A Home for Raising a Family

A Home for Raising a Family

Designing a log or timber home for raising children is in some ways preparing for a home for retirement. Honest Abe’s sales professionals have prepared a list of suggestions to discuss with your sales representative as you begin designing your family home.Safety...
3D Virtual Tours of Honest Abe Model Homes

3D Virtual Tours of Honest Abe Model Homes

Honest Abe Log Homes is proud to present Matterport 3D virtual tours and interactive floor plans of our sales models in the Tennessee towns of Cookeville, Crossville and Murfreesboro.

Adding a She Shed

Adding a She Shed

A she shed can be a great addition to any backyard, providing a cozy and stylish space for relaxation, work, or creative pursuits. Honest Abe Log Homes loves designing these escape sanctuaries for our customers whether they are afterthoughts to an existing home or...
Play Yards for Your Home

Play Yards for Your Home

They’re only kids once. That’s what we say to remind ourselves how fleeting childhood was for us and how quickly it will pass for our children and grandchildren. It’s also the reason that some homeowners opt to create a home play yard, fenced in for...
Planning a Safe Room

Planning a Safe Room

With the current lack of stability in the world and the ever-changing weather patterns, more homeowners are including a safe room in their custom floor plans. A safe room, sometimes called a “panic room” or a “storm shelter,” is a fortified...
Walkout Basements are Popular with Log Home Owners

Walkout Basements are Popular with Log Home Owners

At Honest Abe we’re often asked about designing a basement for a client’s new log or timber frame home. One popular option is a walk-out basement. A walkout basement is a type of basement that is built partially above ground and includes one or more exits...
Is a Basement Right for Your Home?

Is a Basement Right for Your Home?

Basements may or may not be a part of a home plan for a log home or log cabin. There are cost and design elements to consider with the Honest Abe Log Homes design team to understand whether a basement makes sense for your home. Beyond the considerations of the land...
Designing a home for a Furry Friend

Designing a home for a Furry Friend

Four-Legged Love February is a month when everything focuses on love. Chocolates. Flowers. Romantic dinners on Valentine’s Day. There are so many ways people celebrate relationships with each other, However, there is a type of relationship that does not involve...
Spiral Staircase

Spiral Staircase

Spiral staircases, either wood or metal, are a popular choice for both residential and commercial buildings because of their compact size, stylish design and durability. WhenHonest Abe Log Homes decided to completely renovate its oldest model home, located in...
Cooking Like a Pioneer

Cooking Like a Pioneer

In honor of National Log Home Month, we’re looking back at how American pioneers, many of whom most likely lived in log homes, would have prepared meals. While there are many recipes that were popular among pioneers that would still be good today, cornbread was...
7 Tips for First-time Homeowners

7 Tips for First-time Homeowners

It’s important to do your research and be prepared before taking the leap into homeownership. Here are seven general tips for getting started on your plan. Don’t worry. At Honest Abe we are experienced in guiding new homeowners though this process along...
Cleaning Pet Stains from a Hardwood Floor

Cleaning Pet Stains from a Hardwood Floor

They are part of the family, but pets can be hard on hardwood floors! Below is a step-by-step guide for removing pet stains from hardwood floors from wood flooring experts. Honest Abe Log Homes encourages you to always test the cleaning on a small area before cleaning...
6 Tips for Planning a Kitchen for Growing Older

6 Tips for Planning a Kitchen for Growing Older

Honest Abe Log Homes builds “Forever Homes” for our customers. Over the years, we have worked with homeowners who are building retirement log cabins or timber frame homes. Designing kitchens that can remain safe and functional for aging requires some...
7 Tips for Designing a Garage for a Log Home

7 Tips for Designing a Garage for a Log Home

Garages are great for much more than storing your cars! The design team at Honest Abe Log Homes has some things you should consider as you plan the space and even the size of your log cabin’s garage.

8 Ideas for Designing a Bathroom for Aging in Place

8 Ideas for Designing a Bathroom for Aging in Place

Designing a bathroom that ensures you’ll have a safe and accessible log home is easy if you incorporate these ideas from the Honest Abe Log Homes team as you formulate your layout and choose your features. Install grab bars: Grab bars can provide support and...
Creative Ideas for Mantles

Creative Ideas for Mantles

Fireplace mantles often become focal points of the entire room. The textures, mounting, materials and the items that sit on them. Here are some creative ideas from some of Honest Abe Log Homes’ homeowners for mantels for fireplaces in log homes: Natural wood:...
Residential Disaster Preparedness

Residential Disaster Preparedness

Extreme inclement weather is happening with more frequency and much more devastating effects. And it is happening at a time when lots of people are now working remotely, making the home and office one and the same place. Some of the training that has traditionally...
How to Design a Beautiful Log Home Dining Area

