Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Discovered new log home company

Grizzly log homes



Mike HOmpertz, during his morning coffee, often surfs Craigs List  looking for whats new, during his travels he cam across Grizzly log homes  ad HOME OF THE  $10,000 log home kit!. What he found was exciting, this seems to be a new budding company out of Tennessee who has the primary purpose of selling affordable log home kits with out the frills. It is ideal for homeowners who have the adventure and skill, to do some of the building themselves.  Never hearing of them before , he called 1-888-261-9884 and spoke with Eric where he learned that the owner was rigorously searching for failing mills/log home companies to acquire with the intent to keep them up and running. Grizzy log homes has  a rather altruistic  approach to this companies philosophy...In there welcome statement it reads

 
"Our company was created to bring jobs back to our rural community"
 
Appalachian mountains
In about us it states
"Our company is your best source for professional, value driven low cost service. 

We cut the logs,  We mill the logs.  We sell the logs.  

You save the money!

There is no reason your dream home should be out of reach.  

2 reasons we exist (besides God's grace); 

1. Affordable housing.

2. Help the Appalachian economy.

We can set a home on your property for what others just sell the logs.

Pick on of our plans, or design your own.  We want to be part of building your dream1-888-261-9884


and futher on we read:
  " These homes should be around for your grandchildren.  Our society is changing & with the current economic climate, this allows you to have more home for less money, &..." this statement Mike found particularly to his liking and beliefs " control debt instead of debt controlling you!"
 
apparently Grizzly log homes specializes in Tulip polar
Tulip Poplar 
We specialize in Tulip Poplar logs which are perfect for log homes.  These are not a poplar log but tulip poplar log.  Tulip poplars are weather resistant, & termite resistant.  The Indians used these trees for canoes.  Pioneers preferred these logs to other logs for homes.  In fact they were exported to Europe because they were recognized as a superior log. 

The tulip tree is the state tree  of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
It is native to eastern North America from Southern   Ontario and Illinois eastward across southern New England and south to central Florida and Louisiana. It can grow to more than 50 m (165 feet) in virgin cove forests of the Appalachian Mountains, often with no limbs until it reaches 25–30 m (80–100 feet) in height, making it a very valuable timber tree. It is fast-growing, without the common problems of weak wood strength and short lifespan often seen in fast-growing species.(thank you Wikipedia-liriodendron)



I learned that it is not an actual poplar, the Tulip Poplar but a member of the magnolia family. The  name is derived from the greenish-yellow tulip-like flowers that bloom spring. (Also, the leaves look like silhouettes of a tulip ) . Seeds are eaten by  birds and small animals, but aren't great favorites of any, except  cardinals. Once the seeds are blown away or devoured, the cones remain throughout the winter.




Tulip Poplar wood was  used by American pioneers and they last ! This log home  is from the 1830s and still standing! This is
Dog Trot House - A double pen log house separated by an open passage way covered by a single roof.


Finding this log home company has given Mike a new perspective on the value of poplar as a viable wood for log home building.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Stained Glass Mosaic Technique










From White Bear Studios
Beautiful Stained Glass Mosaic

The Solar Max








It only makes sense that any stained glass artist would end up with years of accumulation of beautiful glass. And I put this glass to good use.
Almost six feet tall all said and told. Okay more like five eight:)

Some design work straight onto the shower door, a couple of tubes (well more like twelve) of silicone glue, and an assortment of glass. If the pieces of glass are too large I particularly enjoy throwing them on the studio floor for the perfect chaos design. Or get a glass cutter from any stained glass shop and some hardware store sells them too. Scoring glass is easy... you just drag the cutter across it until a line forms and them tap it and it will break along the score. More details on this on the net or email me. Once you have scored the glass it has to be tapped and be broken right then because it will "heal itself if you don't Other pieces I custom cut very carefully with the diamond band-saw.( It doesn't hurt to have some really heavy duty sandpaper on hand to smooth off the rough edges on the glass, it makes it safer to work with.) 
 
