I Want a Cabin in the Woods….etc.
This is a familiar refrain in my area. Everyone comes to the White Mountains looking for that cute little cabin in the woods with Cedar or Log Siding because they like the look. I can’t blame them, they do look cabiny and they are pretty. What they don’t understand is the costly maintenance involved in keeping them looking nice.
I just had a sale go sideways today over deferred maintenance issues on Cedar Siding. The cabin was constructed within the last ten years, so it isn’t old. However, the sellers have not touched that siding since they bought the house. The siding on the property had lost all ability to protect the under-sheathing on the house. The wood was so dry the siding was dropping down in places, many of the boards had
cracked and split to the point where the nails had pulled through. In other places they had warped and curled so there were big gaps at the connection points. Essentially, it was so bad that repairing the bad spots would just be a bandaid on the problem. The home for all intents and purposes needs to have all the siding removed and replaced. My buyers didn’t want to take that on and I couldn’t blame them.
My reason for writing this today is to remind people who are looking for this type of home that even though we live in the mountains with pretty pine trees and a cooler temperatures, it is still a desert climate. It is dry and if wood is not properly maintained whether it is siding, decking, support posts or facia board, it will dry out and crack and allow moisture to penetrate causing dry rot, warping, and damaged wood that cannot be repaired.
Wood siding products may look pretty but they are high maintenance. In our area that wood needs to be inspected at least once a year, any gaps between the boards sealed with caulking, and it needs to be re-sealed with water tight sealer every two to five years depending on the exposure to the elements and the sun. If it is not done, the result is as identified above and ultimately will cost the homeowner far more in replacement cost than it would have if they had simply taken care of the wood in the first place.
Perhaps these people will find a buyer eventually who doesn’t care about the siding issues, but I doubt it. Most buyers have a home inspection done and any home inspector worth his fee is going to note the siding concerns. These sellers lost a cash buyer and a quick close because of their neglect.
I will be watching to see whether the sellers buck up and do the work that needs to be done or if they ultimately have to take a huge price cut to draw a buyer who is willing to take it on as a project house. It is really unfortunate because my buyers were really excited about the house until this happened. Now they are back to square one and starting from scratch.
It’s a sad Saturday for sure.
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