The Oak Leaf - June 2013 By Lynn Gastineau President of Gastineau Log Homes, Inc. Welcome Family to the June 2013 issue of The Oak Leaf! For new re

 
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The Oak Leaf - June 2013

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By Lynn Gastineau
President of Gastineau Log Homes, Inc.

Welcome Family to the June 2013 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.

Please "Like" Gastineau Log Homes on Facebook!

Rural Mo Cover.lowres

It is time for fishing and time for vacations! If you are in southern MO, stop and see the Twin Pines Conservation Education Center at Winona, MO on Hwy 60. Forgot your pole? Don't worry. You can still fish the pond above with tackled loaned by the friendly staff. And check out the GLH log museum while you are there!

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Where will this recently completed Log Cabin 2 Go go? To your vacation spot or to our model home center on I 70? Rarely do we have a cabin available for sale; usually they are all built to order. But this one is available for immediate delivery!Call for options and pricing. 800-654-9253. It is headed to the model home center if it isn't sold in two weeks!

Trivia Question: What is Tree City USA? (See the answer below.)

Log Raising in Mexico, MO on June 22nd. See below for details!

Questions about GLH: The Oak Leaf is about tips for building a log home and anything else that would interest someone who is thinking of building a new home. This month I did a written interview that had some great questions about GLH and our homes. I have included it after the normal Oak Leaf content. I put it at the end because it is fairly long and is all text and not in keeping with the normal information. If you want to know more about GLH, don't miss it at the end of the Oak Leaf.

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This shows the installation of the Presby Environmental Wastewater System. The system has been in use since 1995. It exceeds EPA recommendations & other wastewater standards for onsite septic systems.

New septic system recommended by one of our customers: A recommendation came to us from a customer who built by a lake on a very small lot. They used the Advanced Enviro-Septic™ (AES) and Enviro-Septic® Wastewater Treatment Systems. The unique design and reduced size makes it easy and quick to install and minimizes the expense. The system has no mechanical parts, does not need electricity or any chemicals. It removes up to 99% of wastewater contaminants so it protects nearby lakes, streams or wells. It can be installed on sloping terrain, too! This system is for new construction or replacement of existing septic tanks.

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Looking for a one story log home design? GLH has several standard plans that are one story. Just click on the photo above. It will take you to our web site page where you can find all the single story designs.

Questions to ask the Building Code Dept with jurisdiction at your building site: First, make sure you know who has jurisdiction. Then visit your building code authority and ask: 1. What codes are currently being enforced? (This will be identified by a year.) 2. Are any changes in the prevailing code version anticipated anytime soon? 3. Are summaries or fact sheets available that explain major code requirements and inspection procedures? 4. Do local codes treat recreational cabins differently from residences? 5. Are there special code concerns for off-grid properties? 6. If you are using renewable energy systems, such as wind or solar, or unconventional building materials (such as log), how will these aspects be treated? Does the local building authority have experience in these areas?

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Want to know what the interior of an Oak log home looks like? This is a photo of a wall in our office that is about 14 years old. Don't you love the knots and grain of the wood? With wood this beautiful, it does not take a lot of decorating!

Tips from the GLH Maintenance Dept: Want to lower your maintenance time and cost? One word: GUTTERS. Too many people either do not install gutters on their log home or they are installed improperly. Or their gutters are undersized. Plan the downspouts so they are connected to underground drains if possible. This will get the water away from your foundation and can save you costly foundation repairs later.

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A GLH Distributor has been established in the country of Mongolia. Here is a photo of their booth at their first exhibition in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. They have translated and printed the GLH brochure in Mongolian. If you speak Mongolia and would like a copy, just send us an email.

How to get the perfect log home plan from Gastineau Log Homes: Can't find a GLH standard plan that fits your needs? Need some helping getting your ideas on paper? We can help you! Our design department can work with you to come up with the perfect design for your family. Bring us your ideas on a napkin, a plan from a magazine or printed from a web site. We can modify ANY plan to suit your needs. And the $1244 cost will be credited back toward your log home package so you will get your plans for free!

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Our three most popular corner styles are butt and pass, saddlenotched and dovetailed. This picture shows a saddlenotched corner on the left with a dovetail corner sample on the right. For more information and details on our corners, click on the photo to go to our web site to the information on corners.

Construction Seminar Schedule for 2013:

Here is our schedule for 2013!

June 1st
August 3rd
Sept 28th

The one day construction seminars are held at our model home center on I70 on the southwest outer road of Exit 144 in Central Missouri. Call or email to register as class size is limited!

Upcoming Log Raising:
Mexico, MO on June 22, 2013 from 9AM to 2PM. Call for directions and to RSVP. 800-654-9253 Bring a lawn chair and stay an hour or all day! We will have coffee and donuts in the morning and hot dogs for lunch. This is a really fun and educational event; join us if you can!

Answer to the Trivia Question: The Tree City USA program is a national program where communities achieve Tree City USA Status by meeting four core standards. 1. Maintaining a tree board or department 2. having a community tree ordinance 3. spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry and 4. celebrating Arbor Day. Today there are more than 3400 Tree City USA communities which are home to more than 135 Americans. Want to know if you live in a Tree City? Go to their website.

Quote of the Month: “Why not go out on a limb? That's where the fruit is.” - Will Rogers

Questions for a magazine interview:

Tell us about your company; where it has been and what do you see for the future?

