Twin Lakes Log HomeRestoration Experts

Twin Lakes sits in one of the most striking spots in Colorado, on the shores of its lakes at the base of Independence Pass beneath the state's highest summits. Its cluster of preserved log cabins dates to the stagecoach and mining days, and caring for them is as much about preservation as maintenance. The wood is old and sometimes soft, original finishes have long since failed, and joints have settled over more than a century. The goal is to keep these historic cabins sound and weathertight without stripping away the character that makes the village special.

We begin every Twin Lakes project by sorting genuinely sound wood from logs that need splicing, then re-chink settled joints and apply breathable finishes that protect the timber while honoring its age.

The setting that makes Twin Lakes beautiful also makes it demanding. Wind pours down from Independence Pass and sweeps unobstructed across the open lakes, carrying grit and driving rain and snow sideways into any gap in a wall. The lakes then throw sunlight back up at the cabins above them, adding reflected UV to the direct high-altitude sun. We use abrasion- and UV-resistant finishes on the exposed windward and lake-facing walls, and we seal joints tightly against wind-driven moisture that a calmer location would never see.

At 9,200 feet beneath the Sawatch Range, Twin Lakes gets a genuinely severe winter: deep, sustained cold, heavy snow, and a short frost-free season. That cold contracts logs and makes rigid chinking brittle, while months of snowpack against the walls feed meltwater into every open check come spring. We rely on extreme-cold-rated chinking that stays flexible when temperatures plunge, and we schedule inspections for early summer once the snow clears, catching winter's damage before another hard season sets it deeper.