Welcome Family to the November 2012 issue of The Oak Leaf! For new readers, this is a monthly newsletter that is sent by e-mail to those that have expressed an interest in Gastineau Log Homes. We use this as a way of communicating technical, design and industry information. For more information, check out our web site at www.oakloghome.com.
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Trivia Question: What is the system used for naming hurricanes? (See the answer below.)
This home was featured in our article in Rural MO magazine this month. Click on the photo to see the entire article titled “Redefining Rustic. The world’s best oak log homes begin life in New Bloomfield.”
Hurricane Sandy… Our prayers and thoughts go out to all our friends that have been impacted by the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. We have homes from Cape Hatteras to Delaware right on the coast and we pray that they are safe. We will update you next month on how their oak log homes came through this horrible storm.
This is a great shot of a walk out basement with a porch above. You can see the framing for the basement plus the concrete walls of the basement. They poured a slab on the lower level under the porch, which gives them two porches for the price of one! Log siding or stone can be applied to the exterior of the basement wall.
I was recently asked: “What’s the best advice you would give to a new log home buyer?” My answer was that buying logs for a log home is not like buying 2 X 4’s from a lumber yard. You cannot ever change your decision about the logs that you use or the system used to seal between the logs. Do business with people that are committed to this industry and have the experience and knowledge gained from providing log homes for many years. They should approach their log wall as a system, with a goal of how that wall is to perform over the years. And last, but not least, if they tell you that their logs will not settle, turn and walk away. All log walls settle and a reputable log home company will provide the engineering to allow for it in their package.
This is a picture of me that was included in “A Candid Interview with Lynn Gastineau” on the Log Home Directory. Click the photo above to go to the full article. I have included a few questions and answers below for those of you that don’t like to click….
The log home building process is confusing to many people. How does your company address the process as it relates to design, manufacturing, building, financing and other related buyer issues?: Communication is the most essential component of a smooth building process, both written and verbal. We do this in many ways. First, our package materials are explicitly provided in writing. (Our typical materials quote for a package is 3 pages.) Second, we pride ourselves on providing honest and prompt information and service to our customers. Not just from the “salesmen” but from everyone in the company. Our staff is thorough, knowledgeable, courteous, and caring. We consistently receive ratings of “Excellent “ about the staff in our buyer’s surveys. Third, we have a very complete and easy to read/understand construction manual. Fourth, we find that each customer has different needs. We try to help each customer in the way and manner that they require. No two buyers are exactly alike. We try to customize the experience as needed. Fifth, we provide a Quality Assurance Visit and a Customer Satisfaction Visit with each home that we sell. The QA Visit is done during construction. We send an expert from our office to each job site to inspect the home to make sure it is built as per our construction manual. This provides peace of mind to both the homeowner and the builder. A construction expert also does the Customer Satisfaction Visit from our office who visits the home about six months after move in. It is just another step to making sure our customers are 100% happy with their home.
This is a modified Caroline built in central IL.
People often ask us if they can use one of the precast concrete foundation systems for our log homes. Here is a photo of a Superior Wall System being installed for one of our Oak log homes in Illinois. Click on the photo to go to Superior Wall’s website.
Financing is much more difficult today than it was a few years ago. How is your company addressing this problem? We work with any financing company or appraiser as needed for each customer. For example, we have examined appraisals for customers and provided them with the information to go back to the appraiser to have the appraisal adjusted. We have found financing for customers through local banks when they have not been able to locate a bank. Each customer and situation presents a unique challenge and we address each one individually. We are also in the process of putting together an appraisal “packet” for our customers to give to the appraiser prior to him preparing the appraisal.
Many of you will be traveling over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Add a stop at the GLH Model Home Center in Central MO to you agenda! We are located at Exit 144 on I-70 East of Columbia, MO. Open 7 days a week but call for holiday hours!
Want to know what happens at a log raising? This photo was taken in Sept at the log raising in Kansas. Click on the photo and come to one in Gilliam MO on Nov 10th!
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Log Raising in Gilliam, MO on Nov 10th! There will be a log raising from 9 to 2 on Saturday Nov 10th. (Gilliam is located north of Booneville, MO.) For directions call our office 800-654-9253 or email to sales @oakloghome.com. Or click here to go to the information directly, including a floor plan of the home being built.
Open Houses:
Fleetwood, PA Sat Dec 1, 2012 from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM Contact Dennis and Colleen Gabel for more information at 610-790-7479 or email: thegabels@paoakloghomes.com
Answer to the Trivia Question: In 1953, the National Weather Service picked up on the habit of Naval meteorologists of naming the storms after women. Ships were always referred to as female, and were often given women’s names. In 1979, male names were inserted to alternate with the female names.
There are actually six lists of names in use for storms in the Atlantic. These lists rotate, one each year; the list of this year’s names will not be reused for six years. The names get recycled each time the list comes up, with one exception: storms so devastating that reusing the name is inappropriate. In this case, the name is taken off the list and another name is used to replace it; there will not be another Hurricane Andrew (or Sandy!!), because Andrew has been replace by Alex on the list.
Quote of the Month: “The best way to predict your future is to create it!” – Unknown
Another photo from the log raising in KS in Sept. If you have a floor plan that you like, bring it along. It does not have to be blueprints; a drawing on a paper sack works too!
