Introduce yourself

Clapton,

Thanks for the Kola update. Glad he is doing okay. I hope he keeps us posted with his progress.

Thanks.

Stretch

Hi, my name is Gene Justice. I live and work in Barbourville, Ky. which is located in the Cumberland Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains. Cumberland falls is a short 20 minutes away, the Falls are famous for having the only MOONBOW that is visible anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere. My wife and I have been blessed with 30 acres 10-15 minutes outside of town. We purchased the land about 4 years ago with the intent of building a log home there "it would fit right in with the mountains, two creeks, and the pond" someday. Well after almost 4 years of land clearing etc. we are close to making the move. We have been reviewing kits for sometime now, and then I found this wonderful site, and I am hooked. We also have no building codes in the county "except plumming & electric" so everything is fine there. Trees however could be a small problem, we live in Oak country, in that almost every tree is a hardwood and most of them is oak. Logging is the second largest industry "coal being the first" in our area, plenty of saw mills too, but no inexpensive softwoods. I would hate to cut our beautiful oak trees down but it is an option. I'm hoping to take the April 19-20 class if I can clear my schedule for that weekend. I'm really excited about this whole idea of building your own log home, and I've been very impressed with this forum, and all the members as well. It's like people helping people, sincerely giving each other hope, knowledge, and inspiration.

God bless one and all !!!! :-)

Hello!!

I'm Tom Featherstone from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. My wife Linda & I will be attending the April 5/6th class. I've poured over this web site for almost 2yrs now and until now& would pretty much agree what Gene13 and most others has already had to say. I'm not much of a web chatter/text messager, the cell phone is so much easier. I'll try a little harder at it.

Everyone has a story, here's an abbreviated version of our's.

Linda & I will be married 29yrs this year and with our wedding money we purchased a 20 acre parcel of land south of Marquette with the dream that we would build a log home, raise a few chickens & pigs, & work at McDonald's to pay the taxes. Well, things didn't quite work out that way......
21 winters ago, we moved from metro Detroit, with our 3 young children, sold our 20 acres and put a down payment on an Old house in town. Kind of went for broke, so to say, and almost did, or is it almost are, seeing that we still have a hefty mortgage. The good side is, our kids are pretty much on their way......and we do own a beautiful old pig farm parcel [camp] 20 mins from where we live.

What happened to our dream of a log home, went to the wayside for all the reason's on why not to build a log home that we've all read here in this forum, I did not know this method/association existed until 2yrs ago. I wish I would have connected with this organization 20yrs ago, we'd be living in our log home now.

I'm a finisher by trade; paint, drywall, interiors mostly, been doing it for 31 yrs this year. If I can offer anyone any help there, I'm more than willing. I'm not looking for work.

Thanks to all of you that have contributed to this site and organization, you've revived a dream in someone who'll turn 50 this May.
We're getting excited, we purchased our plane tickets Friday.

Tom

I'm a finisher by trade; paint, drywall, interiors mostly, been doing it for 31 yrs this year. If I can offer anyone any help there, I'm more than willing. I'm not looking for work. < Tom said

yea Tom I have over 24 years in Drywall I just need to know one thing? How do I get out?
l Like the money but no longer enjoy any of it. Guess I need to just get workers and start contracting instead of doing it all.

Had employee's, now been solo for about 10yrs, in the end I make more money with less headaches. Maybe part of the reason that both of us are looking into the LHBA. The only advice I can give is to follow your dreams with a passion.........it makes getting up in the am a lot easier. I can't honestly say I love what I do, but I don't hate it, if I did, I would quit that day. I do have a lot of end of job satisfaction. I do mostly remods and high end work, I'm hooked up with the right generals up here. I would be very bored with the new junk they are building out there today, so I pretty much stay away from "industry standards" work. I've learned that there is a lot more money in those sacks of mud in repair and tie in work, than beating your head against the "board" and competing for pennies a foot........besides painters/drywallers are a dime a dozen eh? anybody can do it, Bob Zilla showed me how on tv last night.

I like your quote at the bottom of your posts. Everyday I relearn how little I actually know.

