The Fun is in the Journey; The Pride is in the Home!

I recently went to visit a Beaver Mountain Home under construction. I met the homeowner at the site. Both he and his project manager took me around the property where they explained the plans for the finishing touches of the home such as the tile style, the floor coverings, kitchen pantry area, and master bath fixtures. They removed their unique light fixtures from the boxes they were stored in and they lifted the protective covering off of furnishings that were waiting to be moved into the completed home for me to see. As they moved from room to room, you could see in their eyes the pride and satisfaction that the project was giving them, but more importantly, they were having fun!

Building your dream home, whether it is a 4000 sq ft lake house, or a 1200 sq ft hunting cabin is an experience where the fun is in the planning and the journey as much as in the finished product. At Beaver Mountain we understand this, and we do our best to help you plan, design, and co-ordinate the construction of your new home. We want you to remember your journey as a wonderful experience! We know you will be proud and completely satisfied with your Beaver Mountain Home for generations.

Come to the Mountain and see our model homes, check out our web site for plans, ideas, and information or call 1-800-233-2770 for information or to make an appointment.

Stopping Carpenter Bees

Warm spring weather is here and with it the insect world reawakens. The carpenter bee or boring bee, so named because of the ½” diameter hole that they make in wood, also comes to life and starts looking for a site to start a nest.

The adult carpenter bee resembles the common bumblebee but has a shiny bluish-black abdomen, where as bumblebees have a hairy abdomen that is mostly yellow. They have a preference for certain softwood species, including southern yellow pine, white pine, cedar, redwood, Douglas fir and cypress. They overwinter in the wood, emerging in late April through June, find a mate, and search for a nest site. The female bores a new tunnel or cleans out an existing one. She bores into the wood approximately 1 inch then turns 90 degrees and tunnels another 4 to 6 inches and lays her eggs, starting the next generation.

Carpenter bees tend to return to the same area that they emerged from. Look for small amounts of sawdust on the logs and ground, which result from the boring. The hole, approximately ½ inch in diameter and almost perfectly round, is usually found up near the eaves or upper logs. When you find that the bees have started a nest you need to stop the bees and plug the holes.

The best control is to put a finish on the raw wood before the bees find the wood. Bees prefer unfinished wood but will bore and nest in stained wood. Special additives can be used with the finish to deter bees. We offer NBS30 (natural botanical) repellent, which is mixed in with the finish. There are other chemical products that can be put on or in the bored hole area to control their presence. Another method is to run a length of flexible wire into the tunnels to destroy the bee and larve, and then the hole can be filled with steel wool and caulked.

By being aggressive about detering carpenter bees, you can control their presence.

Fred Hathaway, Purchasing Manager

Thinking about Remodeling?

Are you looking to add that touch of luxurious lodge or cozy cabin to transform your current home into a rustic mountain retreat?

Did you know that not only does Beaver Mountain Log & Cedar Homes design and manufacture log, panelized half log and hybrid wood homes, but we also offer a diverse line of individual log/timber components as well.

We offer:

- A wide variety of wood siding options to satisfy any style
- 1/2 log timber stair components
- Large milled and lathed turned log and timber components
- Wood railings, decorative posts

and much, much more!

Come to the Mountain and tour our (3) model homes, showroom and design center and see for yourself how you can transform your home and give it that unique handcrafted, mountain appeal.

For more information call 1-800-233-2770

Enhancing Your Buying Experience

Beaver Mountain recently received a 50-50 matching grant from New York State to train our employees in process improvement. The funds we received from this grant allowed us to hire an outside consulting firm to help us stream line our home order process and help us implement better procedures. As a result we have been able to move home orders through our facility faster and with more accuracy and quality control. In some cases we can deliver your home in as little as 4-6 weeks from time of order, however, the earlier you start the process the better. Typically 8-12 weeks provides enough time for custom order items and finalizing construction details.

This has been beneficial to our clients as we are able to better accommodate their needs. It also helps us find any mistakes that may have happened and correct them prior to delivery, ensuring that delivery will go smoothly. Beaver Mountain is always evolving, looking for ways to improve our processes and our products and this is just one example of how we are staying ahead of the industry. Thanks to the funds received from New York State we have been able to take advantage of this important training.

-Drew Prochazka, Business Manager