Glamour in the Mountains
From the Summer 2004 Issue
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It
began with the late ’60s back-to-the-earth movement. Since
then, the return of the log home has matured, exploded and brought with it a
new refinement, hundreds of new building choices, and an undeniable
new sophistication. No wonder. According to industry research for
the Log Home Council, part of the Building Systems Councils of the
National Association of Home Builders, the audience for these homes
is special:
Professionals who
are better educated than typical conventional home buyers. Also more
thoughtful. And more cautious.
In contrast to
the average custom-home buyer, people who decide on log homes
generally take two years to study and plan their dream homes, in
contrast to six or seven months for the conventional buyer. And
while they are usually career achievers,
one of their primary
motives is a desire to escape the city with a more natural, less
hectic environment. There’s more.
According to
general contractor Curtis Hare of Deep Creek Log Homes, a North
Carolinian and second-generation industry veteran, log homes
constructed in 2002 made up 7 percent of America’s 315,000 custom
homes.
“As for second
homes versus primary homes,” he says, “what I’ve seen is a 50/50
split.” Earlier statistics from the LHC, however, put the figure
much higher, at nearly 90 percent, with 84 percent in or near metropolitan
areas. Expanded from kits with small floor plans that ran around 1,100 square
feet, the most common size now is 2,310 for its “move-up” owners, 73 percent of
whom are married with an average age of 44, according to research from Log
Home Living Institute.
For complete information about this dynamic industry, contact Log Homes Council,
National Association of Home Builders, 1201 15th St., NW, Washington, D.C.
20005.
Designed by Anthony Log Homes,
this plan stresses open space with an upper-story loft and levels of windows
for extra light.
Despite all-wood construction
in ceiling, walls and floors, this charming bedroom by Jim Barna Log Systems
has an airy feel created through the use of height and light.
To Keep It
Beautiful:
No matter how much
you love your log home, it’s simply true:
You’ve signed up for
more maintenance
than the average homeowner. To keep you on track and out of trouble,
Perma-Chink Systems, Inc. has put together everything you need to
know to avoid disease and decay in “50 Ways to Love and Protect Your
New Home…
The Ultimate Guide to Log Home
Maintenance.”
Whether your home is
cedar, cypress, pine or engineered logs,
you’ll treasure the ideas and advice in
this publication by Charles Bevier with
illustrations by Brian Jensen.
To get
your copy, call the Perma-Chink office
nearest you: in Sevierville, Tenn. at
(800) 441-1116 or in Knoxville, Tenn.,
at (800) 548-3554, or make your request
online at www.permachink.com.
In contrast to
the average custom-home buyer, people who decide on log homes
generally take two years to study and plan their dream homes, in
contrast to six or seven months for the conventional buyer. And
while they are usually career achievers,
one of their primary
motives is a desire to escape the city with a more natural, less
hectic environment. There’s more.
