July-Aug. 2015
Rest Easy Relaxing Bedrooms
Selecting Your Property National Log Cabin Month Planning a Visit to Our Mill
Our People July-Aug. 2015
In this issue... Dan Smith is Honest Abe’s Sales Representative at the Mufreesboro Model Home Center. He’s been with the company for 13 years. He says his goal is guiding customers through the process of designing and building the home they’ve dreamed of having.
Relaxing Bedrooms, p. 4 Events, p. 10 Visiting the Mill, p. 10 Log Cabin Month, p. 11 Property Selection, p. 12 Cooking with Lodge, p. 13 Honest Abe Living editing, design and layout by Claudia Johnson, Director of Marketing
Jeff Gregory operates and maintains the most expensive piece of equipment owned by the company, a Weining Molder and Planer. He is a highly skilled craftsman responsible for maintaining the quality and specifications of our milled logs, timbers and wood siding.
Connect with Honest Abe Facebook – Like us on our Facebook fan page and join the growing community. Pinterest – Make your board more beautiful by pinning Honest Abe pictures.
For photos, floor plans and much more visit
Google+ – Join the Honest Abe circle for photos, news, ideas and more.
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Twitter – Articles, resources, photo galleries and log home news, all shared here first.
Jeff Clements, Vice President, has been with Honest Abe for 15 years. He’s responsible for Direct Sales, Independent Dealers and other duties. HonestAbe.com
800-231-3695
YouTube – Watch and learn about log and timber frame homes on our YouTube station. LinkedIn – Follow company and log home industry news on our LinkedIn company profile page. 2
Find Honest Abe Living articles, stunning photography and more information at the Honest Abe Log Homes blog and news room. www.honestabe.com/blog Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
From the President’s Desk
by Josh Beasley, President, Honest Abe Log Homes It seems like every special interest and product has an official day. Two of my personal favorites will be coming up soon. National Bacon Day is on Sept. 5, and National Coffee Day on Sept. 29. Bacon and coffee are just hard to beat in my mind!
event being hosted by our model homes in Tennessee and by some of our dealers across the country are listed on page 10, with more details on our website. In between the cookouts, vacations and family gatherings, pack up the vehicle and head out for a couple of weekend trips this July.
I have one more favorite – log cabins. Deservingly, log homes don’t have just one day. Instead the whole month of July has been dedicated to celebrate their historic and ongoing significance. On page 11 we discuss how National Log Cabin Month came about and how Honest Abe intends to celebrate. We encourage log and timber home enthusiasts alike to take advantage of this special time of year.
Take in all of what our industry and homeowners have to share. It will be a great opportunity to learn and prepare for building a custom log or timber home.
Home manufacturers, builders and owners will recognize the month with open house events, construction tours and seminars. A list of Honest Abe’s
See a variety of beautiful homes, partake of some excellent coffee, eat more bacon and have a great adventure along the way!
Forever looks better from here
Manufacturers of custom designed log and timber frame
800-231-3695
forever homes since 1979.
www.honestabe.com HonestAbe.com
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Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
Rest Easy Relaxing Bedrooms
This striking bedroom combines an unexpected mixture of materials and styles. ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤ ✤
Round log exterior wall Timber frame exterior wall featuring square and arched window configuration Natural finish tongue and groove vaulted ceiling with contrasting exposed beams Dark 12” x12’ tile floor Recessed ceiling lighting Ceiling fans
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Adjacent Bath Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
More than a place for sleeping By Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Log Homes Making decisions about bedrooms for log or timber frame homes is no different in some ways than for any home. Decisions like how many bedrooms, what size each room will be and whether there will be an adjacent bathroom are basic. However, for log and timber homeowners, there are a number of design options that would seldom be considered with a traditionally built home. “Design of a bedroom is a direct re@lection of how the homeowner perceives the space,” observed Melissa Copas, a designer with Honest Abe for 18 years. “Bedrooms tend to be considered functional rooms were people sleep or personal spaces of refuges and relaxation.” Copas said that just because a bedroom is designed for pure functionality, it does not mean that aesthetics must be sacri@iced. “Choices of windows, lighting, interior walls, ceiling treatment, @looring and even the log style itself can add to the beauty of a small bedroom or guest room,” she said. “We’ve done some very creative things with small spaces in vacation homes and children’s rooms.” In recent years the incorporation of a small of@ice has become prevalent for those who extend their work space into the bedroom. More bedrooms are featuring @ireplaces and sitting areas. Doors opening onto a deck, porch or patio – often private – are an increasingly common feature. “We have homeowners who orient their home and make choices about windows based solely on the view they wish to see as they rise in the morning or relax in the evening,” Copas said. The height created by log and timber roof systems lends itself to the option of a mezzanine in some bedrooms. This additional vertical space has
Design of a bedroom is a direct reflection of how the homeowner perceives the space. - Melissa Copas, Honest Abe Designer
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been creatively claimed for such uses as reading nook and small library, a celestial observation point and a computer alcove. “One of the great advantages of fashioning bedroom space is that with interior walls, there are several options,” Copas said. “There’s sheetrock, wood, timber frame or a combination of materials that can achieve a look entirely different from the predominately wood areas of the more open rooms of the house.” Copas has selected photos of some of the bedrooms created by Honest Abe customers to illustrate how the most personal room of a home can be stunningly beautiful and relaxing. 5
Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
These rooms show two interpretations of a master suite. The expansive room above has a sitting room and is flooded by light from large windows situated to take advantage of an endless view. Below, there’s a cozy fireplace, French doors opening onto a wrap-around porch and a spiral staircase leading to a sitting room-office.
