She’s exhausting. 

(if you just exhausted your HELOC with the purchase)

A log home can withstand pretty much anything that mother nature can throw at it. 

I need a window pane replaced, some some alarms installed, and some stove exhaust fans replaced. 

I do have the cash for the 20%, but that would exhaust the vast majority of my reserves.

Finally, I learned to not fret over normal wear and tear items to exhaust any good will/credibility that you'll need for big ticket items they're actually responsible for (the hole in the wall, the carpet).But most of all, the lesson is, all of this was worth it. 

If they don’t believe their advice can withstand public scrutiny, you can effectively ignore it.

It's a bit of a seesaw because you have to keep in mind your bigger goal so you don't exhaust all your resources too soon, but the point being to not forget about the smaller steps first.

But after the first couple of months, I'm exhausted.

That is awesome that you continued to pursue the close even after 6 months -that must have been exhausting.