Honest Abe Living March-April 2016

March-April 2015

March-April 2016

Dream Comes True at 92 Tips for Home Project Budgeting

Sleep in a Log Home

Tree Selection in Design

Our People March-April 2016

In this issue...

Dream Comes True, p. 4 Melissa Watson has joined Honest Abe at the Cookeville, Tenn., Model Home. In addition to assisting customers with home purchases, Melissa is responsible for communication at the sales office.

Budgeting for New Home, p. 7 Comparison Quotes, p. 7 Sleep in a Log Home, p. 8 Tree Selection in Design, p. 9 Cooking with Lodge, p. 10 Log Raising, p. 11 Honest Abe Living editing, design and layout by Claudia Johnson

Wayne Brady serves Honest Abe customers from the Crossville Model Home Center with more than 25 years experience in log home sales, design and project management.

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.

www.honestabe.com

Twitter – Articles, resources, photo galleries and log home news, all shared here first.

David Mathis is an Honest Abe Sales Representative at the Murfreesboro Model Home.

His experience in sales and log home construction assists clients in one of the fastest growing areas of the country.

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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.

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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 March-April 2016

From the President’s Desk

by Josh Beasley, President, Honest Abe Log Homes In my time here at Honest Abe, we’ve never had a log raising event snowed-out or cancelled. That record was threatened in January when winter weather brought around 14” of snow to our area. The hills and highways of Tennessee are just not suited for that amount of snow!

Each time we hold a log raising, people come from all over the United States, so we felt it was important to be as dedicated to them, as they are to us. Several employees here at Honest Abe made it in, and thankfully we had a handful of log home enthusiasts make it as well. We joked about the weather and how we must all be crazy about log homes to show up. Then we proceeded to our demonstration.

I say all of that to encourage everyone to book early for our next log raising event on April 30. In January, we had enough reservations for it to be the best-attended log raising ever. Due to the weather, we had the smallest crowd ever recorded. That means our April event has the potential to be huge!

We are also very mindful to protect what has made the event so valuable to our clients. The ability to ask questions and spend one-on-one time with our staff is critical. The opportunity to see the products, understand

how they go together and how it all comes together to create a beautiful log or timber frame home is the goal of the whole event. Our desire it to provide the best possible experience for our guests.

If we have enough people RSVP, we may look at hosting another log raising in the afternoon on April 29.

For those traveling from outside of the region, Tennessee is beautiful during April. It could be a great opportunity to attend early and spend time over the weekend exploring Tennessee.

So remember, contact a representative or give Brenda Meadows a call at 800-231-3695 to confirm your attendance early!

Honest Abe National Headquarters, January 2016

April 30, 9 a.m.-Noon

Log Raising

Honest Abe National Headquarters

Families Welcome Lunch Served Indoor Event Registration Required

800-231-3695 HonestAbe.com

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Honest Abe Living March-April 2016

Dream Comes True at 92

by Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Marketing

At age 91 most people would be reluctant to launch a major project of any kind, let alone construction of a custom designed log home. But then most people aren’t Jim Garnett.

“He is a man that I will always cherish getting to know and work with on this house,” said Honest Abe Log Home dealer Mike Duncan, co-owner with Joe Workman of Fiddlebow Log Homes, builders of the Garnett home last year. “He’s a remarkable man now 92 years old and more active than most people 20 to 30 years younger.”

For instance, this unstoppable nonagenarian spent many days preparing for his November move-in by cutting ricks and ricks of firewood. He also scoured the area for the perfect rocks to enhance his floor-to-ceiling fireplace.

“Look at these,” Garnett said, picking up a variety of interesting stones from a pile of his favorites. “I think that working these into the manufactured stone will give the fireplace a three-dimensional look.”

Duncan said that Garnett was actively involved in each detail of design and construction. The approximately 1,500 square foot home is situated on a one-acre wooded lot attached to a Dalton, Kentucky, 240acre farm owned by Bob and Eva Daves Tucker.

“Jim was partially raised by Eva’s family so he considers her like his sister,” Duncan explained, adding, “Both Jim and Eva were involved in the home design.”

The new log home is Garnett’s sixth custom house. Following his service in World War II, his 37-year career in the coal industry carried him and wife Mary, who passed away in autumn 2014, to numerous locations during their 67-year marriage.

Involved in all aspects of his log home’ s design and construction, Jim Garnett collected stones from his property to add interest to his fireplace and chimney.