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Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
Making room for guests Honest Abe homeowners have prioritized creating warm and welcoming bedrooms for guests.
The bedroom above makes good use of a small space off a second floor landing. A natural finish on the wood walls, ceiling and floor keeps it light. Note the storage access door – a bonus in most upstairs rooms.
Drywall and wood are used in combination in the rooms above and left, and both have hardwood flooring. But it’s the windows that create the difference. The six over six pane selection above evokes a more traditional feel.
Light carpet, large single-pane windows, light finish on square logs and a white, low-hung white lighted ceiling fan make a small room seem large and airy. The use of pastels for window treatments and other fabrics contributes to the impact. HonestAbe.com
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Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
The Children’s Hour There are many ingenious ways to make a log room the perfect child’s room, even utilizing extra space with bunks in a wold-be closet, above.
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Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
Special Decorations Bedrooms can be decorated for Christmas or other holidays, left, with family antiques or vintage collectables, below top, or for special interests, like the American Southwest below.
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Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
Honest Abe Home Featured Log Home Living Magazine One of Honest Abe Log Homes’ beautiful creations is featured in the July issue of Log Home Living as part of the Dream Home Showcase. Pick up a copy and read about this amazing home built for two couples – close friends – who shared a vacation home to achieve their log home ownership dream.
Plan a Tour of Honest Abe’s Mill Acquisition of an electric golf cart will enable visitors to Honest Abe's Model Home and Manufacturing Facilities at Moss to take an intimate and comfortable guided tour without extensive walking. “Guests are always welcome at any of our model homes,” said Jeff Clements, Honest Abe Vice President. “We encourage anyone interesting in how log homes are manufactured to schedule a guided tour of our plant at our National Headquarters.. There’s no need to wait for a special event, though the tour in included in our log raisings we host several times each year.” Clements said the tour includes the model home, the plant, the kiln and the log storage facility. “It’s a very thorough tour that really shows how a home is made from the time the wood arrives at our lot until it leaves on the truck,” Clements said. He pointed out that Honest Jeff Clements in New Cart Abe’s stability and longevity in the industry allows the company to purchase logs, dry them and store them under cover so that there is no waiting between the time a contract is signed and manufacturing a new home begins. Call 800-231-3695 to arrange a tour or for information. HonestAbe.com
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Upcoming Events Details are available at www.honestabe.com/events.
July – Honest Abe Celebrates National Log Cabin Month – Visit Our Models & Dealers. Open House Events July 3 – Crossville Model July 11 – Cookeville Model July 10 – Rocky-K Log Homes, dealer, Ky. July 11 – Homes by Jack, dealer, Va. July 11 – Red Bud Log Homes, dealer, Iowa July 18 – Murfreesboro Model July 18 – National Headquarters July 18 – Virginia Mountain Log Homes, dealer, Va. July 19 – Homestead Log Homes, dealer, Ky. Aug. 18 @ 7 p.m. – FREE Webinar. Planning an Outdoor Living Space for a Log or Timber Home. Hosted by Honest Abe & Log Home Living. Sept. 19 @ 9 a.m. -12 p.m. – Honest Abe Log Raising and Mill Tour, Moss, Tenn. Nov. 3 @ 7 p.m. – FREE Webinar. Choosing Log vs. Timber Frame. Hosted by Honest Abe & Log Home Living.
Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
Celebrating the importance of Log Cabins in America’s Past and Future Honest Abe Log Homes is celebrating National Log Cabin Month by hosting open houses, home tours, log raising demonstrations, factory tours, seminars and more during the month of July. “With four model homes, including our national headquarters and manufacturing plant in Tennessee, and a network of more than four dozen independent dealers across the United States, there’s plenty of opportunity for people to learn more about log homes,” said Josh Beasley, President of Honest Abe Log Homes. National Log Cabin Month activities will provide opportunities for experiencing the beauty of finished log homes first-hand as well as meeting with designers and visiting construction sites. “We’re proud to say that more than 7,000 families have chosen Honest Abe to design and manufacture their home,” Beasley said. “It is great to be part of an industry that is interwoven with the history of our country. That history was recognized by United States Congress in 2012 when Rep. Reid J. Ribble of Wisconsin spoke about the importance of the log home industry calling it "a quintessential symbol of the American pioneering spirit, embodying America's strength and ingenuity." "Log cabin production directly supports thousands of jobs from builders to sales professionals, as well as the housing market, lending institutions and many others," Ribble noted. "The people of this industry are hard-working, charitable and deserving of recognition for their centuries of accomplishment.” For a complete listing of Honest Abe’ free events during July or to receive information at any time visit www.honestabe.com.
Log Homes are Good for the Environment “Log cabins, whether used for recreation or as primary residences, are economically sustainable, reducing waste and employing materials that put Mother Nature’s beauty at center stage.” – Congressman Ribble
During National Log Cabin Month, Honest Abe will provide information to our guests about the inherent ‘green’ nature of log homes. For example, the modern manufacturing process utilizes every portion of the log, and pre-cut log home packages go up quickly and leave less waste on the job site compared to conventional construction. Logs used for construction are solid and uninterrupted. Coupled with modern sealant materials and building techniques, this makes log homes highly energy efficient. For more about Honest Abe’s green practices, visit www.honestabe.com/stewardship-green-practices. HonestAbe.com
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Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
What to Consider When Selecting Property for a Wood Home by Jeff Clements, Vice President, Honest Abe Log Homes Where do you want your new log home, log cabin or timber frame home to be? That greatly varies. It’s commented many times that we just don’t see that many log or timber frame homes driving up and down the road. There is a good explanation for that. Many times the property where these homes are being built is as unique as the owners and the home itself. Through the fields on top of the hill. At the end of the dead end-road, hidden back in the valley or hollow. On the side of the hill with a great view. These homes are built everywhere and usually there is an emotional reason why someone chooses the property they choose. I knew when I was about 14 years old where I wanted my log home to be. It was on top of the hill in the woods where I rode horses and squirrel hunted growing up. I was lucky that this was on our 5th generation farm, and my mom and dad told Lisa and me to pick out wherever we wanted to build and then they deeded us that spot. Where you put that dream home that Home of Jeff and Lisa Clements you’ve always wanted is just as important as the design. You’ve got the vision of where you want it and how you’ve pictured this home as you’re driving up in your driveway. After the emotional considerations, it is good have logical considerations regarding the property. • Do I have access to utilities and services? If so, what is the cost? • Where is my water coming from? Do I dig a well? • Is there sewer options or do I need a septic tank? Will my soil pass the perk test? Do I have enough space to get my field lines in on my lot? • Are there any restrictive covenants where you are building? Are there square footage minimums? • Are there any environmental restrictions…..is this property in a flood zone or a wetland? • After you find out that you can build your wood home on the property and have utilities, etc. and that the price is acceptable, • I urge you to purchase early which will give you time to build equity in the property. NOTE: Jeff Clements and wife Lisa are Honest Abe Log Home owners who built their custom log home prior to his professional relationship with Honest Abe.
The basics of planning and building a log home or timber frame home are explored in a webinar (free) hosted by Honest Abe Vice President Jeff Clements and the editors of Log Home Living magazine. Enjoy the webinar on a tablet, phone or computer anytime at http://bit.ly/1LuxexE. HonestAbe.com
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Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
Corn Dip
2 (11-ounce) cans Mexicorn (corn kernels with red and green peppers) 1 (10-ounce) can shoepeg corn 3 green onions, chopped 1 cup sour cream 1 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon ground cumin Fresh lime juice to taste Salt and black pepper to taste 1. Drain the corn. Combine all the ingredients in a Lodge 5quart cast iron Dutch oven a n d h e a t t h r o u g h o ve r medium-low heat. 2. When ready to serve, transfer to two Lodge 1-pint cast iron Country Kettles. Makes 6 cups
With 200 recipes curated from Lodge's network of chefs and cast-iron cookware fans from around the country, Cast Iron Nation boasts a diverse array of recipes, stories and spectacular photography. Get it at www.lodgemfg.com.
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Honest Abe Living July-Aug. 2015
Forever looks better from here
800-231-3695 www.honestabe.com
Manufacturers of custom designed log and timber frame
forever homes since 1979.