Curious

[Dowadudda]

Just need some vote of confidence about this.

I have long been a fan of log homes. I read. I talk. I found this site about 6 months ago and it has definately awakened me. I am a very self reliant type. I am a self emplyed mechanical contractor specializing in Commercial/Industrial Refrigeration Service work. Not to brag, only saying the things that are reinforced on this site, meaning, you can do for yourself with hard work and motivation. I also am a very conservative spender always looking for alternative ways to get more value out of the money I spend. Those two issues combined with many more, have taught me to be me my own boss and make a decent living despite the normal look and feel of a shop of the kind of work I do.

Many people can not understand how I can do what I do as a business all by myself, from the mission of it, to the labor of it, ect and so on. I have worked hard to pratically invent ways for me to stay on my own and not have employees, keep costs down and yet provide a high level of competency and value to my customer.

I am thinking of signing up for this upcoming class. I have little time to decide, as the class is filling up fast. It's no issue with affording it. It's a thing of, can this be too good to be true. I am looking for ways to be completely conivnced and have no skepticism about attending this.

I build refrigeration systems. I could not teach a guy that in a year let alone 2 days. I am handy but, you know, building has not been my thing although I am around new commercial construction 60% of my time.

Will I come away from this, equipped to do my own home, knowledge wise. And that is understanding it will take my own hard work after the class to be completely astute prior to my diving into my project.

I

[Dowadudda]

I wonder if maybe the moderators seen my "curious" here and then stuck a thread above it 4 pages long to show me. LOL.

I am absolutely going to do this. Going to sign up now.

I have been on here for the last 3 hours going through all the posts. I kinda don't know what to say. Sort of like rediscovering whats great about America maybe?

See you in 3 weeks.

[skidadl]

I wonder if maybe the moderators seen my "curious" here and then stuck a thread above it 4 pages long to show me. LOL.

I am absolutely going to do this. Going to sign up now.

I have been on here for the last 3 hours going through all the posts. I kinda don't know what to say. Sort of like rediscovering whats great about America maybe?

See you in 3 weeks.
I'll see you there.

I am going to be at the class as well.

[Mark OBrien]

You might not be able to teach somebody how to do your job in a year, however, what they teach you in class will awaken you to the old fashioned American Way of standing up for yourself and taking the reins of your life into your own hands. Go for it!

[DYork]

Haven't been yet, but fully intend to. It's my understanding that the course is not to make a carpenter/plumber/electrician/mason/roofer out of you in 2 days, but to teach you the basics of this type of Log Home building and to 'empower' you with understanding safe/tried and proven log home construction practices, as well as allowing us to understand this is not as formidable as it may sound or look at first. Becoming a member of the association will likely open up the next level of assets to you, and these assets will probably include some tips on how to avoid problems we might get ourselves in to stumbling about in the dark-so to speak. Judging from the new posts icons I see in the members section, it seems to be pretty active, so I bet the volume of shared ideas, and knowledge in that section alone is worth the cost of the course.

There's nothing wrong with this approach. After all, we daily take in to our bodies things that are tightly guarded secrets to most of us. The secret recipes to Coke, KFC, Bush's Baked Beans. It's the American way. The fact that this family has chosen to share with us at all, the methods used in this construction, is testiment enough of their goodwill and integrity to me. And, considering the amt of time, planning, and work that goes into it, I doubt they are making a huge profit either. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the cost doesn't even cover the expenses they incur for each class. Not to mention the fact that teaching is one of the most difficult jobs a person can undertake and it requires a huge amt of patience. I train people every week at my job, and it is not always easy.

I have researched this well, and have never found ANYWHERE, that anyone has found the class to be less than worth every penny of the cost. There are detracters, but I've never read of one being someone who attended the class, and believe me, I've looked. Some, who have attended the class, but chose a different style home, such as cordwood have said that things they learned at this class were a great help to them in their build as well, so I imagine it is a well rounded class intinerary.

We have to face it. Building a home takes a lot of different skills. Even if one were to buy a kit log home, they would still have to do the plumbing, electric work etc, as well as the interior walls, framing, septic, water supply, heating/cooling. (or pay someone else to do it)

I know some kit home owners, and the vendors pretty much left them out in the cold as far as anything other than the logs goes. I haven't seen any evidence of that here, in fact just the opposite. A passion for sharing.

Even the non-member section here offers great insight to a lot of the afore mentioned things, and I find LHBA to be one of the best all round knowledge bases on the web for just that reason.

[gregorama]

An analogy comes to mind. If you're standing in the dark, construction knowledge wise, a two day class is like a flashlight that enables you to find your way around. The "years" of education in the field will certainly illuminate the corners with blinding light, but that first light in your dark room is the most important. That's why lots of people are excited about it. :wink:

[HDGib]

Hi, I took the class in Sep, 05. I will say that I have always wanted to build a log home. Through out my life I have thought of ways to accomplish this on my own. I was over thinking my plans and really making it harder then it has to be. Before going to the class I also wondered what they could teach in only two days. I will have to say that they do cram allot of information in to two very full days. There manner of teaching brings "common sense" to the forefront. They give you the basics that were unseen just below the surface. I have been so fully overjoyed from my learning???s that I have absolutely no doubt I can and will build my own home. With the fundamentals they show you can really make your dream a reality. I have found land in Eastern KY (25 acres for $10,000) that, with knowledge of what to look, for has plenty of wood to build with. I have saved a life time of bargain stuff and stuff from yard sales and flea markets I have collected, windows, doors, cabinets, bath fixtures, and lots of board wood. All this will save me THUSANDS on my build. The class was the catalyst that will tie my dreams together.