Log Home Restoration in Orlando, FL

Log Homes in Orlando and Central Florida

Orlando started as a military post. On November 9, 1838, during the Second Seminole War, the U.S. Army set up Fort Gatlin on high ground overlooking three lakes in what was then Mosquito County. When the Army pulled out in 1849, a few soldiers and their families stayed on to grow citrus and raise cattle. Mosquito County was renamed Orange County in 1845, and the settlement near the fort later took the name Orlando. Citrus became the main business until the freezes of December 29, 1894, and February 7, 1895, took Orlando down to at least 18°F. Growers had 21,737 acres planted in citrus that season and didn't ship a single box.

South in Osceola County, created in 1887, Kissimmee was a cow town. Florida's cattle workers called themselves "cow hunters" or "cowmen," and their homes were simple houses of pine and cypress, with cypress valued for holding up against termites and water. At Pioneer Village at Shingle Creek you can still walk through the Lanier House, a dogtrot-style cracker house with a breezeway through the middle. Today many log homes in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake and Volusia counties sit on rural acreage or on the shore of one of the region's many lakes.

What Orlando's Climate Does to a Log Home

• Hot most of the year. Orlando International Airport averages about 110 days a year at 90°F or above, and fewer than 2 nights a year at freezing.
• A summer soaking. Normal rainfall is about 51½ inches a year. About 57% comes June through September, and June is the wettest month at just over 8 inches.
• Lightning Alley. The National Weather Service calls the Tampa Bay–to–Titusville corridor "Lightning Alley," the part of the U.S. with the most lightning each year. Inland near Orlando there are about 80–90 thunderstorm days a year.
• Hurricane winds reach inland. Hurricane Charley's center passed near Kissimmee and Orlando in August 2004, and Orlando International Airport recorded hurricane-force winds with a gust of about 105 mph.
• Flooding. In 2022, Hurricane Ian dropped 10–20 inches of rain and caused major flooding along the St. Johns River, the Little Wekiva River and Shingle Creek, in Seminole, Orange, Lake and Osceola counties.
• Termites. Native subterranean termites live statewide, and UF reports the invasive Formosan subterranean termite is established in all of Florida's major metropolitan areas.

What That Means for Your Log Home

Orlando's long wet season and constant heat mean water, sun and insects are working on your logs most of the year. Wash the logs once a year with soft brushes and a low-pressure rinse, never a pressure washer, which tears up the wood fibers and forces water into checks and joints. Plan on a UV protective coat about every third year, as appropriate. Keep the bottom logs dry: pull mulch and soil back from them, clean the gutters and make sure water runs away from the walls. After a big storm, walk around the house and look for damaged chinking, wet spots, and branches or debris against the walls. If you ever see live termites, call a licensed pest control company first; we repair the damage afterward and can apply a Borate treatment.

Related services: Maintenance Plans · Termite & Insect Damage Repair · Log Rot Repair

Climate figures: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Orlando International Airport. Storm details: National Hurricane Center, NWS Melbourne. History: Fort Gatlin historical marker, Orange County Regional History Center, Osceola County Historical Society. Termites: UF/IFAS.