Did you know Beaver Mountain has (3) model homes that have been described by industry experts, “as one of the most impressive displays in the northeast?” And did you know that Beaver Mountain's manufacturing facility is affectionately called, “The Cabinet Shop?”
We know these things very well and we would like everyone to know about them. The best way to do that is to schedule a personal consultation or sign up for a mill tour and seminar! We are so confident that you will love what you see that we are now offering a “Travel Reimbursement Program” to make it easier for you to Come to the Mountain! If you make the trip to see us and purchase a Beaver Mountain Home, we will reimburse you for the costs of travel and lodging. To learn more, contact your Beaver Mountain sales consultant for all the details!
1-800-233-2770
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Dan & Jean's Design - Part 2
Continued from March 30, 2009...
After reviewing the design, Jean decided she would like a third guest bedroom on the main floor and the master bedroom bumped out to give more space. I revised the design and with the bumped out master bedroom, we also added a covered porch for that room and a rec room down below in the basement area. I emailed the drawings on to Dan & Jean for their review, as well as their sales consultant Chris, for updated pricing.
Jean stopped in one day on her way by to talk about options for dressing up the appearance of the approach side of their home. She met with her sales consultant Chris and discussed adding some roof lines and more glass to that view of the house. At that time we invited them back, along with their perspective builder, to explore some of these options on the computer. Jean agreed the builder would be a big help at our next meeting so we could avoid making changes that would blow the budget.
We had our meeting near the end of January with Dan, Jean and the perspective builder Jim Cammer. We were able to dress the front of the house up with some false roof lines, some log siding to cover the exposed basement walls and some stone work around the entry way. We relocated a few windows and added a mudroom entrance from the rear of the house during this meeting as well. Jean loved the changes and was ready to move onto the approval drawing stage of the design process. We agreed to meet again once the ¼ scale approval drawings were complete.
We got back together in February to review the approval drawings and made some minor changes. We discussed different areas of the home and walked through each room thinking about the ways they intend on living in each space. Some of the changes made were to better orientate things in the floor plan to take full advantage of the features inside the home, as well as views outside. Once the revisions are complete on the approval drawings, they will be able to get final quotes from Beaver Mountain as well as the builder and his sub contractors. Revised drawings will be sent out shortly.
Now that our quote has been finalized and the builder has been able to put his numbers together Dan & Jean feel the project is coming in a bit over budget. I spoke with the builder and reviewed some changes we could make in the design that would reduce cost without compromising too much in the overall layout. We both felt these changes would be required to bring the cost down so we set up an appointment with Dan & Jean to re-work the plans.
I met with Dan & Jean around the middle of March and re-worked the design trying to shave some cost and bring them back into their project budget. We eliminated the bump out on the main floor along with the small private covered porch off of the master bedroom. This caused us to move the master suite back within the main footprint of the house and relocate a guest bedroom down to the daylight basement area. We were able to eliminate one of the garage bays in the basement to make space for the bedroom, as well as relocate the rec room, which was in the bump out below the master bedroom that we removed. These changes really make a lot of sense from a cost standpoint as well as from a “Building Greener” standpoint. We spoke to the builder on the phone during this appointment and he agrees we are heading the right direction. The next step will be updating the quote and getting revised pricing from the builder and his sub contractors.
After reviewing the design, Jean decided she would like a third guest bedroom on the main floor and the master bedroom bumped out to give more space. I revised the design and with the bumped out master bedroom, we also added a covered porch for that room and a rec room down below in the basement area. I emailed the drawings on to Dan & Jean for their review, as well as their sales consultant Chris, for updated pricing.
"Some of the changes made were to better orientate things in the floor plan to take full advantage of the features inside the home, as well as views outside. "
Jean stopped in one day on her way by to talk about options for dressing up the appearance of the approach side of their home. She met with her sales consultant Chris and discussed adding some roof lines and more glass to that view of the house. At that time we invited them back, along with their perspective builder, to explore some of these options on the computer. Jean agreed the builder would be a big help at our next meeting so we could avoid making changes that would blow the budget.
We had our meeting near the end of January with Dan, Jean and the perspective builder Jim Cammer. We were able to dress the front of the house up with some false roof lines, some log siding to cover the exposed basement walls and some stone work around the entry way. We relocated a few windows and added a mudroom entrance from the rear of the house during this meeting as well. Jean loved the changes and was ready to move onto the approval drawing stage of the design process. We agreed to meet again once the ¼ scale approval drawings were complete.
We got back together in February to review the approval drawings and made some minor changes. We discussed different areas of the home and walked through each room thinking about the ways they intend on living in each space. Some of the changes made were to better orientate things in the floor plan to take full advantage of the features inside the home, as well as views outside. Once the revisions are complete on the approval drawings, they will be able to get final quotes from Beaver Mountain as well as the builder and his sub contractors. Revised drawings will be sent out shortly.
Now that our quote has been finalized and the builder has been able to put his numbers together Dan & Jean feel the project is coming in a bit over budget. I spoke with the builder and reviewed some changes we could make in the design that would reduce cost without compromising too much in the overall layout. We both felt these changes would be required to bring the cost down so we set up an appointment with Dan & Jean to re-work the plans.
I met with Dan & Jean around the middle of March and re-worked the design trying to shave some cost and bring them back into their project budget. We eliminated the bump out on the main floor along with the small private covered porch off of the master bedroom. This caused us to move the master suite back within the main footprint of the house and relocate a guest bedroom down to the daylight basement area. We were able to eliminate one of the garage bays in the basement to make space for the bedroom, as well as relocate the rec room, which was in the bump out below the master bedroom that we removed. These changes really make a lot of sense from a cost standpoint as well as from a “Building Greener” standpoint. We spoke to the builder on the phone during this appointment and he agrees we are heading the right direction. The next step will be updating the quote and getting revised pricing from the builder and his sub contractors.