How to Design a Beautiful Log Home Dining Area

In the past, log cabins were viewed as mountain retreats. However, nowadays, they’ve become a popular choice for a home, and it’s no wonder, given all the advantages of living in a log home that you can benefit from. They purify the air inside, are...
Top Additions to Make to Your Log Home

Top Additions to Make to Your Log Home

Whether you’re building a new log home or just remodeling an existing one, adding a few extra features will make your home even more stunning. This article prepared exclusively for Honest Abe Log Homes by Houzz outlines our favorite log home additions and...
Cabins in the Mountains

Cabins in the Mountains

Williams Clearbrook Mountain Home Cloud 9 Bedrooms Cabin Designed for Mountain Views WagonTrail Cabin A Home of Stone and Timber Emerges from the Cumberland Plateau Forest Tammy’s Place at Baskins Creek Unfettered Mountain Views Smith Mountain: Howlett Home...
What Type of Finish Does Your Floor Have?

What Type of Finish Does Your Floor Have?

One of the key bits of information for keeping hardwood floors shiny is knowing what type of finish has been applied to the wood. Was your hardwood sealed with a polyurethane or polyacrylic urethane finish, or was it finished with a paste wax? If you don’t know,...
What do you want your home to look like?

What do you want your home to look like?

People who love log homes and want a log home usually have an image in their minds of what that home should look like. They way the completed home’s exterior will look depends in great part on the profile used to shape the logs that will go into a custom Honest...
The Biggest Advantages of Living in a Log Cabin

The Biggest Advantages of Living in a Log Cabin

Many people think of log cabins as places for relaxation or entertainment, and many times they are designed just for this purpose. However, over the past 50 years instead of a log house just being a fun weekend cabin, they’ve emerged as a serious choice for a primary...
Be Our Guest – Designing Inviting Bedrooms

Be Our Guest – Designing Inviting Bedrooms

It is always fun to think about visitors coming but the ones who get to stay a few days and nights in your home are the best. Designing a space for your guests they will be comfortable in as they visit requires more than clean sheets and extra towels set out in the...
Water Needs of Farm Animals

Water Needs of Farm Animals

Securing adequate and safe water for livestock can be a challenge for homeowners who are building on remote land or land without obvious water sources. But it is also a mistake to assume that because there is a creek or natural pond that you have a solution. There are...
Inspiring Landscape Enhancement Ideas for a Log Home

Inspiring Landscape Enhancement Ideas for a Log Home

Homeowners have been drawn to the natural beauty of wood from time immemorial, with timber and log homes remaining in strong demand regardless of the prevailing trends in real estate and home design throughout the years.    If you are one of the many people...
Log Cabin Chinking Options and Benefits

Log Cabin Chinking Options and Benefits

WHAT IS LOG CABIN CHINKING? Chinking is the the flexible sealant used during your log home’s construction or maintenance to seal joins between the logs, gaps, holes and checking. Chinking fits between the imperfect joints of logs to ensure a “seal” from external...
2022 Design Trends

2022 Design Trends

Want to feel fresh this new year? Four tips with 2022 tops trends in mind. It is January, we have, for the most part gotten 2021 and all the Holidays and celebrations behind us. Now, as we look toward the future and what all 2022 has in store for us, but first we need...
Holiday Roomscapes

Holiday Roomscapes

Is there really such a thing as decorating wrong for the holidays?  Do you want your home to be picture worthy this holiday season? How can you make it more memorable for those gathered in your home for the holidays? Follow along as we discover ways to make your...
Home Finishes to Please the Senses

Home Finishes to Please the Senses

Color is a marvelous tool when it comes to finishing your log home, especially when picking the best log home finish for your home. Choosing the right colors can give your log and timber home a warm, traditional feel that brings about feelings of the frontier, surrounded by nature. Or, choosing the right colors can create a modern, welcoming log and timber home that mixes the classic log home with today’s design influence.

Pool Tables

Pool Tables

Years of Entertainment for Family & Friends by Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Log Homes Guests at this mountain top log chalet, above, by Honest Abe Log Homes can play pool on a classic slate table or enjoy a movie at the home theater and a drink at the bar. The...
Enjoy a Home Pool Safely

Enjoy a Home Pool Safely

Hello Spring! For those who own a pool one of the giant tasks of every spring is to get the pumps ready, clean the decks, scour the tiles, order the chemicals, wash the towels and blow up the floats! However, there are some rules that it is time to review with the...
Honest Abe Customers are Ahead of the Trends

Honest Abe Customers are Ahead of the Trends

After a year of learning to work, go to school and accommodate everyday life under one roof together, the world of home design is making home more friendly and more functional for all the demands of a busy lifestyle operating from one location. Some of the...
Enjoy a Home Pool Safely

Roof Covering Types

When you order your log or timber frame home package directly from Honest Abe Log Homes or one of its Independent Dealers, included in the package is the roofing system you select. These may be a heavy timber, a conventional rafter or a conventional truss...
Planning a Log Home Fireplace

