Log Home Restoration · Jackson Hole, Wyoming & Teton Valley, Idaho
Your log home is an asset. Maintain it like one.
The short answer
What is log home restoration?
Log home restoration is the process of taking a log structure back to sound, protected wood and then sealing it so it stays that way — stripping failed finish, cutting out rot, rebuilding the joints, and re-staining. Log Care, Inc. has provided log home restoration in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Teton Valley, Idaho since 2008.
It is not painting and it is not siding work. A log wall is structure and weather barrier at the same time, it moves with the seasons, and every repair has to move with it. Do the steps out of order — stain over gray fiber, chink over a rotted log, blast a wall you never sealed — and you pay for the same wall twice.
What we do
Log home restoration services
Four services cover most of what a Teton County log home needs. They are usually done in a specific order, because each one depends on the one before it.
01Media Blasting
Stripping failed stain, mill glaze and UV-grayed fiber back to bare, bondable wood — without the gouging sandblasting leaves.
From $3–$6 / sq ft →
02Log Home Repair
Rot, log replacement and structural carpentry. We cut back to sound wood and fix whatever let the water in.
From $250 a patch →
03Chinking & Caulking
Rebuilding the joints so the wall sheds water instead of holding it against the log.
From $12–$22 / linear ft →
04Log Home Staining
The finish that carries the UV protection. Two coats, back-brushed, applied in the right window.
From $1.40 / sq ft →Why order matters
The sequence most contractors get wrong
Strip, repair, seal, finish — in that order. Every expensive log home failure we are called to undo in Teton County comes from doing these steps out of sequence, or skipping one entirely.
- 01
Strip
New finish will not bond to gray, UV-damaged fiber. Whatever is failing has to come off first.
- 02
Repair
Rot is found and cut out with the wall bare and visible — not discovered later under fresh stain.
- 03
Seal
Joints are rebuilt before the finish goes on. Chinking over stain never bonds properly.
- 04
Finish
Two coats, back-brushed, into prepared wood. This is the only step most homeowners ever see.
A crew that stains first and chinks after has just sealed your joints to a coating instead of to the log. A crew that chinks a wall without probing it has sealed rot inside. Neither problem shows up in year one — which is exactly why the cheap bid looks like the smart bid until it does not.
Plan the budget
What log home restoration costs in Teton County
Most whole-home log restoration projects in Jackson Hole and Teton Valley land between $15,000 and $60,000 depending on how many of the four services the house needs. Individual services start far lower.
| Service | Typical Teton County range | What moves the number |
|---|---|---|
| Media blasting | $3 – $6 / sq ft · $9,000 – $26,000 | How many coats of failed finish, and access height. |
| Log repair & replacement | $250 a patch → $5,500 a jacked sill log | How far the rot travelled, and whether the log carries load. |
| Chinking & caulking | $12 – $22 / linear ft · $18,000 – $55,000 | Total joint footage, and whether old chinking must be cut out. |
| Staining | $1.40 – $10 / sq ft · $9,000 – $28,000 | Maintenance coat versus a full strip and two coats. |
Ranges are typical for Teton County and Teton Valley. Every log home is priced from a site visit, because access, wall height, log condition and the finish coming off change the number.
We publish ranges because the alternative — making you call to find out whether this is a $5,000 or a $50,000 conversation — wastes your time and ours. A free on-site assessment turns a range into a number.
Why log homes fail here
Teton County is harder on a log home than almost anywhere
Elevation, UV, snow load and a short work season. A maintenance schedule that works in the Midwest will leave a Jackson Hole log home two years behind.
UV intensity climbs roughly 10 percent for every 3,000 feet of elevation. Finishes here break down faster than the label predicts.
Snow sits against the bottom courses through winter, keeping the most vulnerable logs on the house wet the longest.
The minimum surface temperature most finishes need to cure. It is our overnight lows, not our daytime highs, that close the work season.
Realistic re-stain interval on south and west elevations. North and east walls typically go longer.
None of that means a log home here is a burden. It means the maintenance interval is shorter and the order of operations matters more. Homes we have kept on a cycle since 2008 need a wash and a coat, not a rescue.
Where we work
Serving Jackson Hole, Teton Valley and Star Valley
Teton County, Wyoming
Jackson · Teton Village · Wilson · Kelly · Alta · Hoback · Rafter J Ranch · South Park
Star Valley & beyond
Questions we get asked
Log home restoration questions
What is log home restoration?
Log home restoration is the process of returning a log structure to sound, protected wood and sealing it so it stays that way. On a typical Teton County home that means four things in order: media blasting off the failed finish, repairing or replacing any rotted logs, rebuilding the chinking and caulking, then re-staining with two coats.
How much does log home restoration cost?
Most whole-home projects in Jackson Hole and Teton Valley run $15,000 to $60,000, depending on how many services the house needs. Individually: media blasting $3–$6 per square foot, chinking $12–$22 per linear foot, staining $1.40–$10 per square foot, and log repairs from about $250 for a patch to $5,500 for a jacked sill log.
How often does a log home need maintenance in Jackson Hole?
Check the walls annually and expect to re-stain south and west elevations every 3 to 5 years, north and east every 5 to 8. Chinking generally lasts 15 to 20 years if it was installed over proper backer rod. The quickest test is whether water still beads on the wall — when it soaks in, the repellent is spent.
Do I need to blast my log home before staining?
Only if the existing finish is peeling, chalking heavily, or gray fiber is showing through. If the current stain has simply worn thin and the wood underneath is sound, a wash, brighten and maintenance coat is the right answer and costs a fraction of a full strip.
Is Log Care licensed and insured?
Yes. Log Care, Inc. has been incorporated and working in Teton County since 2008, carries full liability and workers' compensation coverage, and holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Do you serve Idaho as well as Wyoming?
Yes. Our core service area covers Teton County Wyoming, Teton Valley Idaho — Driggs, Victor and Tetonia — and Star Valley Wyoming. We travel beyond it for larger projects.
Find out what your log home actually needs
A free on-site assessment: we probe the wood, meter the moisture, find where water is getting in, and give you the scope in writing. Whether you hire us or not.