August 2011
Appalachian Inspiration Like so many log home enthusiasts, the Hickey’s plans and dreams of building their own log home started many years ago. “It was about a 15 year journey for us,” recalls Todd Hickey. “It was really my wife’s idea. We had thought about building a custom home, and one day Kim asked what I thought about building a log home.” It didn’t take Kim much convincing to get Todd on-board with the idea. The couple felt a natural connection, a link through their Appalachian heritage, to the idea of building a home made of logs. While they dreamed and planned, the couple located a five acre lot, only a few miles down the road from their rural home in Lascassas, Tennessee. “The land is in a subdivision, but every lot is at least 5 acres, so we really have a lot of privacy, but also still have neighbors we can depend on,” noted Todd. Not long after acquiring the land, the couple built a small pond and prepared the land in preparation for where their dream home would one day reside. The couple spent about five years of research before deciding to purchase their log home
from Dan Smith, salesperson at Honest Abe Log Home’s location in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. “Dan made us feel comfortable,” said Todd. “We researched other companies and found that Honest Abe would allow us to start on the construction ourselves, then we could have their builders come in to erect the logs and roofs. We could work with Honest Abe alone, and didn’t have to search for an experienced log builder, so that was a big plus.” Todd, who works in the field of light construction, knew he could save some money by working on certain portions of the home himself. The foundation and sub-floor systems are standard and much the same as any other home. “I had the sub-floor constructed and then one of Honest Abe’s crews came in to do their portion. We contracted with them to dry-in the home, and they had it complete in seven weeks.” With the logs up, roofs constructed and the doors and windows installed, the home was “driedin” from the weather. Once again, the Hickey’s took reign of the project, choosing to finish the construction themselves. Todd recalled, “We spent most of our nights, weekends and vacation time over the next