Planning a Log Home Fireplace

Molly Cooper of Cooper & Co. Interior Design offers advice for planning a log home fireplace and presents a gallery below to show how several Honest Abe customers have designed their own fireplaces. Q. How do you determine the right fireplace size for the room or...
Debunking Common Home Heating Myths

Debunking Common Home Heating Myths

As a homeowner, you know heating is an essential (and often expensive) part of life. That’s why it’s only natural that you would pay attention to tips that could extend the life of your heating system and save you money. If there are ways to better care for and...
Bobby Goldsboro Painting

Bobby Goldsboro Painting

by Claudia Johnson Bobby Goldsboro is a true Renaissance man. He’s enjoyed a long career as an entertainer, composer, producer and publisher. Many people remember Goldsboro’s early 1970s television variety show or his string of 16 Top 40 hits, including “Honey,”...
Picture Perfect

Picture Perfect

What really goes on behind the scenes of a photo shoot… “Just imagine what the whole home must look like.” That is what all of us think to ourselves when we look at any home or decor magazine. The photos in the magazine show the most beautiful areas of a home,...
Choosing a Roof System

Choosing a Roof System

A home designed and manufactured by Honest Abe Log Homes can have a one of three types of roof systems or a combination of systems depending on what is desired by the homeowner. 

A Place for Mother

A Place for Mother

Honest Abe Log Homes customer, Denise, and her husband, Peter, changed their lives dramatically when they moved from Rhode Island to the Appalachian mountains of Upper East Tennessee in 2007. Denise’s mother, Rita, who is now 88 and pictured above, did not want to...
“Porchsitting” is Not Just a Hashtag

“Porchsitting” is Not Just a Hashtag

By Claudia Johnson The porch is an important element of a home’s design and functionality, but it’s also part of American culture. On social media porches have been honored with their own hashtag – #porchsitting. Dan Stevens, who played Matthew Crawley on...
6 Tips for Planning a Kitchen for Growing Older

Beautiful Wood Flooring

Really, what is more beautiful than a wood floor in any house but especially in a log or timber home? It actually is possible to have those floors you’ve dreamed about as you browse our galleries or read log home magazines.

Found Objects

Found Objects

Interior Designer Molly Cooper discusses how found objects can be repurposed for practical and interesting decor.

On-Demand Log Raising Series

On-Demand Log Raising Series

Honest Abe is hosting a series of free, on-demand, online log raisings beginning April 18. Each of the short videos will address one aspect of building a log home. The video series is free, but registration is required.

Creating a Modern Bathroom

Creating a Modern Bathroom

Honest Abe’s in-house designer Molly Cooper of Cooper & Co. shares her experience in creating a modern, multi-use bath/dressing room/closet suite for a pair of young homeowners.

How to research log and timber home companies

How to research log and timber home companies

The best way to determine which log or timber frame manufacturer is best for designing and milling your log cabin or timber frame project is to conduct your own research. Here are six tips for researching companies before you make a decision of a lifetime.

January Honest Abe Living Online Now

January Honest Abe Living Online Now

The first Honest Abe Living interactive magazine of the new decade is now available online at Honest Abe Living. In the January 2020 issue you’ll read an interview and peruse a photo gallery of a new, custom log cabin. Fulfilling a 30-year dream, the featured...
40 Anniversary Celebration

40 Anniversary Celebration

Honest Abe Log Homes celebrated its 40th anniversary on Oct. 18, 2019, at Acres of Grace Farms. Employees, retirees, business associates and their families joined Honest Abe’s owners Janie Smith, Shane and Leslie Smith and Nick and April Smith Patterson, for a...
Fireplaces…the must haves and have to haves

Fireplaces…the must haves and have to haves

Fireplaces are increasingly becoming a must-have for home buyers. Whether your home already has a fireplace or you’re looking to have one added into your space, it’s vital to know that there are different types to choose from. Whether you love an indoor...
Honest Abe Homeowners Featured in Two Publications

Honest Abe Homeowners Featured in Two Publications

  Nationally-distributed magazines featured the new houses of two customers of Honest Abe Log Homes in one month in 2019.   The Teslia timber frame in Fentress County, Tennessee, is featured in the Nov. 2019 Timber Home Living magazine in a 14-page spread....
Achieving the Perfect Interior Color

Achieving the Perfect Interior Color

Article Courtesy of Perma-Chink Systems   Sometimes we just want something unique; something that expresses our distinctive style. As you look through the standard Lifeline Interior™ or Lifeline Accents™ colors, it may instinctively appear that there are...
Loretta Lynn’s Ole Fashioned Apple Pie

Loretta Lynn’s Ole Fashioned Apple Pie

Winesap or any sour apple makes a better pie. Pie Filling Mix the following and put into the prepared crust. 5 or 6 apples, sliced thin 1 t. cinnamon 1 T. butter 2 T. all-purpose flour dash of ground nutmeg My Pie Crust (one top and one bottom) 2 1/2 c. all-purpose...
Five Employees Who Share Honest Abe’s History