Tom

Interesting stories. I approaching 40 now, and have had an interesting ride in life. When I was younger, my "dream" career shifted several times. I did 4.5 years of active duty army (Army Band, stationed in Berlin, Germany,) so I could afford to go to college. I did some gen-ed coursework while I was in, then got out and pursued that oh-so-lucrative major of HISTORY, lol. I finished my degree at Penn State, was enrolled at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, PA to pursue a M.A. in "Christian Thought" (a blend of Church History and Systematic Theology). The next step was going to be a PHd in Historical Theology with concentration in Reformation Studies from Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI (home of the largest collection of original Swiss Reformation documents outside of Zurich!). Then after a post-doctoral fellowship in Switzerland, I would get a job teaching History at a univesity or seminary, and be the world's leading expert on Ulrich Zwingli.

But I found that I was working SO hard while I was in school (I worked full time while carrying a full load of classes, getting nearly straight As), but still DIRT POOR, and would have had to sink deeply into debt.

So I took a job cooking in a Rescue Mission (I did restaraunt and institutional cooking when I was a kid, and while an undergrad). While there, I got a job working in their Development office (fundraising) and met my first database. While there, I took a job at a business school teaching computer application courses at night (Word, Excel, Access, etc.). Before long, the school wanted me full time. While working there, I sat in on many of our IT / Programming courses, and then the recruited me to teach Programming. I did that for several years until declining enrollment in the program led to layoffs (including mine).

Now I make Vital Records database applications (electronic filing of birth certificates, death certificates, etc.) The real sweet thing about this job is that I telecommute. This will enable me to buy some property in the mountains of WA somewhere, and not worry about my commute. So now I will be able to have another one of the dreams I always had -- a log home in the middle of nowhere.

One of the small titbits of wisdom I used to tell my students is this: "They don't pay you because you like it. They pay you because it SUCKS. That's why they call it WORK. If you liked it, you'd do it for free." I remind myself of this from time to time. Because there was always SOMETHING about every job I ever had that I really disliked. If you truly HATE your job, yeah... you should find another one. But when you get right down to it, you do your job so you can have money and survive, and hopefully have a little left over to do what you actually like when you aren't working. But work has always sucked -- "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return."

I like your quote at the bottom of your posts. Everyday I relearn how little I actually know.

Tom

Well some of the good generals I know are passed on or retired. I work with another Drywall contractor so we don't need W. C. and all the paper work. We mostly work for homeowners. I got into this trade because I had learned and done it all in a Lumber yard. I even drove truck a 10 wheeler and the main driver was telling me when you roll the load off it will pick the front end of truck off the ground. Naturally I did not believe him until I saw it when I dropped off a big load. I had it easy I was yard boss and just built loads to truck out. I had 2 helpers and I could just drive around on fork lift and tell my yard dogs what to do. My responsibilities were to keep yard organized and make sure nothing was missing on the order when truck left. I was valuable to CO. because I knew every name & piece of moulding and everything we carried-but it was no more of a challenge. I started helping a friend who needed work so I worked my day job then did drywall at night. I believe Home Depot helped put the yard I quit eventualy out of business around twelve years after I quit. Weird thing was I found I did not like drywall-at least hanging it. I took some vacation time off to help friend do a big job. Called the owner of lumber yard said I needed more time off to finish. He said no come back now we need you. So I TOLD HIM CANT have to finish the job! I was going to just quit drywall after that job--is this destiny!So that is how I got into drywall. We have a 16,000 sq ft drywall job coming up-5/8. I got to hang it 12 footers. My best job was working on a 40,000 sq ft house-(Floor Space)-well if you counted the 50 foot underground tennis court (part of the house)and 6 car garage and guest house. That was plaster and I was there with a master of plaster making cornice mouldings etc. What a house-nothing normal about it or the owner of it. Over 12 years in the making and close to 80 million. The plaster contractor was up there most of that time doing odds and ends-I spent close to 2 years up there

The quote was on a sign at my Dad's metal shop class. He taught metal shop at a High School.

