I haven't heard of that 'Foxfire Book' - sounds rather interesting! What does the name refer to? Just asking, because in Finnish we call Northern Lights by name "Foxes' Fires", the story being that their origin is a flaming tail of a mystical fox.

The people who sold this house to me, they were afraid that the chimney is broken. And the smaller room actually was in unlivable condition at that time. So they wanted to be sure, because Finnish legislation protects a house buyer. Even after several years, if it turns out that the house is in worse shape as the sellers say, the buyer can demand some of the money back. But selling a house in unlivable condition doesn't involve any risk for the seller.

I just posted the daily picture of today, which gives a good outside view of the said corner. As you can see, I the extension part still has outer boards left - from the inner side I've removed everything else, so there is just the supporting structure and a layer of boards. Also, I guess that at some point in the history of the house the roof has been leaking - pouring water right into this corner. And as you say, moisture makes logs rot. Luckily, when I bought the house it already had metal coating plates on the roof, and they are in good condition.

http://www.enormouselk.com/?q=erkkasblog/images/21st-november-2014