Five Employees Who Share Honest Abe’s History

By Rick Denton As Honest Abe celebrates its 40th year of business, I can’t help but think of the people who have helped guide the company through the years. The five I want to concentrate on for this article are Jackie Cherry, Thomas Dulworth, Jimmy Scott, Anna...
Gaining Living Space

Gaining Living Space

How to gain more square footage with what you already have It is officially fall and with that we can finally get out of the house and enjoy the crisp air that the new season brings. Enjoying time outdoors, relaxing or entertaining, is one of my most favorite things,...
Commercial Structures

Commercial Structures

Log or Timber Frame construction makes durable, beautiful commercial buildings. Honest Abe Log Homes is not just a designer, manufacturer and builder of log and timber residential properties. Over the past 40 years, we’ve helped numerous organizations, governmental...
September 2019 issue of Honest Abe Living 

September 2019 issue of Honest Abe Living 

The September 2019 issue of Honest Abe Living showcases the homes of two couples who chose Honest Abe Log Homes to design and manufacture their log homes. One couple in Tennessee are finally home in the hills overlooking Center Hill Lake, having moved 11...
Seven Ideas for Creating a Dream Kitchen

Seven Ideas for Creating a Dream Kitchen

Seven Honest Abe Homeowners shared their ideas for creating the perfect kitchen. Read about them in the feature from Log Home Living and Timber Home Living.    
Why getting rid of clutter will make you less stressed

Why getting rid of clutter will make you less stressed

by Molly Hix Cooper, Cooper & Co Some call it organized chaos and some call it hoarding. I call it STRESSFUL! Clutter is faster at piling up than it is getting put away. Y’all, why for the love of clutter do we do it to ourselves? I pride myself in organization...
Honest Abe’s Early Success Boosted by Television

Honest Abe’s Early Success Boosted by Television

Ralph Emery Show Played Heavily in Honest Abe’s Early Success One of the early keys to Honest Abe’s success was such an advertising decision. Jim Smith wanted to advertise on “The Ralph Emery Show.” It was not cheap. It was going to cost a significant amount....
Honest Abe Components Enhance Traditional Home Remodel

Honest Abe Components Enhance Traditional Home Remodel

Heather Ross Stephens and her husband, Jarrett, recently purchased wood components from Honest Abe for a remodel of an existing home. They worked with Honest Abe Log Homes Sales Representative Inez Price, who works at the company’s National Headquarters in Moss,...
Take Charge of Your Water with a Rain Garden

Take Charge of Your Water with a Rain Garden

A Rain Garden is a landscape depression that can be filled with moisture-loving plants. Hidden beneath the pretty plants is a natural storm water treatment system that allows 30% more water to infiltrate into the ground. This reduces the amount of water from flowing...
New Log Lodge Open for Season at Holmes Bend

New Log Lodge Open for Season at Holmes Bend

By David L. Butler, Honest Abe Log Homes customer and owner and partner with Kelly Caldwell of Holmes Bend Marina and Resort and Holmes Bend Rentals We have been in the marina business here for many years. As part of our business we also have 12 log cabins and newly...
Summer 2019 Log Home Tour Features Five Log Homes

Summer 2019 Log Home Tour Features Five Log Homes

Five custom homes by Honest Abe Log Homes will be open to visitors at three locations on June 15 in the Rutherford County, Tennessee, area during the Honest Abe Log Homes Summer 2019 Tour, hosted by Murfreesboro Honest Abe Log Homes. Each of the homes was designed and...
Visit Rock Hill Road Farm During Summer Tour

Visit Rock Hill Road Farm During Summer Tour

Two custom of the five custom log homes by Honest Abe Log Homes that will be open to visitors as part of the Summer 2019 Log Home Tour on June 15 are at at Rock Hill Road Farm near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. One structure is an 835-square-foot log cabin, while the other...
The Swift Home, Williamsport, Tennessee

The Swift Home, Williamsport, Tennessee

Darlington B Plan Modified to Create Family Retreat Larry and Pam Swift completed their new 1,750-square-foot D-log cabin from Honest Abe Log Homes’ Darlington B plan in 2018 as a family escape from the city. The Swifts recently shared their journey though...
DIY – Achieving Your Perfect Interior Color

DIY – Achieving Your Perfect Interior Color

by Terry Knight, Knoxville Branch Manager, Perma-Chink Systems, Inc. Sometimes we just want something unique – something that expresses our distinctive style. As you look through Perma- Chink’s standard Lifeline Interior™ or Lifeline Accents™ colors, it may...
10 Tips for Saving Money on Your Wood Home

