parties involved. You can go into the real estate process with the necessary information to make an educated decision.

     We are your log home specialists.