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Honest Abe Living March-April 2016

“Every time I transferred we sold a house and built a house,” he said. “She always oversaw building of the houses.

This is the first one I’ve ever undertaken without her.”

Garnett said that after Mary’s passing the time seemed right to move from the Midwest to Kentucky, where, as a small child, he was taken in by Eva’s parents when the infirmity of the grandmother who was raising him threatened to leave him homeless. The Daves family provided Garnett with security, love and a place to call home more than 80 years ago, and in 2015 Eva asked him what it would take to bring him back to his home community .

“I said if I had a log cabin in the corner of the woods, I just might do it,” he laughed. “So Eva said she knew a man who builds log cabins.”

That man was Mike Duncan, who, like Eva, is a former educator. With a decade of building Honest Abe Log Homes in the southern Kentucky region, Duncan and Joe Workman were quickly able to help Garnett, who admitted he’s always wanted a log home, to launch his dream.

“They brought an Honest Abe catalog, and I started thumbing though it,” Garnett recalled. “I saw this Raleigh plan and said ‘hey, I like that front porch,’ and that started it.

We just built from there.”

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The Garnett home front, above, features a full-length, wide front porch, a full basement with a two-car garage and work room, geothermal heating, a wood-burning fireplace and interior wood paneling. The back porch was fashioned from construction scraps by contractor and Honest Abe dealer Joe Workman, who along with partner Mike Duncan, worked with Mr. Garnett and Honest Abe designer Melissa Copas to customize Honest Abe’s Raleigh plan.

Honest Abe Living March-April 2016

Workman, a former coal mine supervisor, handled all the construction duties, and in time, he and Garnett discovered they had worked for the same coal company, adding another layer of comfort to the project.

An experienced contractor with a goal of maximizing his clients’ resources, Workman saved every piece of unused interior siding or “scraps” of exterior logs. He used the siding to line all pantries and closets and the extra timbers to craft a covered porch over the back entrance.

The custom plan drawn by veteran Honest Abe Log Homes designer Melissa Copas Joe Workman features round logs, a shingle roof, interior log siding and a geothermal heating system. There are three bedrooms, but Garnett commandeered one as an office. The full basement has a double car garage and a large workroom.

A partial wall separates the living room from an open kitchen and dining room. Throughout construction, a large circle was drawn on the dining room floor and a rectangle drawn in a light-flooded alcove.

“That’s where my grandmother’s table and china cabinet will go,” Gannet said, referring to the woman who would have raised him if life had worked out differently.

“We designed this room so those pieces would fit exactly.”

Once a tiny, homeless boy, Garnett seemed to find Jim Garnett said he was very pleased with his choice of Superior Walls for his basement. The stain used was Perma-Chink’s Golden Oak, places where he fit exactly – with Eva’s family, in service to which Garnett said gave the Honest Abe D-logs the patina he had his country, in a fulfilling career, in a loving marriage and envisioned. He was particularly excited about the metal garage doors that look like wood and match the rustic feel of the all-wood home. now in a home warmed by wood he cut himself.

The Garnett home’s open living area design allows for flow of heat from the fireplace throughout the living room, kitchen and dining area. The table, chairs and buffet, left, are cherished family heirlooms once belonging to Jim Garnett’s grandmother.

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Honest Abe Living March-April 2016

Budgeting for a New Home Requires Balance To create an accurate budget for home construction that also considers future maintenance homebuyers must be willing to honestly answer some hard questions.

It’s true that these questions can seem overwhelming, but Honest Abe’s sales representatives have worked with hundreds of clients who have felt the same way. Together, they’ve found that answering these questions helped put a new home project on The Hard Questions a realistic course from the beginning, enabling • How much money are you willing to put into your new home? these customers to build their forever home.

• How much cash do you have available for a downpayment?

An important component of budget development • How much can you afford in monthly payments to cover the is understanding debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, amount you need to borrow? especially if a homebuyer requires a loan to complete the project.

• How much will the property taxes be on your finished home and To determine DTI ratio calculate all monthly land? financial obligations. These include house • How much homeowner’s insurance will you need to cover your payments, car loans, charge cards, etc. Divide the investment? total by the household’s monthly income. The final • How much can you set aside for routine home maintenance and number should not exceed 33-36 percent of the upkeep or non-covered emergencies? cost of a homebuilding project. Further, the total monthly house payment should not exceed 25 percent of the stable monthly income.