Watch for Part 3, coming in June.
John Lanner, Senior Design Consultant
Saturday, April 11, 2009
"The Devil is in the Details"
Recently I received a wonderful letter from a customer currently building their log home. As a Sales Consultant here at Beaver Mountain, I try to convey this philosophy to people repeatedly. To hear (read) it from a client is the ultimate validation!
“Until I built a log home I didn’t have a complete appreciation for the importance of choosing a manufacturer. Log home construction is unique. We chose quality and we have throughout the process but I mean the right manufacturer is not only about appearance but about structure, structure, structure. Beaver Mountain Log Homes are battleships in their structure surrounded by some of the finest detail work I have ever seen. Structure not done correctly at the start can never be corrected and in a log home the logs are the structure, the insulation and the appearance. They say the devil is in the details and they are correct. I was astounded in the milling tolerances, in a fifty four foot wall with multiple openings (doors, windows, etc), each opening was perfect."
- Excerpt from John C- Beaver Mountain Customer 2008
SATURDAY, APRIL 18th: FACTORY TOUR!
Please join us and see for yourself the details and the precision craftsmanship of our pre-cut log walls, panelized components, and timbers.
Call 1-800-233-2770 for more information!
“Until I built a log home I didn’t have a complete appreciation for the importance of choosing a manufacturer. Log home construction is unique. We chose quality and we have throughout the process but I mean the right manufacturer is not only about appearance but about structure, structure, structure. Beaver Mountain Log Homes are battleships in their structure surrounded by some of the finest detail work I have ever seen. Structure not done correctly at the start can never be corrected and in a log home the logs are the structure, the insulation and the appearance. They say the devil is in the details and they are correct. I was astounded in the milling tolerances, in a fifty four foot wall with multiple openings (doors, windows, etc), each opening was perfect."
- Excerpt from John C- Beaver Mountain Customer 2008
SATURDAY, APRIL 18th: FACTORY TOUR!
Please join us and see for yourself the details and the precision craftsmanship of our pre-cut log walls, panelized components, and timbers.
Call 1-800-233-2770 for more information!
Monday, April 06, 2009
Explaining Log & Timber Checks
From my experience in the log home industry, the number one question ask by customers viewing their home dry stack is about log and timber checks.
According to the Standard on the Design and Construction of Log Structures, a check is "A radial crack in the log that occurs as the wood is seasoning". The definition goes on to say that a check is "...a natural an unpredictable result of the seasoning process that generally does not affect the structural integrity of the log."
As a timber dries, the cells at the outer surface lose moisture more quickly than those at the center of the timber. This process causes stresses in the timber which is relieved by a check occurring. This happens whether the timber is air dried or kiln dried. Generally speaking, a larger timber will produce a larger check. Here at Beaver Mountain, our combination of air drying and kiln drying, work to remove the majority of moisture from our timbers. This, along with our grading procedures, mean that although logs and timber joists will have checks, the amount and size of checks is controlled as part of the production process.
This process starts during milling. As we run material through the planer, we try to orient any existing checks up and down so they are not exposed on the inside or the outside of the home. If the stock material does not allow for this kind of orientation, we try to place the existing check to the inside so it is not exposed to the weather.
Next, because we pre-cut every home, we are able to remove any check that does not meet the Wall Log 53 Grade, which is a structural grade. However, we go a step further and visually grade out unpleasing checks that are structurally sound, but may not be visually appealing. We make every effort to place logs that do have checks in areas of the home so as to be less noticeable, such as behind kitchen cabinets, in bathrooms and closets. Logs that have checks on the outside top half, can be placed under overhangs and porches and thus not exposed to the weather.
Remember, checking will occur during the timber drying process, so a timber with no checking may not be dry. It makes for a nicer home when check size and location are controlled, after all, checks are part of the natural beauty of wood.
Rick Hamm, Production Manager
According to the Standard on the Design and Construction of Log Structures, a check is "A radial crack in the log that occurs as the wood is seasoning". The definition goes on to say that a check is "...a natural an unpredictable result of the seasoning process that generally does not affect the structural integrity of the log."
As a timber dries, the cells at the outer surface lose moisture more quickly than those at the center of the timber. This process causes stresses in the timber which is relieved by a check occurring. This happens whether the timber is air dried or kiln dried. Generally speaking, a larger timber will produce a larger check. Here at Beaver Mountain, our combination of air drying and kiln drying, work to remove the majority of moisture from our timbers. This, along with our grading procedures, mean that although logs and timber joists will have checks, the amount and size of checks is controlled as part of the production process.
This process starts during milling. As we run material through the planer, we try to orient any existing checks up and down so they are not exposed on the inside or the outside of the home. If the stock material does not allow for this kind of orientation, we try to place the existing check to the inside so it is not exposed to the weather.
Next, because we pre-cut every home, we are able to remove any check that does not meet the Wall Log 53 Grade, which is a structural grade. However, we go a step further and visually grade out unpleasing checks that are structurally sound, but may not be visually appealing. We make every effort to place logs that do have checks in areas of the home so as to be less noticeable, such as behind kitchen cabinets, in bathrooms and closets. Logs that have checks on the outside top half, can be placed under overhangs and porches and thus not exposed to the weather.
Remember, checking will occur during the timber drying process, so a timber with no checking may not be dry. It makes for a nicer home when check size and location are controlled, after all, checks are part of the natural beauty of wood.
Rick Hamm, Production Manager
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