Ron

Hello to everyone. I just found your website and I've been exploring much of what everyone has to say. I'm considering taking a class to be sure. I see that much of what is asked is often replied to with the phrase, "Wait for the class." I think I would consider taking the class if I knew about possibilities for purchasing logs. We put together a tipi years ago and went out to find our poles on National Forest land, cut them, drug them to the road, put them on my truck etc. I don't think I'm up to that kind of hauling anymore. I don't really trust my "eye" for good logs either. So, are there ways to buy logs that are already chosen by those with experience, and have them transported to the building site for a reasonable price? Certainly there are many log trucks in our area, but the idea that they might haul specially chosen logs for a private party would surely be something out of the ordinary.

Don't cut and haul your own logs, unless they are on your own property. Even then, LHBA strongly recommends leaving the logging to professional loggers. It's one of the most dangerous jobs there is. (History channel is doing a new series about logging called "Ax Men", very similar to the Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch series.)

The do indeed go into detail in the class about different avenues for accquiring logs. Some avenues are cheaper than others, and there's some market savvy / luck involved too. But I would concur that you should have no trouble finding logs in Idaho.

Those loggers you see in the area? Put yourself in their shoes. Which job would you rather do: the same old mill run with all their paperwork, or that hippie building a log cabin who is paying CASH, hehe. I can't divulge all of our super-sekrets, but just use your imagination a bit. If what you will pay them is slightly better than what the mill will pay, whose job do you think they are going to take?

Hello everyone! I'm finally getting my dream home although it had to be slightly downsized. My husband and I sold our last home in August and are in the process of completing our log home. Because of health and age, we chose to have the heavy work done by Satterwhite Log Homes (a good choice if you are 65-70 yrs old and one of you is disabled). Our interior finish material arrived today (snowing in Texas today) and I am really excited about getting started. For those of you that think a log home is too expensive, you just have to consider what you're getting. Our budget is set in rock so we have no buffer for extras which means I watch the $$ really close and have had to make hard choices in order to achieve our dream. Would love for everyone to follow our progress and comment/ask questions if you have them. Catch our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/mayosdream



Ellen Mayo
Building Your Dream Home
http://buildingyourdreamhome.us

You are in Idaho-You should have no problems getting logs. I had a quote by the ton.
The logs were 30-50 feet long some longer. Tops no smaller than 10" most 12"
They are called house logs. I think he quoted me (edit$265 a ton. I had to look it up)and less than 20% moister content. This price did not include delivery. You should not try to build a home unless you take the class. I read these posts and some custom home contractor signed up for the class/Why? Because he is smart for 1-it is not the same as building a conventional house. My question to members are is the class a write off on taxes-I am a contractor and it is school-maybe I could write my trip off also??
Ron

Hi, My name is Carmen O. I've been looking at this site now for over a year. My husband and I were looking for a way to build a home inexpensively, and we were interested in log homes. I started looking at kits (NOT inexpensive!) and ran across the site. I've been hooked ever since. I was signed up for the class last year about this time, but then realized that I was pregnant. Since I'm the "builder" of the family, I didn't want to be pregnant and lifting logs, etc, so I backed out. Now that I've delivered our third baby, I'm ready to go again. I'm totally addicted to this idea of a "real" log home. I have a few questions about log home construction in Manitoba. Does anyone know about building code or log availability in Manitoba? Are the "rules" different up here than in the states?
Thanks! I'm really looking forward to continuing reading on here.
Carmen O.