10 Tips for Saving Money on Your Wood Home

Everything in your new home does not have to be new. Incorporating lighting, sinks, toilets, mirrors, stained or textured glass and other fixtures from thrift stores like Goodwill or architectural salvage stores like Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore can create an...
Family Farm Setting for Sellers New Log Home

Family Farm Setting for Sellers New Log Home

Seth and Lovie Sellers chose the Clayton Plan, a custom design that was a collaboration between an Honest Abe customer and Honest Abe’s design department. The Sellers further customized it to meet their own needs for building their own home near Red Boiling...
The Apple Home

The Apple Home

A Second Log Home for True Enthusiasts  Interview by Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Log Homes Honest Abe homeowners Jerry and LeeAnne Apple are enjoying their new log cabin on their property near Westmorland, Tennessee, the 10.5-room D-log house boasts a spacious...
The Apple Home

The Apple Home

A Second Log Home for True Enthusiasts  Interview by Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Log Homes Honest Abe homeowners Jerry and LeeAnne Apple are opening their new log home to guests on Saturday, March 23, during the Honest Abe Log Homes Spring Tour. Located near...
Honest Abe Home Featured in Russian Magazine

Honest Abe Home Featured in Russian Magazine

Honest Abe Log Home’s Cambridge plan as interpreted by customers Jim and Diana Copper was recently featured in a 12-page article in the Russian architectural magazine, Beautiful Houses for its Wooden Homes edition. “There’s an interesting story...
Jackie Cherry Explains How White Pine Was Selected

Jackie Cherry Explains How White Pine Was Selected

Honest Abe was founded in 1979, and Honest Abe’s plant manager Jackie Cherry has been here since the earliest years. Respected for his knowledge throughout the log and timber industry, Jackie has created relationships with timber growers, equipment manufacturers...
Window Choices Shed Light on Your Dream Home

Window Choices Shed Light on Your Dream Home

By Sharron Bilbrey, Sales Representative for Honest Abe Log Homes Crossville   An age-old comment about log homes is how “dark” they are on the inside, but this is something that does not have to be true anymore. Beyond the overall structure of the house, the...
Log End Seal

Log End Seal

Dovetailed d-log corner sealed. 10″ round log before sealing. Square log sealed. Why seal the ends of the longs?Wood is a hygroscopic material, which means it naturally absorbs and releases moisture from the environment. Logs can safely absorb large quantities...
Money Savers from Log Cabin Homes

Money Savers from Log Cabin Homes

Each month Log Cabin Homes magazine suggests a variety of ways to save money when planning, building and decorating a log or timber home. Everything in your new home does not have to be new. Incorporating lighting, sinks, toilets, mirrors, stained or textured glass...
What is SIP Construction?

What is SIP Construction?

  So, what is a SIP?   and why would I want it in my new hybrid or timber frame home?   SIP stands for Structural Insulated Panel. While they aren’t something new they may be new to you. SIPs have been around for many years and have been used in thousands of homes and...
Help for Flooded Wood Homes

Help for Flooded Wood Homes

Log homes are actually more durable than traditional homes and are more likely to survive natural disasters, including flooding. The clean-up and repair of a log home after flooding is also much easier if you follow these steps provided by Perma-Chink… INTERIOR...
The Dynamics of Weathering

The Dynamics of Weathering

Many people are under the impression that the winter months are hard on their logs and finishes. To some extent that’s true in cold climates where the exterior log surfaces may be covered with ice and snow for several months, but even then the most damaging...
New Logo Adopted for Honest Abe

New Logo Adopted for Honest Abe

During the Smith Companies 50th Anniversary Celebration on Oct. 27 at Moss, Tennessee, a new logo for Honest Abe Log Homes was unveiled. Honest Abe’s 40th year in operation will be commemorated in 2019, and the new logo design is an early birthday present for...

50th Anniversary Proclamation

P R O C L A M A T I O NWHEREAS, it is fitting that the members of this legislative body should recognize and commend those exemplary businesses that, through an abiding commitment to excellence, have contributed greatly to this State for many years; andWHEREAS, Smith...

Smith Family Traditions

Download Smith Family Traditions, the 50th Anniversary commemorative magazine compiled in 2018 to celebrate the heritage and legacy of the Clay County-based businesses operated by the family of Doug Smith....
Musings About Honest Abe’s History

Musings About Honest Abe’s History

Honest Abe id celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2019, and Josh Beasley, President of Honest Abe Log Homes, discusses a little of the company’s history. By Josh Beasley I likely have a different perspective than the Smith family on how Honest Abe began, as...
History of our Parent Company

History of our Parent Company

In honor of the Smith Companies’ 50th Anniversary, Shane Smith takes a look at the progress of the companies. Smith Companies’ Development Over 50 Years By Shane Smith, co-owner   History Pa Smith (Lemuel Smith, Dad’s father) was a sawyer and sawed barn...
Three Honest Little Pigs