After a while though you just get a feel for it and almost never get cut. The combination of the two is very inspiring to me. Just draw your design onto the side of the glass you will not be gluing onto, it washes off easily when you are finished with the piece.







Spread the glue evenly onto the piece of glass you want to seal down.Then after all the pieces of glass are sealed into place on the shower doors, or clear piece of glass or whatever (f you buy a clear sheet of glass ask for double strength) the glue needs to cure for at least 24 hours (desert time.) Then there's a bit of fuss and muss with a single edged razor which involves getting stray glue from in between the pieces. 
This will be important later when it comes time to grout. Grouting just ain't no big deal at all, you just slop it on nice and liberal, it looks a terrible mess at first but just make sure you have plenty of grout between the pieces of glass and that it feels smooth to the touch.

I prefer to do all my work barehanded as this is the only way I can really feel where I am on the piece. I have never cut myself doing this but you do have to be a little careful. Once the grout is really just all over the place you can smooth off the excess with your fingers. After about another 24 hours, again we're talking desert humidity which is usually zero, you can start to wash the piece down with rags soaked in water. This takes a bit of patience but not to worry, the grout will not stick to your glass and can always be dealt with one way or another. In the end if you are a real perfectionist anur glass has fissures or tiny cracks (and it all does) that have picked up some grout you can get those out with a small sharp tool. Just be careful not to scratch the glass. I use my fingernails more often than not. As the final step to this part after another couple of days of good drying time wash the whole thing down again and scrub with a soft brush. At this point it will probably be perfect but of course you have been staring at it for so long you will see every tiny flaw so\allow one more day of picking and preening:)

The grout can be painted any colour you want. I have experimented with this quite a lot. Starting with white grout you will find that any quality ACRYLIC paint will create an intense colour effect. (Only paint the grout after it is completely dry.) Of course they do sell special grout colour for triple the price and it sucks. Just get the acrylic, it works much better. This would be one of the final steps of the piece, painting the grout is easy because once again no worries as to how you go about it, any acrylic that gets on the glass will not permanently adhere. However if you do leave it all a mess overnight the acrylic will be more difficult to get off the glass, so again we use the one hour rule of thumb for drying.

If you live in Florida take a vacation to the Bahamas and check back later when you get around to it. No seriously in humid climates if you are keeping the piece in a dry area somewhere indoors just triple the drying time. Check it with your fingers, if it feels wet it is not dry...lol.

Oh and I was saying, I have tried just about every colour and black is by far the more beautiful and adds to the stained glass effect. Black is just best, it grounds the piece, the glass in the piece of course does all the work really with light and reflection and general dazzling display. The grout is only there to provide a frame of reference and I have found coloured grout to distract from that.

If you are creating your mosaic to be outdoors as I was, just for safety's sake I put four coats of marine varathane top and bottom on that sucker. After all that work I didn't want anything going wrong, and marine varathane (available at any hardware store) is the good stuff.

My particular piece survived some pretty knarly desert hail. Now in Missouri it has survived hail, tornadoes, earthquakes, and fall pecan missles;)

Decorate your log Home with stained glass






BRING COLOR THERAPY INTO YOUR LOG HOME WITH STAINED GLASS

Remember spiders in the home bring good luck


With all the wood in a log home we here at Patriot Log Home Builders have seen first hand how simply adding one or two stain glass pieces to your windows can enhance your living enjoyment.  

In addition, to the beauty, the color has added emotional and psychical healing benefits.  


