Log Home Restoration in Crestview, FL

Log Homes in Crestview and Okaloosa County

Crestview grew up around the railroad. The Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad opened its line between Pensacola and Chattahoochee in January 1883, and the town grew out of that new rail service. In 1894 sawmill operator W.B. Wright opened the 26-mile Yellow River Railroad between Crestview and Florala, Alabama. The town's name comes from its spot on the crest of a long wooded ridge between the Yellow and Shoal rivers, about 235 feet above sea level. Okaloosa County was carved out of Santa Rosa and Walton counties in 1915, lumber, turpentine and fishing drove the economy, and Crestview became the county seat in 1917.

The pine woods are still close by. Blackwater River State Forest covers more than 200,000 acres in Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties, and its natural longleaf pine stands are among the best remaining examples of the longleaf-and-wiregrass forest that once covered much of the Southeast. In nearby Baker, the Baker Block Museum's Heritage Park includes an authentic log cabin furnished as it would have been in the 1800s. Log homes around Crestview today stand in that same timber country.

What Crestview's Climate Does to a Log Home

• Year-round rain. Bob Sikes Airport averages about 64 inches of rain a year.
• Wet winters too. July is the wettest month at 7.92 inches, but January and March each average 5.66 inches, so logs rarely get a long dry spell.
• Hot summers. About 98 days a year reach 90°F or hotter.
• More frost than the coast. About 38 nights a year fall to freezing.
• Inland storm rain. Hurricane Sally dropped 11.52 inches on Crestview in September 2020, and Hurricane Opal in 1995 spawned a deadly F2 tornado in Crestview.
• Termites. Native subterranean termites live throughout Florida, and in 2016 UF/IFAS swarm traps in the four westernmost Panhandle counties caught Formosan termites at 16 of 22 sites.

What That Means for Your Log Home

Crestview's mix of long hot summers and more frost than the coast puts extra stress on finish and chinking. Wash the logs once a year with soft brushes and a low-pressure rinse, never a pressure washer. Every third year, as appropriate, add a UV protective coat, paying extra attention to south- and west-facing walls. Keep the bottom logs dry and off the soil, and watch for splashback and standing water after heavy rains. After a tropical storm or strong thunderstorm, walk around the house and look for downed limbs, gaps in chinking and wet spots on lower logs.

Related services: Log Home Inspections · Chinking & Caulking · Staining & Refinishing

Climate figures: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Crestview Bob Sikes Airport. Storm details: NWS Mobile. History: City of Crestview, Okaloosa County, FWC, Baker Block Museum. Termites: UF/IFAS Okaloosa County Extension.