As a way to gather ideas to incorporate into our log home, we’ve enjoyed attending Home Shows.
Of course, to find a Log Home Show in your area — without having to drive too far away — is ideal, but not always possible.
So here are some ways to keep the ideas flowing during the different phases of building your log home…
Attend some private events held by the log home builders themselves!
In addition to trying to attend every Log Home Show we could possibly get to, we found these interesting things to do in between Log Home Shows…
Many log home builders (for us, it’s Honest Abe Log Homes) host their own weekend events for people who are considering building a log home.
With Honest Abe, for example, they have an organized event every couple of months around here. (We just so happen to live near their home base in Tennessee.)
Log Raisings
This is where the log home builders actually demonstrate for you how a log home is constructed — from the ground up.
You can get all of your questions answered, either during the Log Raising event itself, or by talking with a company rep after the event.
These events are non-salesy and very informative. And you learn everything from the types of products they use (types of logs, corners, caulk, etc.) to the types of products they recommend that you use (for maintenance, staining, etc).
It’s a no-holds-barred event… anything goes, and you’ll hear everything from the most ridiculous questions to some things you’ve been wondering about yourself.
I highly recommend it!
Sawmill Tours
Depending on where you live in relation to your log company’s headquarters, you may be able to participate in an organized tour of the company’s sawmill.
We did this with Honest Abe at their Moss, TN headquarters. It was a very informative tour. If you want to know the nitty-gritty details about how a stack of logs becomes a home, then you’ll love this.
I liked the Log Raising itself better.
Open House & Tour of Log Homes
Think of this as a way to check out a company’s references… on the spot!
With Honest Abe, they ask people who are currently in the process of building or who have recently completed building a log home to participate.
After they get 5 or so log home owners who are willing to open up their home for a day and give people tours of their humble abode, the folks at Honest Abe put together a map for people to get from one house to the next.
The aim is to hear firsthand from someone who’s “been there, done that”. And boy, did we!!! What we learned on this day-long tour of log homes was priceless!
While you may think there would be more homes on the tour list, consider this… We had intended on visiting all 6, but we only made it to 5. And when it was all said and done, we were exhausted!
By the time you chit chat with the homeowners, ask them questions, jot down ideas, and walk through every corner of their home — inside and out — you’re surprised by how quickly the time flies.
The personal attention you receive while touring these homes is priceless, and it’s well worth the drive to some far away (and often remote) locations.
How To Find Log Home Builder Events
To attend a Log Home Builder Event, simply check with the log home builders in your area.
Even if you decide to build with a different company, most log home builders are more than happy to include you in their events — if nothing else, than to show you the differences between log home builders, including what makes their log homes better than all the rest.
…It’s well worth your time!
We’ve gone through the entire process of designing and planning every single detail of our dream log home! We have the blueprints… and the land… and the contractor… and the goal for our log cabin home to be our retirement home. Before you build (or buy) a log home, I have a slew of helpful tips for you — to plan, design, build, decorate, and maintain your very own rustic modern log home. When I’m not fine-tuning the log home of my dreams, you’ll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites). To date, I’ve written nearly 300 articles for current and future log home owners on this site! Many of them have over 50K shares.