Three Honest Little Pigs

A coloring and activity book for children, “Three Honest Little Pigs,” was published in 2018 to provide to children who visit the Honest Abe National Headquarters in Moss or attend log raisings with there parents. The rhymed retelling of the classic fairy tale was...
Rick Denton Took Honest Abe from an Idea to Industry Icon

Rick Denton Took Honest Abe from an Idea to Industry Icon

Honest Abe Log Homes is celebrating 40 years in business in 2019. Honest Abe’s first president discusses the company’s early days in operation. By Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Log Homes Rick Denton had no plans to come back home – not for good anyway. He’d...
Southern Grace Farmhouse Wins National Design Award

Southern Grace Farmhouse Wins National Design Award

A new home owned by Nick and April Patterson was awarded first place for home design in the 3,001-3,900 square feet category of the 2019 Jerry Rouleau Awards for Excellence in Home Design presented by the National Association of Home Builders Building...
Fall Log Home Maintenance is Not Just Cleaning

Fall Log Home Maintenance is Not Just Cleaning

Most people are accustomed to spring cleaning, but if you are a home owner, you know that your house needs attention year-round. Fall maintenance is much like spring house-cleaning but more preventative and less “cleaning.” And it’s much easier to do it now rather...
Cambridge Featured in Log Cabin Homes Christmas Issue

Cambridge Featured in Log Cabin Homes Christmas Issue

The Honest Abe Log Homes Crossville Model created from the Cambridge plan is featured in the Nov.-Dec. issue of Log Cabin Homes magazine. The article includes photos of the Cambridge decorated for Christmas as well as log home decorating ideas from Charleston, S.C.,...
Tim Smith Celebrates 48 Years at Smith Family Businesses

Tim Smith Celebrates 48 Years at Smith Family Businesses

Tim Smith recently celebrated his 48th year work anniversary at Moss Sawmills, a sister company to Honest Abe Log Homes, GF Hardwoods and Barky Beaver Mulch and Soil Mix. Tim was honored by his fellow workers with a catered lunch, gifts and time to tell stories. ...
How to do a DIY Inspection of a Log or Timber Home

How to do a DIY Inspection of a Log or Timber Home

One key for keeping your log home in tip-top condition is to take an hour or so a couple of times a year to perform a DIY inspection of  the exterior of your home for any signs of potential problems. Remember that a bit of maintenance and small, inexpensive...
Designing a Modern Farmhouse Kitchen

Designing a Modern Farmhouse Kitchen

“Modern farmhouse at its best.” At the grand opening of the new 10” Round log home of Nick and April Patterson, those words were among the many used to describe this dream kitchen. From top to bottom this kitchen is unique, with different colors and textures, but in...
Fall Tour 2018 Hosted by Honest Abe Cookeville

Fall Tour 2018 Hosted by Honest Abe Cookeville

A variety of log and timber frame homes will be open to the public on Aug. 25 during the fall tour 2018 hosted by Honest Abe Log Homes Cookeville. The tour includes several Honest Abe log homes and timber frame homes constructed across four decades. The featured log...
How to Handle a Carpenter Ant Infestation

How to Handle a Carpenter Ant Infestation

CARPENTER ANTS – LIFE CYCLE AND SEASONAL ACTIVITIES Ants are now the number one household pest in the United States, leaving cockroaches well behind. A carpenter aunt infestation is a nuisance no matter what kind of house you have. Although there are more than 20...
50 Years in Business Celebrated by Smith Companies Oct. 27

50 Years in Business Celebrated by Smith Companies Oct. 27

The Smith Companies, based in Moss, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Oct. 27 with a community event attended by more than 200. “My heart was so full seeing so many people from our community and our employees, past and present, come out for this event,” said April...
Dual Purpose Rooms & Murphy Beds Expand Space

Dual Purpose Rooms & Murphy Beds Expand Space

Designing a Dual Use Space in a Downsized Home Accommodating guests while regularly utilizing every room Use Every Foot of Space Wisely For most people retirement and downsizing means a real change in approaches to daily activities. The things that were “must haves”...
Is Chinking Cosmetic or a Sealant

Is Chinking Cosmetic or a Sealant

Perma-Chink has evolved into an elastomeric compound that has been specifically designed for use in log home sealing applications. Perma-Chink adds to the overall integrity of the structure by not only preventing water and air from entering the home, but also adding...
When You Close a Door, Opportunities Open Up

When You Close a Door, Opportunities Open Up

The idea of a log home often conjures visions of a house perched majestically on a mountain ridge or alongside a placid lake. Most of us picture a large, restful deck overlooking scenic vistas and nestled in a lush forest. When we think about walking into the log...
Downsize to a Log or Timber Frame Forever Home

Downsize to a Log or Timber Frame Forever Home

View our Gallery of Medium-Size Plans The first step in knowing it was time to make a move was the quiet. The bubble of constant comings and goings, the mounds of laundry and even the 50-pound bags of pet food were no longer part of the daily household mix. There were...
Landscaping Effects Health and Beauty of Log Homes

