Log Home Builders

It seems nowadays everyone’s running some type of contest in hopes of grabbing your attention long enough so you might send that hard earned tax rebate money their way. Giant billboards line our freeways with sayings such as “WIN BIG WIN OFTEN VISIT….” Magazines are filled with entry forms promising one lucky entrant “A WORLD CLASS TRIP FOR TWO TO….” Mailboxes all across this fair land over flow daily with promises to make your every wish come true by simply filling out a cardboard square with all your info and popping it back in the mail. Well guess what…YOU CAN OWN THE LOG CABIN OF YOUR DREAMS FREE WITH JUST ONE CLICK OF THE MOUSE!!!!!

Not to be out down by their competitors, Ward Cedar Log Homes of Maine (in business since 1923!!) is offering one lucky 18 year-old or older the log home they have always wanted. I did some checking, read a ton of small print, and this looks like a pretty valid contest. On January 5,2009 a drawing will take place and the name of the lucky person pulled from the ‘barrel’ will receive a Log Cabin Kit valued at $33,700 ($5,000 is shipping costs). The kit will include:

“Solid Northern White Cedar wall logs, precut and numbered, ready for assembly; roof system (rafters, sheathing, feltpaper, shingles and tongue-and-groove pine ceiling sheathing); Andersen windows and Therma-Tru exterior door with cedar trim floor system up to and including subfloor (joists, girders, OSB sheeting); and loft ceiling joists with wood floor. First-level finished flooring, interior partitions and doors/cabinets/plumbing/heating, insulation for the roof, and interior and exterior stains/finishes are not included.”

Like everything else in this world though, this isn’t a completely 100% free cabin KIT. Of course the government will take their cut like they do of all things that have value, but since we are talking about a home (or in this case pieces of a home) there’s a little more to it. Per the rules laid out by Ward Cedar:

“Winner is responsible for any expenses not expressly provided for in these Official Rules relating to acceptance and use of prize, such as any required permits, surveying, site preparation, foundation and construction, as well as all local, state and federal taxes, including without limitation, all luxury, special and income taxes that may be applicable, property taxes and insurance”

Who can blame them for not wanting to deal with contractors and permits, still this seems like a very cool give-away. Especially if you already own some land and weren’t sure what to do with it. So go on over and enter the contest. We will be here when you get back.

Some companies websites are amazing. Deep Creek Log Homes is no exception. This about page inspired me to want a log home, and to want to have these caring artisans craft it for me. Unfortunately for me they are located in North Carolina.

The foundation of Deep Creek Log Homes begins with hands on, log home construction experience. The most accurate information you could read about log homes comes from contractors who have hands on experience actually constructing log homes for people. People like you who carried the dream of log home living for years and then went through the emotional and financial investment of building a log home.

Being a log home builder since 1976 and working with many types of systems will teach you things about log homes that cannot be taught in a school or workshop. Our approach is to combine this field experience with proven engineering principles to create the ultimate log home package based on what really works! At the end of the day the final quality of your log home will be largely determined by 3 things:

1. Proper design of your home using sound engineering principles
2. Use of quality materials in every aspect of your home
3. Proper installation of these materials

Articles about this subject keep popping up on my radar so I figured I better add my thoughts on the subject. When is a log home not a log home? When it’s made from concrete that’s when. A company out of Missoula, Montana by the name of Cultured Log Systems has recently began constructing “log” homes out of concrete.

The company is the brainchild of Dick Morgenstern a 30 year veteran of the precast-concrete business who got the idea during the wildfires of 2000. After spending years looking for a way to build a fire resistant concrete home, Dick lucked up on a log cabin that had been painted in order to resemble concrete. While to some (I myself am still warming up to the idea) have not yet caught up with Cultured Log Systems as to the benefits of a fake log cabin, the company proudly promotes the fact that not only do they look like real wood (a mold of a full sized log is taken and then painted by an expert artist to appear to be natural), but they have a better fire rating and are not susceptible to bugs like traditional log cabins.

If you ask Cultured Log System president Steward Hansen “You have to touch it, you have to feel it. When you’re telling people we’re building homes that look like wood but are made out of concrete, the first question is, What does the stuff look like?” So how do they look? You tell me?

Coming from somebody who looks at cabins 5 days a week, I’m almost fooled. The paint job is mind blowing. You can practically feel the grains in the wood and smell the sawdust without even touching it. The only thing that’s throwing them off (again according to my own opinion) is the chinks. They look like concrete, which they are and yes concrete is a common filler, but while the wood molds look like dirty…splinter filled…pieces of wood, the concrete comes off looking new and takes away from the preferred rustic look.

However if I lived in an area of the country that faced the threat of life changing wildfires sweeping through my neighborhood every year, I would definitely be knocking on Cultured Log System front door. And with over 30 sold in just over 2 years, it seems like I’m not the only one that thinks fire safety is more important than tradition

One look at the cabin above and you’d probably think it had recently been built from scratch. However, considering that the cabin was built  over 20 years ago nothing could be farther from the truth. What once was a medium sized 2,500 square foot cabin built by a former Georgia sheriff, is now the very modern home of Linda and Ron Silber.  Ron, a packaging salesman, and Linda , a home planning consultant, were living in New York at the time and wanted a place that would act as an escape from city life. With it’s private beach and double deck stretching over the waters of Lake Lanier, the Silbers found the perfect cabin to get away from it all.

Over the years the Silbers have made some improvements to the cabin from a dramatic increase in size (the cabin is now over 5,500 square feet) to subtle touches such as making sure the logs used for the renovations were the same color as the ones already in place. The master bedroom was converted to a guest room, a wall was removed in order to provide a better view of the waters stretching out back, and a porch that wraps around the back of the house perfect for lazy days curled up with a book and a glass of wine was added. Thanks in part to better heating/cooling bills ( a direct result of living in a log home) and Linda’s history as a champion water skier, seven years later the couple has decided to make their weekend get away their permanent residence.

As a lover of log homes I have to say it’s one thing to build a cabin from the ground up, but there has got to be something said about updating a home. It would have been extremely easy for the Silbers to build a brand new home, but instead they did some creative recycling and turned a cabin that was more than likely well past it’s prime into something that will be enjoyed by generations to come.

I’m finally back from a short break. I think I spent half my time stuck in the lodge at a ski resort in Kalispell. While sitting in the lodge I had plenty of time to check out log homes and lodges on the wifi while I watched my boyfriend make a fool of himself attempting to show off at snowboarding.

Here’s one of the classic homes that makes you feel like you are ushered into an entirely different era and age and puts you directly into a classic American movie.

This cabin setting next to a pond was built by Hearthstone Log and Timber Frame Homes, one of our premier Log Home Builders from Tennessee.

Named the Yoder Cabin, This cabin was a special project for a father and two sons. The project guided one son into an architectural career. This home was featured on the cover of Log Home Design magazine on September 2007 .