Honest Abe helps customers balance what they want with what they can afford. Call 800-231-3695 or email info@honestabe.com for help on a budget that turns a dream into a forever home.

Crossville Model Featured on Cover of March Log Home Living Honest Abe Log Homes’ Crossville Model Home is pictured on the cover of the March issue of Log Home Living, which features a story and an 8-page photo spread showcasing Honest Abe designer Michael Hix's award-winning Cambridge floor plan design.

"It's highly unusual for the sales model of a log home producer to even be considered for publication in a magazine," said Josh Beasley, President of Honest Abe Log Homes. "Having the Cambridge on the front cover of Log Home Living speaks to how innovative and beautiful the model and the Cambridge design really is."

Beasley said Honest Abe's Director of Marketing, Claudia Johnson, who is also a professional freelance writer, was tapped by Log Home Living editor Donna Peak to write the story.

"It may have been one of the tougher writing assignments Claudia has had in a while," Beasley observed. "The article couldn't become an ad for Honest Abe, so she had an incredible challenge to overcome in describing the home and its value to prospective home buyers. Her skill at navigating this path and painting a picture with words really shined through in this publication."

The March issue of Log Home Living is on sale at newsstands now. For more on the model, visit The Cambridge on Honest Abe's website.

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Honest Abe Living March-April 2016

Sleep in an Honest Abe Home this Summer Two cabins designed by Honest Abe are being made available for rent in 2016. Located in the Swan Ridge Lake Resort Development at Dale Hollow Lake near Celina, Tennessee, the two distinctively different homes offer wood home lovers the chance to enjoy the beauty of Tennessee’s most pristine lake while learning more about log home living. One home is a traditional chinked square-log home, while the other is a three-level pedestal house that features elements of timber frame construction and a rich wood interior.

Both homes sleep six and feature a kitchen with a dishwasher, a grill on the deck and satellite TV

Log Home Cabin 72

Log Home Cabin 24

For additional information about these rentals, visit www.mitchellcreekmarina or call 866.533.1842.

Tours of Honest Abe’s Manufacturing Mill can be arranged for guests upon request.

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Honest Abe Living March-April 2016

Trees Enhance Value and Beauty of Wood Homes

By Ethan Birdwell

"I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree." Most of us learned this poem as children, and as we've grown older, the truth of it has become more apparent. That's why it's important to think carefully before you begin clearing land and felling trees on and around your construction site. It takes decades, maybe centuries, for some trees to mature, but it takes only minutes for them to be destroyed.

If you are fortunate enough to have wooded property, take time to assess the types and health of the trees growing there. Which trees will provide shade from broiling summer heat or block a frosty winter wind?

Which turn brilliant colors in fall, painting your surrounding landscape?

Are there trees that provide habitats for songbirds or produce nuts or edible fruits or flowers? Do hardwoods grow that can be cut for craft or The Joyce family’s strategic selection of trees created a new home in the woods that appeared to have existed construction projects or even sold for revenue? for decades. For floor plans and more photos, visit In most states, the division of forestry provides free information and www.honestabe.com/photos/dovetail-d-log-homes/ even onsite assistance for determining which trees can be beneficial and joyce-residence-custom. which should be cut. Diseased trees as well as those not indigenous to the region should be removed. Even then, those could be cut and saved for firewood to burn in that magnificent stone fireplace in the new home.

Marking trees for saving, cutting or dozing as part of a master plan that is well designed and initiated long before construction begins can make a huge dierence in the beauty, value and livability of your home.

Trees are an integral part of the Wilson’s 20-acre homesite, which includes ponds, trails and several outdoor living areas. For more a bout this pr oper ty, visit www.honestabe.com/project/ wilson/.

Ethan Birdwell is a Sales Representative at the Honest Abe National Headquarters in Moss, Tenn.

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Honest Abe Living March-April 2016

Crusty Bacon and Cheese Bread 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling on dough and flouring hands 1 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt 1 1/4 c. water 1/4 tsp. instant yeast 1/2 lb. sliced bacon, cooked until crispy, drained, and crumbled or chopped 2 c. (8 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. With a rubber spatula, mix the 3 cups flour, salt, yeast, bacon, and cheese together until incorporated. Add the water and stir until completely incorporated. The dough should be evenly wet, with no dry spots. It will look a little “shaggy” and sticky. Cover and let sit on a counter at room temperature for 18 to 24 hours.

