Log Home Restoration Jackson Hole: 4 Jobs, Honest Prices
Log home restoration in Jackson Hole is a fight against altitude. At 6,237 feet the sun hits a south-facing log wall harder than it does almost anywhere a log home gets built, and the finish that looked fine in October is chalky by the second summer. Add snow that sits against the bottom courses until May and a working season that runs late spring to early fall, and a Jackson log home runs on a tighter maintenance clock than the same house would anywhere lower.
Log Care has restored log homes on this side of Teton Pass since 2008. The crew works out of Victor, about thirty minutes over the hill, which is why we can get a truck to Wilson or Teton Village for an assessment without charging you a mobilization to do it.
What Jackson Hole does to a log home
Altitude and UV
Every thousand feet of elevation adds UV load, and Jackson sits at 6,237. South and west walls here need attention every three to five years. North and east walls stretch to five to eight. Most owners treat the whole house on one schedule and end up either overpaying on the shaded walls or letting the sunny ones fail.
Snow against the bottom courses
Snow banked against a wall keeps the bottom two or three courses wet for months, and wet logs at freezing are where rot starts. The bottom of the wall and the sill logs are the first place we probe on a Jackson inspection.
Wind and driven moisture
Open ground in South Park, Rafter J and the flats near the river takes wind that drives water into checks and joints. Sheltered lots in Wilson and up the canyons dry slower after storms. Two homes twenty minutes apart genuinely are on different schedules.
A short working season
Blasting, staining and chinking all need temperature and dry weather. In Teton County that window runs late spring through early fall. A project that slips past it waits a year, which is why we book assessments before the season, not during it.
The four jobs a Jackson Hole log home needs
Media blasting · $3–$6 per sq ft
Strips failed stain, paint, mildew and gray UV-damaged fiber back to bare, bondable wood using recycled crushed glass, corn cob or walnut shell. New finish will not bond to gray fiber, so this is where a real restoration starts. Log home media blasting.
Log rot repair · $250 to $5,500
Priced by method, decided by a probe, not a guess: borate treatment, epoxy consolidation, a Dutchman patch, half-log facing or a full log replacement. Water is almost always the cause, so we fix the water too. Log home repair.
Staining and sealing · $1.40–$10 per sq ft
A breathable, penetrating stain goes on bare, sound wood within days of the blast, before UV can gray it again. Cost tracks prep, not paint — a maintenance coat is a fraction of a blast and recoat. Log home staining.
Chinking and caulking · $12–$22 per linear ft
Failed material removed, joint prepped, backer rod installed, new elastomeric chinking applied over a finished surface so it bonds. Done correctly it lasts twenty years or more. Chinking and caulking.
We also handle thermal imaging, log carpentry, house painting, pressure washing and window washing. The full list and pricing is on the services page.
Where we work in Jackson Hole
Log Care covers all of Teton County, Wyoming: Jackson, Wilson, Teton Village, Kelly, Moran, Moose, Hoback, Rafter J Ranch, South Park and the ranch properties in between, plus Alta on the Idaho side of the divide. We also run out to Hoback Ranches, Bondurant, Pinedale and Dubois, and west over the pass into Teton Valley and south into Star Valley. If you are not sure whether your road is in the area, ask — the answer is usually yes.
Log home restoration questions from Jackson Hole owners
How much does log home restoration cost in Jackson Hole?
Media blasting runs $3 to $6 per square foot of log surface. Staining runs $1.40 to $10 per square foot depending on how much prep the finish needs. A full re-chink runs $12 to $22 per linear foot. Rot repair runs from a $250 patch to $5,500 for a jacked sill log. A typical Teton County log exterior carries 2,800 to 4,200 square feet of log, which puts most whole-house projects between $15,000 and $60,000. Full breakdown: log home restoration cost in Jackson Hole.
How often should a Jackson Hole log home be restained?
South and west walls every three to five years, north and east walls every five to eight. The quickest test is whether water still beads on the wall. When it soaks in, the repellent is spent and the wall is on borrowed time. Recoating while the finish is still sound costs a fraction of blasting and recoating after it fails.
Do you have to blast before staining?
Only when the existing finish has failed. If the stain is sound, a wash, brighten and recoat skips the blast entirely. Blasting is for peeling or blotchy finishes, mold, color changes, built-up layers and painted logs. Most homes here need it every seven to ten years.
When should I book for this season?
Before the season starts. The working window in Teton County runs late spring to early fall, and the calendar fills from the assessments booked over the winter. A free on-site assessment costs nothing and puts a real scope and price in your hands before the crews are committed.