Log Home Restoration in Tallahassee, FL

Log Homes in Tallahassee and Leon County

Florida's government started out in log cabins. Commissioners picked Tallahassee for the new territorial capital because it sat roughly halfway between St. Augustine and Pensacola, and in 1824 the Legislative Council met there in a simple log building. The Florida Historic Capitol Museum says the first capitol here was a log cabin, later replaced by a small brick Territorial Capitol. According to the First Florida Capitol project, three log cabins were built for the 13-member council and the governor, though no one knows exactly how big they were or where they stood. Replicas were built for the 1924 centennial and the 1974 sesquicentennial, and for the 2024 bicentennial a community-built replica went up in Cascades Park, led by Habitat for Humanity.

Leon County grew fast after that. It became the heart of Florida's cotton belt and led the state in cotton production, an economy built on the labor of enslaved people. Log homes around Tallahassee today carry on a way of building that goes back to the capital's first year, and they face the same hot, wet climate those first cabins did.

What Tallahassee's Climate Does to a Log Home

• Lots of rain. Tallahassee Regional Airport averages about 59 inches of rain a year.
• A wet summer. June is the wettest month at 7.76 inches, with August close behind at 7.60 inches.
• Long, hot summers. The airport averages about 103 days a year at 90°F or hotter.
• Freezing nights, too. It also averages 27 nights a year at or below freezing, so logs and chinking go through real swings between seasons.
• Severe storms. On May 10, 2024, three tornadoes crossed Leon County. Two were rated EF-2 with winds up to 115 mph, and they snapped and uprooted trees and broke more than 400 utility poles, according to NWS Tallahassee.
• Termites. Native subterranean termites are found statewide, and they need moisture to survive.

What That Means for Your Log Home

With close to 60 inches of rain a year, the goal is to keep water moving off your logs instead of soaking into them. Wash your logs once a year with soft brushes and a low-pressure rinse; never pressure wash a log home. Plan on a UV protective coat about every third year, as appropriate for your home's exposure. Keep your bottom logs dry and off the soil, pull mulch and plants back from the walls, and make sure gutters and splash areas aren't wetting the lower logs. With 27 freezing nights a year, keep chinking and caulking tight going into winter. After a big storm like May 2024's, walk around the house and look for limbs against the walls or roof, cracked chinking and wet spots.

Related services: Maintenance Plans · Chinking & Caulking · Staining & Refinishing

Climate figures: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Tallahassee Regional Airport. Storm details: NWS Tallahassee. History: Florida Historic Capitol Museum, First Florida Capitol. Termites: UF/IFAS.