2. Uncover. Sprinkle the top of the dough with 3 tbsp. flour. Flour your hands well. Remove the dough from the container or bowl by scooping your hands underneath the dough and lifting it out.

The dough will be wet and soft. Make a ball with the dough by gently tucking the edges of the dough underneath while slightly turning it. Place the dough on a well-floured silicone baking mat or cotton kitchen towel, sprinkle the top of the dough ball lightly with flour, and cover with a cotton kitchen towel until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

3. After the dough has risen for about 1 hour, preheat a lidded 4 qt. cast iron Dutch oven to 440° in the oven. Make sure the pot is covered with the lid while preheating.

4. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven after 30 min. Remove the ball of dough from the bowl or towel and place it in the pot. Cover with the lid and bake for 30 min. Remove the lid and continue to bake until golden brown, about another 15 min.

5. Remove the loaf from the pot as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

With 200 recipes curated from Lodge's network of chefs and fans, 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 March-April 2016

Why it is beneficial to come to a log raising?

by Inez Price, Sales Representative, Honest Abe National Headquarters

It is a great opportunity to see, touch and absorb information about how Honest Abe Log Homes are built. The Log Raising starts from the design and goes through placement of the felt on the roof. Our guests ask questions and receive answers from our experienced staff – many of whom actually live in an Honest Abe Log Home. This allows guests to grasp the actual process of building a log or timber frame home. The demonstration helps each person visualize his or her own home under construction.

All products provided in the Honest Abe home package are discussed such as log screws, caulking, gaskets, doors, windows, porches, etc. Guests see how the logs are stacked and to hear the log screw being put into the log. Staff members explain where to use foam spray at the butt joints and how to drill for the electrical outlets on the logs.

The Log Raising is more than just building a small structure. It gives visitors time to meet with our professional staff from Design to Manufacturing. The Sales Team is available to help guests gather as much information as desired. Honest Abe also invites experts in other areas of interest such as financing, builder’s risk insurance and general contractors.

After lunch, guests board our FUN Bus for a short ride to the Manufacturing facility. Honest Abe’s leadership conduct a guided tour starting with how logs are loaded into the kiln. Guests enter the kiln to get a better understanding of the drying process. Then they are off to the milling process. Sometimes visitors get to watch a skilled craftsman hand hew logs.

During the tour, guests see and touch all of the wood species that are provided in their log or timber frame package.

The final step in the milling process is the notching and numbering of the logs for each customer’s specific order. Visitors will see where and how the logs are wrapped and stacked for the homeowner.

Learn More About Honest Abe at Events

Come to a Log Raising

Log & Timber Frame Show & University, April 15 17, Louisville, KY

Honest Abe Log Homes invites the public to visit its National Headquarters in Moss, Tenn., on Saturday, April 30, 2016, beginning at 9 a.m. to attend a Log Raising and Manufacturing Tour. Watch as members of the company build a small structure, showing and describing the process of building an Honest Abe Log Home.

Log Raising attendees will spend time with drafting professionals, manufacturing staff and new home consultants as they learn about how log cabins and timber frame homes are designed and created. Families are welcome.

A complimentary lunch will be served at noon, and afterwards a tour of the manufacturing facilities will be conducted.

The event is held in a climate controlled building on the Honest Abe Log Homes National Headquarters manufacturing complex on U.S. Hwy. 52, 10 miles west of Celina and approximately 25 miles east of Lafayette in the community of Moss, Tenn.

Additionally, Honest Abe has negotiated special rates with area lodging for Log Raising attendees. Get detailed information at http://www.honestabe.com/ event/log-home -raising-and-mill-tour/ where reservations are also made for the limited-seating event.

Call 1-800-231-3695 for additional information.

Honest Abe Log Home Raising and Mill Tour, April 30, Moss, TN Honest Abe Log Home Raising and Mill Tour, July 16, Moss, TN Honest Abe Log Home Raising and Mill Tour, Sept. 17, Moss, TN

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Honest Abe Living March-April 2016

First Floor

Second Floor

3,441 square feet 3 bedrooms 3 bathrooms

See this plan and many others at

www.honestabe.com

9995 Clay County Highway Moss, TN 38575

800-231-3695 info@honestabe.com