Landscaping Effects Health and Beauty of Log Homes

by Perma-Chink System, Inc. Have you ever considered the impact that landscaping can have on the well-being and beauty of your log home? Let’s look at some things around your home that can significantly affect its health.   Trees In summer months trees...
There’s Something for Everyone Oct. 18 & 19 in Moss

There’s Something for Everyone Oct. 18 & 19 in Moss

There’s a lot going on in October in the small community of Moss, Tennessee, where Honest Abe is headquartered. Mark your calendars now so you won’t miss the log raising, mill tour, new log home tour, mill tour and barn sale in Moss! Log Raising and Mill Tour On...
Honest Abe Living Relaunched as Interactive Online Magazine

Honest Abe Living Relaunched as Interactive Online Magazine

Honest Abe Living magazine, an in-house publication of Honest Abe Log homes, will be presented as an online, interactive magazine beginning with the March 2018 edition. “We believe that designing the magazine in an interactive format will offer readers a richer...
Wiener Schnitzel

Wiener Schnitzel

4 (4- to 5-ounce) veal cutlets Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk 1 1/2 cups fine dry breadcrumbs, or more if needed Sunflower oil 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf...
Cooking with Lodge

Cooking with Lodge

Cooking with Lodge Cast Iron Nestled alongside the Cumberland Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains is the town of South Pittsburg, Tennessee, (population 3,300). It was there that Joseph Lodge and his wife settled and in 1896 opened their first foundry. The...
Cedar Hill Log Homes

Cedar Hill Log Homes

Cedar Hill Log Homes is a new log and timber frame dealer for Honest Abe Log Homes owned by Gary Plante, who is also owner of Cedar Hill Realty in Rehobath, Mass. Cedar Hill Log Homes serves Bristol and Plymouth counties.  Born and raised in Attleboro,...
2013 Dealer of the Year

2013 Dealer of the Year

White Eagle Building Systems Inc. Named Honest Abe Log Homes Dealer of the Year White Eagle Building Systems Inc. was recognized as Dealer of the Year during the recent Honest Abe Log Homes 2014 National Dealer Conference. White Eagle is owned by Randall and Kimberly...
Peterson Cabin Featured in Log Home Living

Peterson Cabin Featured in Log Home Living

Log Home Living’s March 2018 issue featured a new log home in in Nebo, N.C., by Bear’s Den Log Homes, and independent dealer of Honest Abe Log Homes. To see photos of the home, click Peterson Cabin. To read an article about the home and an interview with...
2017 Dealer of the Year

2017 Dealer of the Year

Bear’s Den Honored as 2017 Dealer of the Year Bear’s Den Log Homes was recognized as 2017 Dealer of the Year during the recent Honest Abe Log Homes 2018 National Dealer Conference. Owned by Rodger and Darlene Dawson, who have been dealers since 2006, Bear’s Den...
The Bellewood Floor Plan

The Bellewood Floor Plan

The Bellewood is one of our most popular Honest Abe Floor Plans. See it and many others at Honest Abe Floor Plans. Our Cookeville Model was created from the Bellewood. Click here for directions to Honest Abe Cookeville and plan your visit to the Bellewood....
Heppler Home at Gallatin

Heppler Home at Gallatin

Jerry and Bobbie Sue Heppler chose the Eagledale plan for their new home near Gallatin, Tennessee. The couple shared their design decisions and a little about their experience. It has always been a dream of ours to have a log home. Before we started we knew what we...
The Lodge Book of Dutch Oven Cooking Wins

The Lodge Book of Dutch Oven Cooking Wins

SEOPA’s Best Outdoors Book Award The Lodge© Book of Dutch Oven Cooking earned The Best Outdoor Book Award from the Southeastern Press Associated (SEOPA) during the organization’s 2017 annual meeting held October 18-20 at Kentucky Dam Village in Gilbertsville, KY....
Lodge Cast Iron Introduces 5-item Wildlife Series

Lodge Cast Iron Introduces 5-item Wildlife Series

    Lodge Cast Iron, a Tennessee company whose recipes are features in Honest Abe Living, recently released a new Custom Imprint Wildlife Series with four skillets and a griddle. The five-piece collection includes a deer, duck, moose, freshwater fish and a...
What is Your Responsibility During Your Build?

What is Your Responsibility During Your Build?

