Your home has lots of personal touches ..... how did you go about getting it designed?

We think that any custom home is a combination of things that you see and put together. We found a plan we liked, expanded on it, changed it, drew it to scale, and then gave it to our builder. He reworked it a little bit to adapt it to the logs we chose.

What made you choose the "Logs Only" approach instead of going with a conventional kit?

After weeks of watching a kit house going up in our neighborhood we became convinced that this was the only way to go. We're very happy we made that decision. The one down the road was done by a reputable builder, but he had never built from a kit, and it took them forever.

Why did you end up choosing laminated logs ... and Glu-Lam-Log in particular?

We went to several different companies and got their literature, but once we met our builder (Mac McMinn) and saw some of the houses he had built with the logs, our minds were made up. The laminated logs were perfect -- if there is such a thing. They're stronger, straighter, you don't have any cracks and they shrink very little. Every one looks like furniture. They couldn't be more beautiful.

It sounds like your whole project went pretty smoothly and you got what you want. How do you explain that?

We truly believe that it's the result of finding a builder we liked and could work with; dealing with a company like Glu-Lam-Log that has fine products and good customer service; and taking the time to put our own special "brand" on the project.

What do you think of your home now that it is built and you're living in it?

In our area, we found that there is a stigma attached to logs. It's like a mind-set that a log home has to be rustic, dark, and not worth a great deal. We're changing that by building a home like this one. Whenever we're in this home we feel the warmth and serenity of the wood and the design. It's us ... and hopefully we can retire here.

You obviously had your design firmly in place... why a log home?

We've always liked the look of logs, the atmosphere. When we were ready to proceed, we met with several builders. It was important to us to have a local company build the home, someone we could deal with face to face. We saw the Glu-Lam-Log samples at Spring Custom Log Homes and knew this was the right choice for us.

Did you investigate a kit?

We did check out a few kits, but the whole thing would have to be redesigned to fit our plans. Mac (McMinn) translated our plan to the 'logs only' approach without any trouble.

Why solid cedar?

In the South, we battle both our humid climate and pests; cedar just seemed like a natural choice. The solid logs appealed to us... plus, we like the smell!

What are your thoughts now that the house is complete?

We've been in the house over a year now and honestly, there is not a single thing we would change.

Let's talk bottom line...

We worked on the house plans for a long time and we got exactly the house we wanted... at a price we could live with.