Log Masters Service Days
Field schedules vary according to the project phase, travel, weather, daylight, customer needs, and product requirements. Some workdays begin early or extend beyond a traditional schedule, while weather or project conditions may occasionally shorten the day. Employees are paid for compensable working and travel time in accordance with company policy and applicable law.
Acceptable working and application conditions vary by service and product. Employees are trained to follow applicable requirements for temperature, surface moisture, direct sunlight, humidity, drying time, and forecasted weather.
Spring through fall is generally our busiest season, so employees should expect heavier travel and project schedules during those months. Time-off requests are handled according to company policy and project staffing needs.
Log Master Employee Requirements
General Expectations of a Log Master
Career Page
What a Typical Workday Looks Like
No two log home restoration projects are exactly alike, and the work changes depending on the phase of the project. However, a typical day for a Crew Member may include:
- Meeting with the Project Manager or Crew Lead to review the day’s plan.
- Inspecting the work area and completing necessary safety preparations.
- Protecting windows, landscaping, decks, and surrounding surfaces before work begins.
- Performing the scheduled restoration work, which may include media blasting, chemical stripping, sanding or grinding, log repair, caulking, chinking, staining, or other restoration services.
- Monitoring weather, materials, equipment, and project progress throughout the day.
- Keeping the worksite clean, organized, and safe.
- Cleaning tools and preparing equipment and materials for the next day’s work.
- Helping document completed work and communicating problems or concerns to the Project Manager.
The exact routine changes from project to project, but attention to detail, teamwork, safety, and communication are part of every workday.
Work With The Sun, Not Against It
Our log home service providers work strategically with daylight, focusing their efforts in the shade to avoid heat and ensure optimal stain and caulking applications. Weather is crucial in our daily operations, as temperature dictates what services can be performed. Depending on the service and the weather at that time of the year, they could be media blasting and replacing log rot in the winter and returning to caulk and stain in the spring. Log Masters Restorations’ employee work life is dynamic and changes with the seasons, bringing new challenges every day.
Weather Can Change the Workday
Log home restoration depends heavily on safe working conditions and proper product application requirements. Rain and excessive moisture can interfere with preparation, application, drying, and curing, but rain isn’t the only weather concern. High winds can make media blasting, spraying, ladder work, and scaffold work unsafe. Lightning, excessive heat, high UV exposure, humidity, smoke, and other hazardous conditions may also delay, shorten, or change the workday.
When conditions prevent the planned work, the Project Manager may change the day’s activities, delay the start, or call off work for the day. When employees are traveling for an assigned project, approved lodging remains covered and eligible per diem continues according to company travel policy while the employee remains on authorized travel status.
If the workday is fully canceled, employees will be told whether they are released from duty or need to remain available. Employees who are fully released may use that time to rest, take care of personal matters, or safely enjoy the surrounding area. Required work, travel, or waiting time will be recorded and compensated as required by company policy and applicable law.
Because restoration schedules depend on workable weather, hours lost to a delay may result in adjusted start times or longer workdays later in the project when conditions improve. Any revised schedule remains subject to safety considerations, company policy, and applicable wage-and-hour requirements.
Occasionally, conditions are more serious than an ordinary weather delay. Wildfires, floods, severe storms, road closures, utility emergencies, and other hazards can require employees to leave a project area quickly. Employees must follow evacuation orders, emergency instructions, and directions from Log Masters management. Personal safety always takes priority over tools, materials, vehicles, or the project schedule.
A real example: On one project, an active wildfire forced our crew to evacuate from the area. The cabin under restoration was later destroyed by the fire. The homeowner’s loss was devastating, and the emergency also required Log Masters to quickly account for everyone’s safety, relocate or redirect employees, and adjust schedules across several projects. Situations this serious are unusual, but they demonstrate why communication, safety, and flexibility are so important in field work.
LMR Employee Benefits
Current compensation, travel provisions, and employee benefits are listed with each opening on our Careers page. Eligibility and availability may vary by position and location.
Travel Is Part of the Job — and We Know It Can Be Hard
Log homes are often located in rural areas, mountain communities, lake destinations, and other places far from our employees’ homes. When a project is too far away for a practical daily commute, Crew Members stay closer to the job rather than spending several hours each day driving back and forth. Depending on the project, that can mean being away from home for multiple days or weeks at a time.
There is a positive side to the travel. Our crews get to work in some remarkable places, many of which are destinations people choose for vacations. When employees are fully released from duty, they may have opportunities to explore the area, relax, or enjoy someplace they might never otherwise have visited.
But we also don’t want to pretend that makes being away from home easy. A beautiful location isn’t the same as being there with your family and friends. Travel can be exciting at first, but over time, employees may miss family activities, kids’ games, summer outings, gatherings with friends, and simply sleeping in their own bed. We know this is one of the most challenging parts of working in a traveling field position.
Spring through fall is our busiest season, which unfortunately overlaps with the time of year when many family and outdoor activities take place. We make an effort to have crews home for major holidays whenever project schedules and circumstances allow, but employees considering a field position with Log Masters should understand that regular travel and time away from home are part of the job.
We would rather be honest about that before someone joins our team than have an employee discover after being hired that the travel lifestyle isn’t right for them.
Company Vehicles and Off-Duty Travel
Company vehicles are provided for authorized business travel, including transportation between lodging, project locations, company facilities, restaurants, and stores for reasonable meal and grocery needs during an assigned trip.
Company vehicles may not be used for sightseeing, parties, entertainment, bars, personal trips to other cities, or other substantial personal travel. Employees who want to pursue personal activities during fully released off-duty time must arrange and pay for their own taxi, rideshare, rental vehicle, or other transportation.
Alcohol and illegal drugs are prohibited in company vehicles. No employee may operate a company vehicle while impaired or after consuming any substance that makes driving unsafe or unlawful. Unauthorized vehicle use, impaired driving, or a DUI involving a company vehicle may result in immediate loss of driving privileges and disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Lodging and Transportation After Employment Ends
Company-paid lodging, eligible per diem, and access to company vehicles are provided for active employees on authorized business travel. When employment ends, those travel provisions normally end at the time stated by Log Masters, except for authorized return arrangements or as otherwise required by applicable law.
If employment ends while an employee is away from their assigned base location, Log Masters will determine a safe and reasonable return arrangement based on the circumstances. This may include transportation to the employee’s assigned base location or another approved destination. Required travel time will be recorded and compensated when required by applicable law.
After the checkout time or return arrangement communicated by Log Masters, additional hotel nights, personal travel, unauthorized detours, entertainment, or other personal expenses are the former employee’s responsibility. If the former employee refuses the arranged transportation, changes the route, delays departure, or chooses different accommodations, resulting additional expenses are their responsibility, except where applicable law requires otherwise.
Employees who voluntarily resign or abandon an assignment before the scheduled return date should not assume that company-paid travel, lodging, per diem, or vehicle use will continue. Any return arrangements will be determined according to the circumstances, company policy, safety considerations, and applicable law.
Is This Career a Good Fit for You?
This work is physically demanding, highly detailed, and often performed far from home—but it also offers the opportunity to learn a specialized trade, visit unique locations, and help preserve remarkable log homes.
Successful Crew Members are dependable, safety-conscious, coachable, willing to travel, and proud of completing quality work.
Think this type of work fits you? Visit our Careers page to review current openings, compensation, locations, benefits, and application instructions.