"Everything is made up of electromagnetic energy vibrating at different frequencies that correspond to sound, light and color. We are drawn to the colors needed to create balance in our lives, the goal in all healing. Colors attract ... certain clothing and accessories, colors in our homes, and even the foods we eat.
Colors are frequency wavelengths that we connect with based on grid (matrix) attraction. Primary colors following a spectrum called ROYGBIV or the rainbow spectrum."
 Learn more about color at Crstalinks.com


Can you see this in one of your windows in your log home? 
The owners of White Bear Studios are personal and trusted friends of Mike Hompertz and his wife, Catherine Reinke. They met many years ago in Sedona Arizona , living together for a spell, blended their two families, the Hompertz family, two girls became fast friends with the  White bear female cubs and they enjoyed two memorable years , creating, drumming , dancing , dining and exploring alternative health , lifestyle and UFO Phenomenon that is so indicative of The wonders of Sedona Arizona. 

These Trees are fine examples of the workmanship that the artists create which would be wonderful in any log home.
 

Computer art of Victoria from white Bear Studio in the style of Maxfield Parrish


Click here to have a custom order created just for you. This is the shop that my wife owns and operates
Who Are White Bear Studios?

White Bear Studios is based in a swampy corner of Southeast Missouri. From our little white house we can look across the Mighty Mississippi River. In the Summer it is humid and in the Winter it can get bitterly cold, but we call it home. It's a far cry from the high desert of Northern Arizona, the place where we originally set out to make beautiful and energetic artwork. Things have come a long way since the Sedona days, but as in all artistic people we still have that calling to...

CREATE

Creativity drives many people, and we are no exception. In fact holding back a creative person can have all kinds of negative effects. The art will find a way out somehow. The Studio has been in flux for several years but now we have become focused on creating some new pieces and trying some new things so that creativity can be released again. It's an exciting process.


Prefect for the bathroom

Article written by

Thanks for stopping by, and we hope you find something which interests you artistically at White Bear Studios. Maybe someday we can exchange stories. Perhaps you would like to tell us about something you've always wanted created but weren't sure how to go about it. Possibly you could put our talents to work creating that artwork you still dream of.

Friday, January 14, 2011

On site consultation

PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION



Need help ?
Want to stack your own logs? 
Want to cut building costs? 
$500 daily-3 day min.

Benefits of consultation:

What Patriot Log Home Builders provides:  
  • Supplies for stacking , cutting,securing ,fastening, lagging, bolting   drilling,  logs during log stack are provided
  • Instruction and tools for drilling of electric outlets
  • Notching beams

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Log Home Dealer Directory


COMING SOON -THIS PAGE IS A 
WORK IN PROCESS




Patriot Log Home Builders brings you A LOG HOME DIRECTORY 





What is a hand hewn log home

THE MOST RUSTIC LOOK-hand hewn 


The beauty of hand worked logs and natural stone cant be beat

Q and A 
by: C.Reinke 
Log Home Building Information
  • Is it more expensive? Yes
  • If so Why?Lets just say, generally speaking, when they are hand hewed, it is almost like building the log structure twice. 
  • What does that mean? Because to properly fit the logs and form them together, you want to set it up there, each log up, and scribe them with a pencil above and below and each butt end to form each log to each other.  At this point , you take the log down, and hand hewed  all the lead lines off, up to where you scribed the lines. So it has a flow, as to leaving big rustic edges and knots.
  • Does this take more time? In a milled log home , every log is already milled to fit each one, so there is no scribing and then taking it down and hand hewing. 
  • What tools are involved? A hew knife is a two handle craving knife, which you pull towards you.


  • Is it hard to use, does it require skill? It first of all must be very sharp, and yes it takes an element of skill and definitely strength, and some endurance . Like going threw knots.
  • Is this method done much any more? There are a few craftsmen left.
  • Why is not used anymore? Well it is becoming a lost art and the experience from it taking so much longer.
  • Are there any befits over a factory milled to hand hewn, why would any one choose this? Because a hand hewen custom crafted log home , definitely looks very different than a milled log home. It is strictly up to the eye of the beholder, what look they are trying to achieve. Some people really like the rustic look.
  • Do you? Would I put up some of my rustic log homes over a milled log home? Do doubt.  Atheistically I feel it is superior. The only thing that would deter me is the cost and or time.