I'm Bryan McGuire, I was in the spring 2006 class. Starting to get serious about building. I figure it will be another 3 years before I'm out of debt and have the capital to start, I'll have my land in the Missouri Ozarks paid for this year God willing. The land is 15 acres about 5 miles from Norfolk Lake, I hope to split the land and put cabins on both and sell them both. I'll start simple and do the 30x30 on the first one like Ellsworth advised, no fireplace, pier foundation.
Does anyone know the tax ramifications of splitting land and selling 2 cabins. I know if you live in a residence for 2 years and sell and reinvest in a new residence you don't pay capital gains on the appreciation. What happens when I build two cabins on one parcel, then sell them seperately? I've started buying tools and materials, I've got my 8 triple 6" blocks, thanks to this site and ebay. I'm kind of in a fix though and will possibly have to retake the course, hopefully you'll have the DVD published soon Steve. Anyway, the wife threw me out Chrismas 2006 and at the same time threw out about everything I owned including my workbook from the course. Suprisingly much of the info we learned is availble in the forums
I guess I have a lot of questions, here are a few more. Anyone here use strap hinges from a barn, you can get em real cheap off ebay $10 or so, I'd like to buid my own doors. I was wondering about the consequences of using the drive in pintels, these hinges use. With the massive overhang from the roof the wood probably stay dry and wouldn't have to worry about rot, I don't know. Maybe they compromise the intergrity of the wood that they are driven into though.
I've seen a thread on digging your own well, know anyone that's done it? and how about doing your own septic? If the cabin weren't for re-sale I'd go with a composting toilet and save a bundle. Remember this is the ozarks, no permits needed down here. I could live in a tar paper shack if I wanted to. I just don't care for an out house.
As far as logs, I haven't decided between utilility poles or logs. I can get logs cheap from my wifes nephew, yes we're still married. He's a meth addict but I can still get good logs from him. I just better not ask any questions about where they came from. The thought of having pre-pealed logs is appealing :), I could probably get my poles from the same source tracy used, from what I've read she is in the same neck of the woods.

Anyway, God bless

You might want to copy and paste your questions into the member's Log Home Construction forum where it will be easier for folks to answer.

Just wanted to introduce myself and get my first post out there. I am enrolled in the April 19-20 class and cant wait. I am in the United States Navy working for a Special Warfare Unit as an electronics tech here in Virginia Beach, VA. I have a little over a year left in the service and after I get back from my last deployment my family and I will be moving to southern Colorado and buying a 35 acre piece of land. I love the Navy but I think it is time to go. I have 3 children now and I don't want to raise them in the big cities and leave them at a moments notice and not know when I will return. I would not change my 6 years of service for anything though. My wife and I were both raised in rural Kansas and miss the atmosphere of small community and can't wait to get back to a simple lifestyle. We have been dreaming about and saving for a log home for almost 5 years and hope to do most of all the construction ourselves and debt free. As a matter of fact this is how crazy we are. In order to save more money we are living in a 32 foot long travel trailer on base with 3 small children. With rent at about 1400.00 for what we would need here this is a pretty good alternative. Sometimes it can get crazy but we both know that we are doing it for the right reasons and love the fact that we are teaching our children to work hard, be financially responsible, and take care of what you have. You don't find most of these trait's in most of today's kid's and I am very proud of mine. We are so excited to start the next phase in our life and can't wait to build our lifelong home.

Justin Kline

Hi!
Wahooo! I'm currently driving truck over here in Iraq, one of the guys I'm working with told me about this site, and that's all it took! I wasn't a member for an hour before I signed on to take this upcoming class in April, plus, two more will be attending with me as well, our excitement swells everyday with new ideas as we read all the blogs here, we really can't wait.
Besides working in Iraq, I currently reside near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, near Spokane, Wa. It's definately a growing area, I think these homes already fit in quite nicely with the development that is occurring. Any questions, please feel free to email me at Yetiboy_7@Yahoo.com -

With growing anticipation-
Always,
Axel

We are looking forward to go to the class on April 19th & 20th, we are hoping that this class will help us build our dream retirment home in Missouri. We have 34 acres of hilly farm land, the main thing we grow are a few black berries and a lot of tics and chiggers. And by the way the tics and chiggers are free for the taking!!!!
We will see ya'll in April,

Hello from sunny Florida. I love the ocean but miss the trees and mountains. Our highest elevation is Mt Trashmore the local dump. Looking forward to signing up for the next course and seeking a plot of land to build our 1st log cabin. Wish I could do some preliminary studing. I have read alot of the postings but does anyone have any suggestions of books, articles I can read before teh course? Looking forward to a few slivers.

Thanks Steve

Hello Steve, I live in Florida too. You're right about Florida flatness. I can almost get 32 miles per gallon in my 6 cylinder Chrysler when I put it in cruise. I've even pushed my 4x4 monster Dodge truck to 18MPG.

