Log Home Restoration in Ocala, FL

Log Homes in Ocala and Marion County

Ocala grew up around Fort King, a U.S. Army post built in 1827 on the central Florida frontier. Seminoles burned the fort in 1836, during the Second Seminole War, and it was rebuilt the next year. When Marion County was created in 1844, named for Revolutionary War general Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox," the old fort served as the county's first courthouse. The site is now a National Historic Landmark, and a replica of the fort went up on the original ground in 2017. After fire destroyed much of downtown on Thanksgiving Day 1883, Ocala rebuilt in brick and became known as the "Brick City."

Out in the countryside, the first homes were built of logs. At the Silver River Museum in Silver Springs State Park, a replica 1830s pioneer cabin shows how settlers built small cabins from hewn logs with hand-split shake shingles, often from the same trees they cut to clear their fields. Today Marion County calls itself the "Horse Capital of the World," and the log homes we care for on farms and wooded lots around Ocala, Belleview, Dunnellon, Silver Springs and The Villages area carry on that old tradition.

What Ocala's Climate Does to a Log Home

• Summer rain. Ocala averages about 52 inches of rain a year. More than half of it, about 28 inches, falls June through September, and June is the wettest month.
• Heat. About 110 days a year reach 90°F or more, and July highs average 92°F. That's a long season of hard sun on south- and west-facing walls.
• Freezes. Only about 8 nights a year drop to freezing, but water that has soaked into open checks still expands when it freezes.
• Hurricane Irma (2017). Irma brought widespread tree and power-line damage across Marion County, with falling trees damaging roofs. It dropped 9 to 10 inches of rain around Ocala and pushed the Ocklawaha River to record crests at Conner and Eureka.
• Hurricane Milton (2024). Large parts of Marion County had tropical-storm-force winds with hurricane-force gusts, and nearly 10 inches of rain fell south of Ocala.
• Termites. Native subterranean termites are found statewide. They need moisture and forage through the soil, so damp wood near the ground is what draws them in.

What That Means for Your Log Home

Around Ocala, most of the wear on a log home comes from long, hot summers of sun and afternoon storms. Give the logs an annual wash with soft brushes and a low-pressure rinse to clear dirt, pollen and mildew. Never use a pressure washer, because it forces water into the checks and joints you're trying to protect. Every third year, as appropriate, a UV protective coat keeps the stain doing its job on the sunny sides. Keep gutters clear, keep grade and mulch away from the walls, and keep the bottom logs dry and off the soil. After a storm like Irma or Milton, walk around the house and look for limb damage, wet lower logs and open chinking.

Related services: Maintenance Plans · Staining & Refinishing · Log Home Inspections

Climate figures: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Ocala station. Storm details: NWS Jacksonville. History: City of Ocala, Silver River Museum. Termites: UF/IFAS.