Pines are fine. Some pines are better than others, but you can build with just about any tree you like, as you will find more info on in class.
You have to pay for both people to attend the class, but there used to be a discount for 2 or more people together, might still be the case.
There is a discount of $100 per person for groups of 2 or more. When I took it my wife decided not to attend inorder to save money. At the time it seemed like a good decision since we were not 100% sure what the class was going to be like, if it would be worth it and if we were actually going to do this.
Now that we have bought land and are definitely going to do this we wish she had taken the course with me. The class is great and I think if she had taken the course it would have alleviated some of her fears and questions. She could take the course by herself now, but doesn't really want to go by herself and I don't want to pay again.
My advice is that if you know you want to build, even if your not sure what style or kind, both of you should attend.
Brad
Purchased Land
Donna and I both attended, and I'm glad we did. Taking it together did several things for us:
1) Helped her be convinced that this was indeed feasible. If we had gone ahead with our plans without her being absolutely sure about it, it would end up being a huge source of stress for her which means massive amounts of tension between the two of us. Add to that the problem that any time something went wrong or was challenging or difficult (which I'm SURE is going to happen along the way) then it would be ALL MY FAULT for getting her into this. We have more than enough stupid little things in our relationship that always end up being my fault somehow. We don't need life-changing, wallet-gouging things like building a home to be added to the list.
2) She knows how to build a log home too, which means she can help a LOT more, including choosing those tasks for which she is better suited. (For example, I'm pretty sure swinging a sledge hammer will be 100% my job when it needs doing, hehe.) SHE will be able to "volunteer" for tasks she is able to do without it ending up being me "telling her what to do".
Now... One might read what I'm saying here and think that my lady is difficult. Well... sometimes she is, lol. But then EVERY woman can be difficult, ESPECIALLY when stress levels are high, and you are messing around with the bottom layer of Maslov's pyramid thingy. (If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs ). At risk of generalizing and being "sexist", I will go ahead and say that everyone, and women even more so, get extremely stressed out when you start messing with their physiological well being -- in this case we are talking about SHELTER and FINANCES. If you want to turn a perfectly happy woman into a raving you-know-what, just let her start thinking she's going to lose her home, lol. EDIT: and if there are kids involved, multiply her stress level over such things by 40 squillion!
In conclusion... You really should both take it. She will be more helpful to the project because she will know what she is doing, and your relationship will be better because the project will belong to BOTH of you, rather than you "dragging her into it." And while you might both decide to go ahead with the project, if she gave the green light without having the same information you did (having taken the course), you will indeed run the risk of "blame" naturally happening when the going gets tough (and it probably will at some point).
EDIT: It just occured to me that these things are true, regardless of the gender of the two partners. You are obviously more excited about this than your partner, or your partner would be posting here instead of you, hehe. So if you are person_A and your partner is person_B, regardless of the gender of either of you, you are making a life-changing decision, and you should BOTH be fully informed (i.e. both have taken the class) when you make that decision. If both are not fully informed, the one who was not is much more likely to resent hardships "imposed" by the informed partner when the going get's tough (and it WILL get tough).
I would add that if two of you go you'll each pick up things the other doesn't . It really depends on you as a couple. My wife liked the idea of a log home but was not that interested, So it was all me. If you can afford for both of you to go then do it. If you can't you can do just fine if only one of you goes. If it's both your dreams and only you go she'll still be supportive and can still help you. My two sons are helping me and they didn't take the class.
My wife and I both went to the class and she did pick up on things that I missed. Plus it is another invaluable experience that both of you can share. My wife is a bit of a tomboy and has helped me build several other houses and buildings. IMHO it is important that you both understand the building process to get it right the first time and to help alleviate stress.
I completely agree with Klapton. I am the wife, in our case, and it was me who found this website, class and style of log home. My husband was quite skeptical about the whole process. I had him check out the website and convinced him to take the course with me. He is now completely convinced and onboard with it. What others have mentioned about two gathering more info than one is also valuable and both being on the same page with things. At this point I do most of the prep work, but Dave is planning to quit his job and be the foreman once we start building. If there is some degree of disagreement between the two about the process you should definately both take the class. Hope that's helpfull.
I am new to the site and found it a short time ago. I found a garage cabin on a man's property when I stopped at his yard sale and learned he built it himself 20 years ago. My girlfriend and I are going to build something and were thinking about buying a kit but after I saw his garage and this site I am excited. We found a 42 acre parcel that has tree which I think are perfect but are pine. What are your thoughts on pine and we would like to take the class when ever a new one is scheduled. Do you have to pay for both people at the class? Or does one registration cover a couple? I am very excited about your class and want to learn so that we can save a bundle. Everything I have read here so far has me very excited. Any feedback on the tree selection and class fees would be appreciated