I subscribe to a bunch of different log home magazines. And, I'm given quite a few, as well. (Since we are still quite early in the log home building process, magazines are especially helpful at this stage of the game.)

If I hadn't read it for myself, I would have never known that there were so many different types of log homes these days. I mean, I may have heard some of these terms tossed about among those in the industry here & there, but I never really knew what they meant... until now.

I'll talk more about the others soon, but first I'll start with concrete log homes.

Perhaps the first 'official' sign that construction is about to take place on our new log home site: the posting of the Building Permit!

Unfortunately, this day in Williamson County, Tennessee was filled with just as many highs as lows -- emotionally speaking.

You see, last night we had some very destructive storms (including an EF2 Tornado) pass through the Leipers Fork area -- near where we are building our log home.

Ruth H. sent us an email:

Soon I will need to buy a home in FL. There is a log home available in Ft. Lauderdale. Can log homes last that far south? I would love to find out more about what I should be looking for. Please send some advise."

Before we could close on our construction loan with the bank (BB&T), we had to submit proof of "builder's risk insurance" to the loan officer.

We thought there would be a simple "builder's risk" type of policy from the insurance companies that would cover things like "theft of materials", "new construction theft", and "dwelling under construction".

But the insurance agents said our only option was to purchase an entire homeowners policy and add those riders to it. It's going to take us anywhere from 6 months to 1 year to build our log home, so I don't really have a problem with buying the full coverage that will protect every aspect of our log home and its belongings while it's under construction.

Boy, were we in for a surprise though... the quotes came in at roughly $1,200 to $1,700 a year to insure our log home... and that's with a $5,000 deductible!

After the home is built, our annual homeowner's insurance rate would be pretty much the same, less the "builder's risk" part... a savings of about $150 a year.

Yesterday, Randy asked a great question about the likelihood of us subbing a creek for a pond on the property. (See my reply here.)

Our conversation reminded me of the fact that one of the 3 creeks on our property is what is known as a "blue line stream".

Here's what that means...

A few years ago, I saved this statement that I found in a magazine or online:

Log homes are stronger & sturdier and more likely to survive tornadoes & hurricanes, largely due to all of the inner-locking joints.

Unfortunately... I didn't write down the source. (It was long before I had this website.) So, I recently decided to do a little research in hopes of determining a log home's ability to withstand hurricanes and tornadoes.

On websites discussing common log home myths, I found this...

Log homes are stronger than conventional homes. This is almost completely true, because it's actually the massive log walls that provide strength. Even though other parts of a log home may not be as strong as the walls, the walls tend to hold everything together in times of storms or earthquakes. Source

And this...

Log homes have established a record of surviving other natural disasters in much better condition than frame houses. Ripped from their foundations by floodwaters, they've been known to simply float intact down the river. During Hurricane Hugo, a log home was the only Carolina beachfront home to remain standing. Florida log homes survived the destructive winds of Hurricane Andrew in 1992 with only minor damage, and in areas of utter devastation during recent California earthquakes, log homes were among the few dwellings that escaped major damage." Source (.pdf)

With hurricane season upon us (June 1 through November 30), I thought it might be worthwhile to see how well log homes fare under typical hurricane conditions.

The next house we visited on the Honest Abe Tour of Log Homes was actually not on the tour... it was simply one that Tonya had mentioned to us, in case we wanted to swing by and have a look.

We are SO glad we did!...

I would venture to guess that those who buy (or build) log homes are typically people who have a greater appreciation for -- and involvement with -- the outdoors.

There's just something about a rustic cabin-type abode that appeals to outdoorsy people.

But did you ever stop to think that Mother Nature is both a log home owner's friend... and enemy?

So now, we are entering what I'm calling Phase 2 of our search for a place to build our dream home.

We've pretty much exhausted all the possibilities as far as land for sale around Williamson County goes.

Now we're branching out into all new territory -- any lake in Tennessee.

The one and only thing we know for sure at this point:

We want to stay in Tennessee!