Saturday, August 9, 2008

Why you should check the trees around your log home!

We had a bad storm a few weeks ago and the limbs of an old Maple tree came crashing down. As you can see from the photos below, this is good example of why you should check the trees around a log home (or any home for that matter.) These limbs fell within 3 feet of our log home. We were lucky it didn't go through our roof or windows. A local tree service company came out and removed all the fallen branches within a couple hours. They made woodchips out of the old limbs and I was glad we were able to use it for our path to the lake. Now I'm checking the other trees - especially to make sure no branches are touching our logs so that tree sap doesn't get on them and compromise them. I am a big conservationist at heart so I try to remove as little as possible. After all, my original dream was to have a log cabin in the woods - not a log cabin on a bare lot!




9 comments:

Andrea Martin said...

I'm so glad I found your blog! My husband and I are building a log cabin in New Hampshire! I'll definitely be back to read again! My blog is at http://martina.journalspace.com

Unknown said...

Wow - close call! I'm glad the cabin didn't get any damage. Those wood chips come in handy. Last fall the utility company was trimming trees in our subdivision and we were able to get 3 dumptruck loads of chips. I've used them for pathways thru the gardens and also do mark out new garden beds!

Jen said...

LOL -- I just did!! Come see.

You have a lot of mature trees around, so this is good advice. You are lucky too that you could have them chip it up for you. Don't forget to save some for your future firebox!

joated said...

Glad that they missed your home! After all the work of getting your place up it would have been a shame to have something damaging happen so soon.

We had little choice but to clear the one tree that was in our way. And with a power line right of way on one side of our building area we have no over hanging trees. There are a few that are close that will ahve to come down soon. The previous owner of the property strund wire for lights around two paper birches and succeeded in girdling them. They are now dead and the small branches have come down in an ice storm prior to our construction but the trunks are still tall enough that if/when they fall they could do some damage. Ropes, pulleys, a chainsaw and some careful planning will be required.

Wendy said...

It's also a good idea from the standpoint of having defensible space, even if you are not in a fire prone area. I know several members of the forestry service, and it's commonly known that the homes with trees kept clear of the structures get priority in a firefight. Fire fighters don't like to have the odds stacked against them!

Shelley said...

Andrea - thank you for visiting! Congrats on your future log home! I'll come visit your blog...

Bobbi - That's a great idea on using the chips for the garden!

Jen - yes - now about that fireplace....

Joated - more trees are coming down next week! Preventitive measures...

Unknown said...

Hi Shelley! The Shakers are similar to the Amish, but not exactly the same.

The Shakers - although highly religious - were actually celibate! No wonder there are very few still around. The men and women of the Shaker villages lived as brothers and sisters.

goprairie said...

hi - i found you via your comment on my blog, www.goprairie.blogspot.com, when you commented on Isle Royale - i wanted to make sure you are following it as i post the good stuff about the trip because it was hard, yes, but amazing! and while you are back there, go over to the labels at the right side of the page and click on 'house' and see the timber frame house we are building. i am typing now with varnish on my hands, as we are being subs for parts - we sanded ( and sanded and sanded and sanded) the frame and rafters and joists and are now varnishing the frame and rafters and joists and ceilings. then drywallers will come, then we will paint and lay our own floor before the construction guys come back to finish and the plumbers and electricians and HVAC guys some back to finish. another thing that is hard work but worth it! I love your window configuration on the triangular side, with the stepped rectangles. when i first showed my plans to our builder, he said i could not have that many windows, but i insisted and it is going to be amazing. ever get to wisconsin?

reliv4life said...

glad all is well!! thanks for the tip - too bad our lot had NO trees prior to us planting some last year.