I took the class last January after collecting alot of information about kit homes and finally going to a log home show in Tampa. I drove away from that thing disgusted about what they were calling log homes these days. I even contacted an architect up in the Adirondacks about his building designs. Then I just cut through all the B**Sh** and took the class in Monroe.

I would suggest reading everything on this site. Don't worry about being prepared for the class because it's after the class that everything else begins to make sense. You'll have a better idea about what books you'll need to read then. Like me? I have a stack of books now about concrete, masonry, plumbing, and my favorite, a book about barn building. I have books on old time woodworking, how to work alone, building for lower tax assessments. I'm even thinking of taking a welding course so I can build a metal staircase. I just finished a preliminary floor plan and I'm going to try to start a model.

I won't be building in Florida though. I'll be building on a 23.5 acre property I bought in 2006, upstate NY, 3 miles southwest of the blue line.

Good luck! I hope you get your class soon.

But I want to winter it out in Florida,,,,

:)

Mikey

I was born in rural Kansas too, Gypsum 67448.

I took the class in 1987 and the journeyman's course in 1988. I know you will enjoy the course. Southern Colorado sounds great ! You can visit four corners, mesa verde and a lot of great places!!! Thanks for serving the country!

Best wishes,
Mikey

Hi.


I am just a guy from sweden. A friend of Skip

Hello everyone! My name is Shannon and i live in West Central Minnesota. I am engaged and we have 5 children and i am currently pregnant and due in November 2008 with baby number 6.
As any one knows large houses for large families is hard to find and if and when you do find them they like to charge out the a** for them!
I have always loved log houses and i have always wanted one. I actually was talking to my Fiance a few weeks ago telling him it would be cheaper for us to buy land and build our own.
I was just doing some general searching on building log homes and i ran across this site, and am i ever glad i did!
I am just waiting and hoping another class is scheduled yet, sometime fairly early this year.
Can't wait to get to know all of you and see how you're doing on your projects, i have seen all the photos of ones already done and they're just gorgeous!

After my return in November, 2008, I will begin earnestly seeking out home options for our very large family! We are seriously considering purchasing a log home vs. building. With the "new housing market" taking a dump (i.e., stick home construction), we are wondering how the log-home industry is doing and if the timing is right to buy a student log home vs. building one.

We have six acres around the Angelica, New York area but remain open to living anywhere from north Georgia to New England if the package and/or building opportunities are right! We are seeking enough sqf. for our family of 16. How's that for starters! :)

Anyone have or know of log home project that might fit our situation?

http://www.hike4fathers.com
http://www.truthhiker.com

I can tell you that you won't find a home that large for anywhere near an affordable price. You really should look into taking this course and building a house for yourselves. Sounds like you may have lots of help from family and then you can build what you want.
Debby

Hello Steve, it is very nice to meet you. My husband David and I are planning to retire to Richmond, IN in June 2009 on 7 acres of land. We have always wanted to build our own log cabin home and your course sounds like just what we need to get started. Sure hope you have a class between now and then.
Patricia

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I hear you SPiral. I cannot wait to take the course and get some land off the grid too. I used to live in Mass. and have hiked the Adirondacks and camped out while in school. I see the writting on the wall in regards to fuel and energy and am looking into ways of making the cabin as off the grid as possible.

Florida is nice but getting a bit toooo crowded and inhospitable here in Ft Lauderdale area. Nice to bake the bones but that can be done by a fireplace too. Nice chunk of land you bought. I haven't settled on a state yet. If I find I enjoy building cabins, I would love to build one in each state I want to see.

TIme will tell. Let me know how the build goes.

It's 6:00am Pacfic Time (my internal clok is set to Eastern), and I'm sitting in my room at the Wallace Falls lodge....waiting.... waiting.

After 2 years of reading this site. After 10+ years of thinking of a log home. After more trains of thought spent on the subject than I can count, I'm about to walk through the door to a reality that until now has only exisited on-line and in my mind.

Boy the clock moves slowly on this coast.

I wish I'd got more sleep.