Log Home Restoration in Tifton, GA

Log Homes in Tifton and Tift County

Tifton started as a sawmill. In 1872 Henry Harding Tift, a marine engineer turned lumberman, bought a large tract of pine forest in what was then Berrien County, along the new Brunswick and Western Railway, and built a sawmill and a village for his workers. When the Georgia Southern and Florida Railway crossed the line at Tift's mill in 1888, the settlement became a boom town. It was incorporated as Tifton in 1890, and Tift County was created in 1905 from parts of Berrien, Irwin and Worth counties.

The Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village, at ABAC in Tifton, shows how families here lived before and after the mill. Simon's Cabin was built around 1845 in Crisp County, likely as a double-pen log cabin with a central breezeway, the style known as a dogtrot. James' Kitchen, built in 1867, began as a log structure and was later covered with vertical boards and battens. Log homes around Tifton, Ty Ty, Omega, Sylvester and Ashburn carry on that history and face the same weather.

What Tifton's Climate Does to a Log Home

• Rain all year. Tifton averages about 48 inches of rain a year. July is the wettest month at about 5 inches, but March is close behind, and December through February bring nearly as much rain as summer.
• Heat. About 74 days a year reach 90°F or more.
• Freezes. About 30 nights a year drop to freezing. Water in open checks and joints freezes, expands and widens them.
• Hurricane Michael (2018). Tifton recorded a gust of about 59 mph. In Tift County, six homes were destroyed, 30 had major damage and about 100 had minor damage, and 95% of customers lost power.
• Termites. Subterranean termites are the most common termites in Georgia. They swarm mostly February through April and need moisture, usually from the soil.

What That Means for Your Log Home

Rain in every season means the logs rarely get a long dry spell, so the bottom courses and any log that touches soil, mulch or firewood take the most punishment. Keep grade sloping away from the walls, keep the bottom logs dry and off the soil, and watch for mud tubes, which are a sign of termites. Wash the logs once a year with soft brushes and a low-pressure rinse, never a pressure washer, and add a UV protective coat every third year, as appropriate. After a storm like Michael, check for impact damage, lifted roof edges and wet logs. If termites have already done damage, we repair the wood and can apply a Borate preventive treatment; active infestations are a job for a licensed pest control company.

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

Climate figures: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Tifton station. Storm details: NWS Tallahassee. History: New Georgia Encyclopedia; Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village. Termites: UGA Extension.