Fraser Log HomeRestoration Experts

Fraser has carried the nickname Icebox of the Nation for good reason: few inhabited places in the country get as cold. That extreme, sustained cold is the defining challenge for log homes here. When temperatures plunge deep below zero for days at a time, logs and sealants contract hard, and anything rigid, especially aging or low-grade chinking, turns brittle and cracks. Those cracks become the gaps that let expensive heat escape and let weather work its way in.

On Fraser homes we treat cold performance as the first priority, specifying chinking and sealants rated to stay flexible at deep sub-zero temperatures so the home stays tight through the very worst the valley can throw at it.

The same climate that makes Fraser so cold also buries it in snow that lingers well into spring. Snowpack banked against walls for months creates a persistent band of meltwater along the snow line, feeding moisture into checks, joints, and the lowest log courses. We give the snow-contact zone on Fraser homes particular attention, keeping the lower courses sealed and finishes intact right down to grade so a long winter of snow contact does not turn into rot at the base of a wall.

It surprises people that a place this cold also has a punishing sun, but at 8,574 feet the thin air and the glare bouncing off endless snow deliver an intense ultraviolet load. South- and west-facing walls fade and chalk faster than the cold would suggest. We use UV-blocking stains alongside the cold-rated sealants, protecting Fraser homes against the full combination of extreme cold, deep snow, and strong high-altitude sun that defines this valley.