Thursday, October 28, 2010

Up date on Mckay Hochstetler log home building process in North Dakota

waiting for log siding


Job site

early morning start, pretty silhouette

Front view dormer openings not on yet

Garage roof completed breezeway roof next

walk out basement back of house


interior beam roof system tongue and groove ceiling
walk out basement first  floor walls stacked and framed  


It is true that the recession is still felt by many in the building trades. However something is happening in North Dakota , where I am presently building where there is both a building and housing shortage.the homeowners have put us up in their basement as hotel space is not available or so costly it would price us out.
"The mayor says a few long-time local residents left town because they couldn't afford to stay when rent tripled. Oil workers make enough to push rent costs higher. " High rents, revenues as oil boom ripples through North Dakota by Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Rad




KILLDEER, N.D.—A massive oil reserve buried two miles underground has put North Dakota at the center of a revolution in the U.S. oil industry, a shift that has radically altered the fortunes of this remote area. BEN CASSELMAN read full article here.

And it is remote, take a look at the images of where we are building.



very nice large piers for the sun room


corner where jacuzzi tube will be , wont that be nice!

 note how window does not have it cut out , done to avoid wasting material

This will be chained sawed into the door opening breeze from garage going into house

On day 9 the semi truck comes again and we unload the beam roof system. As you can see , having a forklift on location is a must. It is frequent that multiple deliveries are involved while building your log home.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Wallace Hochstetler home in North Dakota

The very much appreciated tradition started by Patriot log home builders of having the home owner be video taped while setting the first log of the log stack is shown here with Sue Wallace. She sure does a great job. This is harder than it what she makes it look.

and here we have the progress of the first day setting the log stack. I am with my son and nephew, it is a family affair. Note the high winds and location. we were anxious to start the job as soon as we could to avoid the harsh winters and wind chill of the state.



you can veiw many more viedos at my channel at youtube here

Log Cabin Days in Ohio for Hochsetler Milling





LOG CABIN DAYS in Ohio at the 
AMISH Hochsetler Mill
Well worth while visit 
Hochsetler Mill in Ohio
Amish covered wagon.

Horse and Amish buggy at Log Cabin Days


 As we know I have built my fair share for this company and it is one of the best log products  out there for   quality , price and ease to both the homeowner and the builder. Hochsetler puts on a LOG CABIN DAYS every year ,yet I never attended. However ,when I learned that the next home I would be building was a Hochseter for the Wallace couple  in North Dakota, I discovered  from the sales rep Mike O'Neal, that he had arranged to have the very logs that I would be using to build their home , milled for their demonstration !I  dedicated myself to attending the exciting event. I thought how exciting it would be to see the logs from the beginning steps on veido threw the entire process. I was right. Although the videos are noisy it is a first hand look at something that is usually not seen.
Amish log Milling machine which is seen in video.
Logs ready to ship


HOMEMADE DELICACIES   TO CHOOSE FROM AT LOG CABIN DAYS
Apple butter making at Log Cabin Days find Amish recipes here

Amish women Roasting  a tasty marshmallow


Amish making homemade ice cream, which was delicious !


The "fruit" of the Amish labor... creamy chocolate ice cream....yummy!
 

This video shows how the AMISH of Hochsetler in Ohio put the RUSTIC LOOK on the logs . It is a fairly simple technique involving plenty of elbow grease and a sharp tool which is very much like a hammer with a sharp claw.




Amish at Log Cabin Days in Ohio 

Allot of interesting activities to see
and watch or participate in!

Artists creating lovely wood cravings.Here we see an American Indian and old man . 

 Folks could watch builders doing a log stack. This home was raffled out at LOG CABIN DAYS!
Axe throwing competition at LOG CABIN DAYS!




In this third video you can see right inside the factory and see the giant machine that is used   where the 8 x8 logs go into to be milled.


a
Four Amish women taking a rest at LOG CABIN DAYS in OHIO

Amish family takes a a break from the heat and crowd

Amish women rushes with her cup of coffee




rare shot of  AMISH father and child



SIKKENS stain vendor available for asking questions.