Hardball questions . . . . . . . alright, I'll take a swing.

Question one, you may be happy to know the answer is YES. Without a doubt in my mind, you can get logs that meet your requirements for length and grade. No sweat, no problem. That's easy. Where you got to get those logs can be the bigger issue. I heard of logs getting brought in from far and wide sometimes. Jeff and Sara had theirs brought in from Canada to California mostly by railcar, and the rest of the way by truck. Don't give up on the loggers just yet. Without spilling too many beans about what the class teaches, try again with them, be persistant, even talk to the drivers. (IN PERSON whenever possible) Other opportunities come along every once in a while too. Just last week, I posted a message from the Philly Craigslist, of a person who has 3 acres of standing timber they want cleared. All free. Come and get it. There are more options, but I won't say anymore, else Ellsworth will beat me with a cold salmon.

But most of all, don't expect logs to just fall into your lap. If you want an inexpensive home, you're going to have to work for it. Get out there and find your prize!!!! They are out there. Personally, I'm looking for property that has the timber I need already on the property, at a decent price. Now there's a challenge, but it will be worth it.

Now for question two. I can say with little beyond a shadow of a doubt, it's a good, solid maybe. That can be a tough bill to fill. How good are you at negotiating, working out deals and trades? What will ultimately deterime that is YOU. If you got the drive and tenacity to find YOUR logs, it's possible. You got to want them, and you got to go get them. Someone says "No" to you, go find someone else. Greenbacks and no receipts can work wonders. But it is up to you. The class teaches you how to get them, but ultimately YOU must be the one who will not be denied. Only you can answer your own questions.

Now, how's that for a pep talk!

I'm beat.......

Stockhatch,

Getting logs is not the biggest hurdle in building a log house, the biggest hurdle is building a house. Anybody who has built a house owner/builder will tell you it is not an undertaking for the faint-of-heart. You are looking for all the answers and a guarantee, but nobody can give you a guarantee without knowing all of the parameters within which you are working.

Specifically, your first question about gradeable logs. All logs are gradeable, it is a question of whether your logs grade to your needs. Just a note, we live in southern California in the highest level seismic zone and we did not need to have our logs graded. I don't know where ribbonevt lives (Vermont?) but they didn't need to have their logs graded either.

Your second question. Getting logs for a reasonable price. My opinion, 10 thousand is on the cheaper side for logs depending on the volume of logs you will need. Reasonable is a term only you can define. I will say that you can get logs in lengths sufficient for your house. Because of your geographic location, transportation may be a bigger factor in your overall log cost than the actual cost of the trees.

Going to Skip's seminar is an investment. If you aren't willing to invest $800 plus tuition then maybe this isn't for you. I will say that using the information from the seminar we built our log house for easily less than 1/4 of what it would have cost to have it built by anybody else.

There it is, my $800 answer.

Jeff

One other thing worries me about building. I read on another site that you should never exceed 20' wall spans unless you are using large, fully scribed logs. This puts a major kink in my floorplan :D There were pics posted of a wall bowing out under its own weight that scared me.

Stockhatch

You will not have to worry about the height of the walls with Skip’s style of log home building. What you have read on other site will not apply to your log home built this way. Our log wall will be about 22 ft high.

Stockhatch,

I have to assume the site you read about the max 20ft wall length was referring to a kit log home. There are no similarities to the way the kit homes are built and the way LHBA teaches its students to build a log home. To further support this lets look at it this way, the kit homes use long thin screws to anchor the logs. LHBA teaches a lot better way to hold the logs and trust me on this, your wall won't bow.

As for Jeff and Sara's home. I've been fortunate to see some pics and its beautiful. And BIG! My guess is around 37x37 or something close.

I think just about everyone has been like you and had reservations about taking the class and with all the scams out there today its totally understood. I was hesitant but I'm going to say this, even if you go and don't build a log home there are things that you can learn from this class that can be applied to building a stick built home. I was getting ready to start looking to build a kit home and stumbling across this class was one of the best things that could have happened to me. I figure I will spend at the most 1/2 of what it would have cost me otherwise. And if I decide not to go with a lot of extras (jacquzzi, granite counters, etc) then that figure will be closer to 1/3 of the cost of building a small kit log home.