Gastineau Log Homes was started in 1977 in central Missouri because people kept coming to Gastineau Lumber Co. and asking them to cut them a log home! My parents, Carl and Shirley Gastineau, had been in the sawmill and pallet business since 1955. There were no log home companies in the Midwest at that time and nobody was offering Oak logs. This baffled us, as Oak has traditionally been the “wood of choice” for log homes whenever it was available because of its natural resistance to decay and insects. The pioneers always used Oak if they could because they knew the logs would last over time, even sitting on a rudimentary rock foundation. From that humble beginning, we have become the worlds largest producer of Oak log homes and have shipped homes to all 50 states and 10 foreign countries.

The log home industry has evolved significantly in the past 35 years. I think the industry will continue to improve both structurally and in energy efficiency. We think people will always have the desire to live in a log home. The comfort and feeling of security that come from being inside a log home cannot be achieved through any other type of construction. As one of my customers told me, “After you live in a log home, you don’t want to live in anything else.”

Which wood species do you offer and why is it popular with your buyers?

We can offer any wood species but most of our sales are of Oak logs. Since we can buy our raw Oak logs at a lower price than any other wood species, it is both an excellent choice for durability and strength but also an easy choice as it is affordable. Our manufacturing process is designed for cutting hardwoods, so we can also offer cypress, cedar or Pine. Most log home manufacturing plants are designed only for cutting softwoods, and they cannot offer Oak logs.

The Oak is popular with our buyers because it is beautiful, it is easier to maintain than other wood species, and because it does not require pretreating prior to construction. This means that there are no chemicals on the interior of the home. Another reason Oak is popular is the unique grain and knots that you find from one log to the next. The oldest wood buildings in the world are made from Oak. The natural longevity of Oak in buildings, ships and bridges is legendary.

Regarding floor plans, people can choose one of your plans or provide drawings or photos. Is there an additional charge for creating custom floor plans?

No, the blueprints are included in the package. We are very proud of our blueprints and the level of detail and engineering that we provide. We far exceed simply the design of the home. We have a licensed engineer on staff that oversees the preparation of the blueprints. They are checked structurally from the initial design through the completion of the working drawings. We use a true 3D CAD system and we actually draw the home in 3D. This means that we cannot draw something that cannot be built. It also allows us to provide as much detail as you may want about the construction. For example, our program puts the sheathing on the roof in 4’ X 8’ pieces vs as a solid plane. We can actually print out a roof sheathing plan if you wish. We can show the framing for each wall in the home if you wish. It is quite an amazing program.

What log profiles and corner styles does your company offer?

We offer all your basic profiles for the same price. We have round, flat with bevel and flat without bevels for your interior or exterior. Our standard log is 8” wide, but we offer either a 6” tall or an 8” tall log.

We offer butt and pass, saddle notched or dovetailed corners. Our manufacturing of the saddle notch is unique in that each log has two cuts: one on the top and one on the bottom. By doing this, we can keep our rows aligned. By this, I mean that row 4 of the front wall and row 4 of the side wall are at the same height. Most companies only notch the bottom of the log and you have to start with a half log on some of the walls. With this type of saddle notch corner, they are ½ a row off at the inside corner. To me, this does not look good on the interior of the home. So we go the extra step and double notch the logs.

We also have a flat/flat log with chinking between the logs. This style, combined with the dovetailed corners, gives a true “Appalachian log” appearance to the home. Normally this is done with our 8 x 8 logs but we can also provide walls using 6 X 11 Oak logs.

We also offer a half log wall system that can duplicate the look of a solid log home. We offer all of our corner styles in our Therma Log packages too. The Therma Log siding can be either round or flat with bevels as per the customers wish. Our interior siding looks exactly like our solid logs and can be used in all or just part of the interior of the home.

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.

What's the best advice you would give to a new log home buyer?

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.

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.

Has your company won any awards or been recognized for an outstanding product or service?

In 1992, we were awarded the Small Business Export Award from the State of MO by John Ashcroft, who was then the Governor of Missouri. Lynn Gastineau was awarded the SA Walters Award in 2001, which is the most prestigious award in the Systems Building Council of NAHB. GLH has had several awards for both marketing materials and home designs through out the years.

The project that we are most proud of, however, was a home that was built inside of the Mall of America in conjunction with the Greater Twin Cities Children’s Cancer Research Assn. We provided a home that was raffled off and raised over $300,000 for children’s cancer research.

What would you tell someone who is planning to build, but wants to wait until the economy improves?

If it is financially possible for you to build, this is by far the best time for you to move forward. Building cost are only going to increase as the housing industry recovers and when that happens, there are going to be shortages in both materials and available labor. Also, the building codes on the horizon are going to add a tremendous cost to construction. Even without the low interest rates that are currently available, you should not delay construction. Do it now before it costs more and you have to spend extra money to meet the upcoming code requirements.

What is the reason that you feel customers should consider your company for their project?

You can trust the information that we provide as we can offer you any wood species you wish. We have a proven, successful wall system. We can design anything that you need and make sure that it is properly engineered. We will provide you as little or as much as you wish. We will sell you “just your logs” if you want all the way to a deluxe package that even includes the trim. We are committed to continually improving our product and our services. And we will be here 25 years from now when you are selling your home and would like a copy of your blueprints to show to the buyer! (Yes, that happens!)

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