Rustic log home, I built where the movie On  Golden Pond was filmed. State of New Hampshire, Squam Lake
  • Are you saying that because you personally like the look of a rustic log home, or are there other features, such as quality involved? Well you have the consistency from a milled log home, easier sealing  than what you can get from a hand hewed home. I have to admit I am one of those who really appreciates the rustic look. I did start with rustic hand hewn homes and this probably plays into it.
  • Do you still do rustic hand hewn homes? I haven't done one in years, it is just not very common any more, but would I , absolutely.   
  • What is the comparison to your building costs of a milled home to what you might charge for hand hewn? Apples to apples, same floor plan, and species of wood,I would charge $35.00 on outside perimeter/lineal foot on the log erection.
  • Why does species of wood matter? Typical hand hewed logs are white cedar. If you gave me a hardwood, such as oak, that would cost more, and is not practical.
  • Why do they use Northern White cedar? It is a softer wood and easier to hand hew. It also has the highest insulation wood value. 
  • Would you build a hand hewed home? Yes, I find both rustic and milled gorgeous, I love log homes. Also It would depend on location, some places really merits a rustic log home, I would build a milled log home in town, where as I would not a rustic log home.
  •  I heard of rustic look , milled log home , what is that? It is when they take a milled log and take a tool that is like a form of a hatchet or craving and putting that look on it. Really they hack the log...by putting the marks on the exterior of the log,see my video showing how this is done at the Hochstetler mill.  
 Milled log in the  Hochsetler mill, where you can see Joe Hochstetler putting a hand hewed look on prepared logs.

 

    I personally love the look of a hand hewn log home.I  recently found these pictures in my file box . As I said I have been building for at least 20 years, and these pictures bear that statement out, back before my hair turned its stately gray!
    I have been thinking lately that so many people, with the internet can say, hey I have all this experience and therefore you can trust me to build your home. For instance, the fact that I was invited to extreme home make over. Really couldn't any fraud or desperate man/individual make statements like these on a blog, over the phone or what not.What proof do you have that it is or is not true? In my building career I have encountered my fair share of characters...I remember the pathological liars, cheats and extreme exaggerators, none of which I am. but how can you as a homeowner know? Well I think that posting my work on line for you to see if pretty effective.
    Mike Hompertz and Jim Boardman

    I have oodles of pictures! All in boxes and not in digital format. I scanned these images for you...they were taken back in the 1980s! I will continue to scan my older work. It is my portfolio after all. I hope you enjoy these images, I sure loved working on this log home.


    Mike Hompertz in Wisconsin working on a hand hewn log home








    Great wood log home hand hewn built by Patriot Log home builders . Home with front prow in New Richman Wisconsin
    Back of Great woods log home showing hand hewn logs built by patriot log home builders

    This was many years ago, we love building without shirts on.


    Friday, January 7, 2011

    Contact Mike with Questions

    Mike Hompertz of Patriot Log Home Builders

    Builder Apprentice Program

    This page is currently under construction , program not in place.
    LOG HOME  Level 1-log stack
    BUILDER APPRENTICE PROGRAM

    Wanting to learn how to build a log Home? Patriot log home builders offers an unique opportunity to men who desire to learn a trade . A three level program. First level log stack instruction, once certificate is awarded and desire is ongoing,participant   may enter into level three and progress to the last and final of  Roof framing .

    You will 
    • Learn how to stack  full logs
    • Receive room and board as compensation
    • Have video produced of you stacking logs 
    • Receive  the youtube link /embed code for  your resume/site and to share with friends and family
    • Have the opportunity to advance to next level program of instruction
    • Receive certificate of completion , hard and digital copy for web site



    © 2010 Patriot Log Home Builders






    Testimonials from Happy homeowners

    Log Home Builder Mike Hompertz leaves 
    happy homeowners  



    In many ways, I do not believe that much in  testimonials. However, I have had a few requests and I am providing what I have thus far. The I    phone application My Log Home Dream   that I am involved in , at ground level, feels they are important, so I am addressing the issue.  I do not ask for any thing formal from my homeowners ,such as a testimonial.  I do not leave a job unless my homeowner is satisfied and happy. I have, always thought that having them write up a letter can just be an added burden to the homeowner at an already very busy time. Building a home is allot of work, sometimes stressful and the process can be both exasperating and exciting.

