Even today, in some places of the vast Fatherland, wooden log cabins have been preserved, which naturally have stood for several hundred years. At the same time, you can find many examples of how modern log buildings quickly deteriorate. Sometimes a decade or two is already a feat for them. What is the matter? Really the ancestors possessed some kind of "secret" knowledge on this score. In fact, everything is much simpler.
Today a wooden log house is a dream of many compatriots. Very few can afford this. And who, nevertheless, was lucky enough to get hold of such beauty, after a few years they may encounter an unpleasant fact: the log house is rapidly deteriorating under the influence of an aggressive external environment and numerous pests. It is here that the "secret" knowledge of ancestors knows about itself, which in modern language is designated only by the phrase "compliance with the construction technology."
Log building stands on three pillars: the right tree, the right protection, the right methods. As for the tree, the best old log cabins were built only from dead wood. In the north of Russia, in the Baltic States and Finland, the Kelo pine was deservedly considered the best material. Twisted logs were another popular material that was extremely reliable. Such wood has exceptional durability and high resistance to all natural irritants, from sunlight to frost.
However, choosing the right tree is not enough. First, you need to cut it down correctly. The saw is the worst choice in this respect, as it tears the fibers, which further reduces the life of the log house. The ancestors strictly cut down the forest for construction. In addition, they tried to harvest the tree in the winter, so that the resin flowed less. Finally, you cannot build a wooden house and not worry about protecting the tree. The oldest and simplest way here is firing. In the house and in the attic, peasants often hung odorous herbs, which frightened off numerous pests that encroached on a delicious log house.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about why in the old days they made shutters on the windows, and today they have become decorative.