Log and Timber Home Show

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Two years ago we signed up to attend the Log and Timber Home Show in Tampa, FL. For whatever reason, we were unable to attend and the company offered to either refund our payment or save it for any other show. We opted to save it and finally got to attend the show this weekend in Chantilly, VA.

We arrived at the Dulles EXPO and Conference Center. We parked the rig at the outer edge of the parking lot and went in to register. Being a Friday and the first day of the show, it wasn't busy at all. That was good, we got to talk to a lot of the vendors and start collecting information.

There were many log home builders from companies of all sizes from the recognizable Jim Barma, Satterwhite, Kuhn, Lincoln Logs and Honest Abe to handcrafters, specializing in building one cabin at a time.

There were also a large number of log furniture companies, most featuring one of a kind products that were unbelievably gorgeous. Wooden flooring, concrete roof files and even old fashioned (but very updated) wooden tubs!

 Then add in the folks that sell windows, doors, stains, and much more. The show folks also had a bookstore with other fun gifts. I bought a cute little wooden sign for our future cabin...hey, it had a moose on it!

Saturday was much busier, kind of what we expected. We attended Log and Timber Home University from 9am to 2pm. We were presented with a great workbook for all steps of planning a log home. The topics covered were:
• Registration
• Welcome and Introductions
• Using this Course Outline
• Decision Tree
• Budget Decisions
• Site Decisions
• Design Decisions
• Building Green
• BREAK
• Choosing a Log Provider
• Timber Home Decisions
• Deciding on a Lender
• Deciding on a Builder
• Ways to Reduce Costs
• Questions to Ask Before You Buy
•Getting Ready to Build
• Just 35 Steps to Your New Home
• Construction Specifications
We really learned a lot and are glad we attended the seminar. The workbook will be invaluable for planning with many worksheets to copy and use.

In addition, back in the main show area there were on-going workshops covering topics ranging from preserving your log home to pitfalls to avoid to building green and much more. You can see a full list of the workshops and vendors HERE.

We have found one company we are very interested in...Blue Ridge Log Cabins out of Campobello, SC. We liked the fact that they are a modular log home builder. This means that the home is assembled inside, out of the weather, then trucked to your site and assembled resulting in a much quicker build time.

They build turn-key homes. The owner is responsible for site prep, staining, floor finishing and HVAC. Blue Ridge Log Cabins completes interior walls, floors, ceilings, interior door and window trim, baseboards and wall moldings, electrical wiring and panel box, outlet receptacles and covers, water heater, plumbing lines, kitchen appliances including refrigerator, range, microwave, dishwasher, cabinets, countertops, bathroom vanities, sinks, tubs, showers, medicine cabinets, mirrors, towel bars, ceiling fans, interior and exterior light fixtures, hose bibs, interior doors, windows, shingles, exterior eave vents, and roof insulation.

We hope to visit their factory in Campobello as well as a couple other companies in North Georgia. We're still not thinking of building the home for another 4-5 years but we need to keep researching and getting educated.

Tomorrow we will probably stop in for a short time to ask any last minute questions and say goodbye to some of the great vendors we talked to, then it's back to Maryland for our final week.

Still rolling,
Stu and Donna

There are a few more photos in our SmugMug Album.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for your interest in Blue Ridge Log Cabins. I feel confident the more you research you do, you will discover why it makes sense to choose Blue Ridge as your builder. Your site is fabulous and a great way to inform log home enthusiasts about your personal experiences. I would like to invite you to our Home Buyers Seminar, "The Day One Experience" on November 20th at 10:00 AM at our Campobello campus. Thank you again and I look forward to meeting you in the near future.
    Greg Altizer - Sales Manager, Blue Ridge Log Cabins

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  2. Nice blog
    Windsor Luxury Estates is a custom home builder specializing in building estate homes designed to suit the elegant lifestyles of our home buyers. Windsor builds luxury custom homes throughout Maryland on your lot or on our own.. as i got from New Home Builder in Maryland

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  3. Hi Donna,

    My hubby and I were at the same show on Sunday. We first went to this show about 4 years ago and got a lead that led to the purchase of our property in West Virginia.

    Now we are the very happy owners of a Blowing Rock II, which was delivered about 3 weeks ago to our site, and is now almost ready for us to enjoy. Neither of us is handy, so we were looking for a company that could produce a log cabin at an affordable price. We hit the jackpot with Blue Ridge. Awesome people that have made the entire process worry-free, and the houses they construct are top notch.
    We have been to Campobello twice, and highly recommend that you visit and take advantage of the seminars they offer. And you can tour the model homes to see the quality.
    Here is a link to a website that shows some of our pictures - feel free to contact me if you have more questions from someone who has been through the log home process with Blue Ridge. http://www.loghomeu.com/profile/PaulaSandridge

    Best of luck in your plans for a log home!
    a
    Paula

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  4. Where's the video? I was hoping to see what this show was like.

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  5. Hi Donna, I followed you on your original Lily Pad series, and just got on Delphi RV/Motorcycle Forums and 3 Wheels too. I see that you and Stu are having a great time! It's good to find Old Friends. And, Small World for sure. I read your Blog about your Log Home Adventure and immediatly thought that I would hook you up with my sister Paula Sandridge as she and her hubby are new owners and thrilled with their Log Home Company Blue Ridge. I see from above that she replied to you earlier. What a way to start a day with morning my morning coffee!!!
    For 3 years, my Husband Doug and I have been retired in South Atlanta. We don't have the optimum combination to Ride and Camp at the same time, but maybe one day. We have a new PoP Up Camper for Nascar and Mountain get-aways and we each have our own Bikes- Kawasaki 20000 and a my new 2010 Kaw 1700 Nomad that I'm still in the "bonding" process with mine. We will consider going to a Trike (s) in the Future so I'm on the 3 Wheels Forum also.

    I'll be following you on your several Blogs once again and talk to you in the Forums.
    Warm Regards
    Karen Owens

    ReplyDelete

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