    I have however received unsolicited cards, notes , and facebook messages which are provided below.

    The quotes that I provided are facsimiles from my recollection of previous homeowners. I hope they are helpful and are intended to give you a sense of how the homeowner felt, during and when I left the job site.

    I am thinking of asking the homeowner of the job I am working with , if I can provide their phone number for a limited period so folks like you could call them and hear first hand what they think of my building ethic and quality workmanship. 



    Thank you card from Jack and Pauline Deraway of Ohio, this home was featured in Log Home Design Ideas

    Christmas card from Jean and Mary  with their Ward Log home built by Patriot Log Home builders


    Direct/Recreated happy homeowner quotes


    Steve Miller built a Hochstetler Log Home, recently invited to visit now that the home is finished 


    "Mike, please feel free to show my home if you ever want to , 
    for future people who might want one of their own"

    "Every time I stand in my home or look out my window, with the fireplace glowing, 
    I get teary eyed, I cant believe  this house is mine".  


    Sue Wallace  built a Hochstetler Log Home (She put down the first log and is on our you tube site)    wrote an email to me after her home was completed

    "....our door is always open to you and your family for the sacrifices it makes for other peoples dreams. Reilly [Grand daughter] misses you."  

    " Looks really nice Mike, love the spindles and rails. We have lots of work ahead of us but hopefully it will come together. really getting to know you, Jeremy and Mike Jr. tell them hi and everyone is welcome here any time. Merry Christmas , Keep in touch."


    Monday, January 3, 2011

    Log Home Company photo portfolio

    Photographs spanning 20 years 
    of log homes building
    from 12  log Home Companies 
    Mike Hompertz 
    (Patriot Log Home builders)






     Log     Home   COMPANY   photo   Portfolio 


    • KATAHDIN LOG HOMES
    • KUHN BROTHERS LOG HOMES
    • WARD CEDAR LOG HOMES
     
    Log home builder-Mike Hompertz Ward cedar log home built in Illinois 
    • HOCHSTETLER MILLING








    built in North Dakota


    • ORIGINAL LOG HOMES












    •  PRIVATE MILL -HAND CARVED



    • OLD TIMER LOG HOMES
    LOG HOME BUILDER Mike Hompertz 6x12 full log home by Old Timer log home

    
    • LOG BUILDERS OF AMERICA 
    Log Home builder-Mike HOmpertz built for LOG BUILDERS OF AMERICA in West Virginia

    • GREAT WOOD
    
     
    Log Home Builder-Mike Hompertz hand hewed log home by GREATWOODS built in Wisconsin front view
    • JIM BARNA

    Log home builder-Mike HOmpertz-Jim Barna Log Home in Illinois 







    JIm Barna large showing  window mullins
    Log Home Builder-Mike Hompertz full log ranch in Wisconsin 
    • GOLDEN EAGLE




    Log Home Builder-Mike Hompertz Interior finished 4000+sq. ft. Golden Eagle Log Home
    I worked on approximately 5 logs homes , attended and am certified as a builder for Golden Eagle Log Homes. This company presents itself as a one shop stop. To read my experiences, opinions and insights on this company read here. (coming soon)
    • HIAWATHA









    Company link directory  (coming soon)

    1. Hochstetler Milling
    2. Ward cedar Log Homes
    3. Original log homes
    4.  Old Timer
    5. Kathadin 
    6. Kuhns Brothers
    7. Jim Barna
    8. Hawatha log homes 
    9. Greatwoods Log homes 
    10. Private Mill
    11. Golden Eagle
    12. Log Builders of America/Nature built