Skips wall use 50+' logs, I am using 35+' logs and most homes here are 30' wall and now even 40+' average.

You lucky dog! I'm jealous, I'd like to see pics of their home since I keep hearing so much about it. The only one I've seen is in this thread and its just a teaser. Beautiful floors....

http://www.loghomebuilders.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=3507&highlight=#3507

Stockhatch,

Does your inspector have a written code he can point to on the grading issue?

Stockhatch, I'm not saying that a 40' long wall is ok with any other building technique, in fact I'd be leary of it. But with the butt and pass method that LHBA teaches its not a problem.

Thanks for the advice. I have a couple leads on possible log sources thanks to the local cooperative extension. I work for the county, so government contacts are pretty plentiful. I think I will find plenty of information, and as soon as I find a repuable source for logs, I plan on booking the class.

Google it man, gooooogle - "timber sales" " North Carolina"

http://www.monroetimberland.com/page/timbersales

Try the cooperative extension.

stockhatch, I haven't taken the class yet (just under two weeks away, though!) but I just wanted to make one observation about your posts.

You've said a few times, "I read on another site" or "I heard" etc., Now, I don't know your background, but it seems like you're trying to amass information on how to do this from several different sources and in bits in pieces. That doesn't sound like the best way to be going about getting the information to build a log home.

I understand you're cautious and that you want to make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck. I'm that way, too. (I may work at the Federal Reserve but I don't get to take home very much of our product!) But I know from experience that if I'm going to do something like this, I need to research it thoroughly and pick the one source that I trust. I didn't want to hear one thing from one source and have another source say, "Yeah, well, you don't have to do that if you do this..." Only confusion can follow. I checked out a few schools and compared their methods, checked into their testimonies and their complaints (based on who actually built and who didn't). I checked their reputations and made my decision.

My personal findings were that LHBA (this school) blew the competition away in every category; price, method, reputation and testimonials. These guys are an open book. Lifetime membership, advice and member gatherings included. This, to me, is more like a family, not a business out to make a buck. Did any of the other sources you checked out try to show you how to build your log home mortgage-free or as inexpensively as possible? The men at LHBA could make money hand-over-fist by building the homes they teach in their sleep and turning them around to make a nice profit. But they want to help others be free from mortgage slavery. That's integrity.

I'm not even trying to plug LHBA by saying all that. I'm just saying that this was my answer based on research. I don't have any building or construction experience, no tools, no land, no heavy equipment and no help and no money to start! But, what I do have is a very strong desire, patience and the confidence that I can do this based only on what I've learned so far from this website and from the good people on these forums.

You said it would be worth it if a home were eventually built from it. But that's the part depends on you. (And the rest of us.) As far as an LHBA class goes, there isn't any risk because they have a money back guarantee - even three months after you're done with the class! No hidden cancellation fees or anything like that. Just simple, old-fashioned, honorable business done on a handshake. (This is more of that integrity I mentioned earlier.)

I hope this post came across as it was intended to; as an observation, not a judgment. My purpose wasn't to be mean or rude in any way. :) I apologize in advance if it comes across that way.

Must I repeat myself....

Start here:
http://www.ncforestry.org/docs/Logging%20and%20Transportation/loggingpageindex.htm

And don't give up until you have spoken to each person on this list:
http://www.dfr.state.nc.us/publications/bg_by_county.PDF
and this list (some of them may be the same companies):
http://www.ncforestry.org/PROLOGGERLISTS/ProLogger%20March%202006%20Graduates.pdf

(You are from North Carolina, right? Or am I searching the wrong info? I wish my state had as much information available as some of the others in this nation!)

If you really have the tenacity of a rabid monkey, then the course is for you. It has a money back guarentee. The log bug will bite. You will not rest until you have succeeded. AND using ones money wisely is stressed repeatedly as you should tell from many of the articles on their website. So don't be a chicken, I mean, rabid monkey! It was the best money I ever spent on a class, and that includes my Bachelors degree!

Stockhatch, I read your posts and I felt the same as you did.

It was almost a year after I found the LHBA that I spent the Federal Reserve Notes on this class. It was by far the best investement I could have made.