What Is A Log Raising Event Like?

Written by Lynnette on November 25, 2006 | Comments (0)

Another log home event that we attended was a "log raising" at the sawmill & corporate headquarters for Honest Abe Log Homes in Moss, Tennessee.

This was pretty early in our process of looking for land (...in all the wrong places).

At the time, we weren't exactly sure what to expect at a log raising.

If you're wondering, too... then read on.

What Is A Log Raising?

A log raising is exactly what it sounds like... the act of raising (or building) a log home from the ground up -- right before your eyes.

But I have to admit, back when I was new to all this log home stuff, the term "log raising" sort of intimidated me a bit. I imagined a bunch of fanatical overall-wearing log home owners standing around a bonfire of crackling, burning wood with their hands raised in the air & chanting about how great log homes are or something.

Call me cuckoo... I know. But that was the image I had in my head.

Turns out, a log raising is an educational & informative event that is attended by people like you & me who are interested in (or in the process of) building a log home.

What Do They Talk About?

At a log raising, you learn how one particular builder goes through the motions of building a log home from start to finish... What tools they use... What products they recommend... What the challenges are... And just about anything else you'd want to know about the process of building a log home.

This is helpful information whether you choose to build the home yourself, or you decide to let "the professionals" build it for you. (We are choosing the latter.)

If you purchase your log home package from Honest Abe, and you choose to let them do the building, then they build your home from the foundation up to the dry-in stage. Then, it's up to you (or your General Contractor) to take it from there and complete all the interior and finishing work.

Personally, I would think... if you plan to build it yourself, then a log raising event might be a tad overwhelming unless you already have a fair amount of construction experience. I say that because I was trying to be all organized and on top of things and write down everything they said... but I just couldn't keep up. Not to mention the fact that I sometimes wasn't familiar with the terminology they were using. I guess that's part of the reason that we have no intention of building our own log home. That would take several more months of educating ourselves on the intricate details... and a lot of patience... and time!

What's The Best Part?

I think the best part about a log raising event is that it's entirely designed around the people who are in attendance. Extra time is devoted to those areas that people have the most questions about.

It would be hard to leave a log raising event and still have questions about how things are done. I mean, even after the event, all of the reps, owners, even the President of Honest Abe was on hand to answer people's questions. (The founder & owner, Doug Smith, probably would've been there too, but he was busy hosting a Grand Opening Event at his new lake home development called Swan Ridge Lake Resort on Dale Hollow Lake!)

And all during the event itself, you are definitely encouraged to speak up and ask questions. (Or, offer anyone else advice if you've been through this before.)