What is there to do other than the assembly of my home package? One of the most common questions asked of Honest Abe Sales Representatives and Independent Dealers regarding the log home design, purchase and construction process is “What are my...
Making a Wish into a Home

Making a Wish into a Home

A log home is not an impulse buy. For some the decision to build a log home was made years before they actually began the process to make a long-held dream a lifetime reality. Others may have explored several building options before realizing that a log home provides...
Fall Log Home Maintenance

Fall Log Home Maintenance

Most people are accustomed to spring cleaning, but if you are a home owner, you know that your house needs attention year-round. Fall maintenance is much like spring house-cleaning, but more preventative and less “cleaning.” And it’s much easier to do it now rather...
Langer Home Featured in Timber Home Living

Langer Home Featured in Timber Home Living

Timber Home Living’s Nov.- Dec. issue includes an article about a beautiful Honest Abe timber frame home, the Langer home in rural White County, Tennessee. Pick a copy up at the news stand in any major book store. There a nice free calendar in this issue of the...
Hurricaines, Floods and Log Homes

Hurricaines, Floods and Log Homes

BY PAUL PEEBLES, Perma-Chink System’s West Coast Director of Sales Log homes are actually more durable than traditional homes, and are more likely to survive natural disasters, including flooding. The clean-up and repair of a log home after flooding is also...
“Porchsitting” is Not Just a Hashtag

Chink Joint Thermal Efficiency

In today’s economy energy efficiency is a subject that most people are aware of including log home owners and those people contemplating the purchase of a log home. With this in mind we occasionally get asked about the R-value of our chinking and/or backing...
Log Home Sealants

Log Home Sealants

It is virtually impossible to prevent logs from developing cracks and checks as they age and dry. That’s because as a large piece of wood seasons, mechanical stresses build up until the surface stress becomes so great that the wood cracks. We call these...
Alderson Plan featured in Log Cabin Homes

Alderson Plan featured in Log Cabin Homes

Honest Abe Log Homes is featured in the November 2017 issue of Log Cabin Homes with a story about a custom lakeside cabin in the Ozarks. Built by Independent Dealers Maria and Mike Alderson, the Alderson Plan has become a favorite among log cabin enthusiasts and is...

NAHB’s Log and Timber Homes Council News

Celebrating the Log Home Lifestyle Filed in Construction Industry, Councils & Committees on July 6, 2017 • 0 Comments Members of NAHB’s Log and Timber Homes Council (LTHC) are celebrating National Log Home Open House Month in July for the sixth...
New Honest Abe Dealer was Homeowner First

New Honest Abe Dealer was Homeowner First

Honest Abe Log Homes, a 38-year-old log home manufacturer based in Moss, Tennessee, has announced the addition of a new Independent Dealership in North Alabama. In March​,​ Serenity Log Homes began serving customers in Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Madison,...
Sustainability Of Log Structures Explored by Experts

Sustainability Of Log Structures Explored by Experts

Honest Abe Log Homes President Josh Beasley was among a contingent of log industry leaders in St. Louis recently to discuss the sustainability of log structures.  In addition to representing Tennessee-based Honest Abe, Beasley attended in his capacity as 2017...
Log Cabin Homes Features Honest Abe Home

Log Cabin Homes Features Honest Abe Home

Hedges Home Westfield Plan Log Cabin Featured in Log Cabin Homes Log Cabin Homes May issue hit the stands this week, and Honest Abe Log Homes is prominently featured. In a six-page spread of breathtaking color photography the story is shared of how customer...
Log Home Living Features Honest Abe Home

Log Home Living Features Honest Abe Home

Read the article about the Bailey Log Cabin, an Honest Abe Log Home recently featured in Log Home Living that tells how the a dream came true for one man who wished all his life for a log home. Click HERE for the full article
Stewardship Conserves America’s Forests

Stewardship Conserves America’s Forests

by Jeff Clements, Vice President, Honest Abe Log Homes Honest Abe takes the issue of timber harvesting and the threat of deforestation related to building materials used in the manufacture of log homes very seriously. The great news is, according to the USDA...
Try New Colored Stains

Try New Colored Stains

Let the beauty of wood shine through with a colorful twist!   Customers of Honest Abe dealers, Mike and Tonia Coulter of T & M Log Homes in Indiana are among the first to use Perma-Chink’s new Lifeline Accents to highlight the exterior beauty of their log...
2016 Dealer of the Year

2016 Dealer of the Year

Coulters Named 2016 Honest Abe Log Homes Independent Dealership of the Year For the second consecutive year the Honest Abe Log Homes Independent Dealership of the Year is T&M Log Homes of Albany, Indiana. T&M Log Homes, owned by Tonia and Mike...
Relief Offered to Gatlinburg Wildfire Victims

Relief Offered to Gatlinburg Wildfire Victims

Honest Abe Log Homes is committed to helping victims of the Gatlinburg wildfires rebuild or build their log or timber fame homes and businesses. We are offering a discount structure that reflects 2015 prices for those affected by the fire. We are...
In the End, You Have a Great Home

In the End, You Have a Great Home

Oakley Home was Family Effort Ask Tanner Oakley anything about the construction of his new house, and he’ll probably know the answer. Sounds reasonable since it is his house, right? Well, Tanner is just 10 years old, but the precocious and mannerly young man has...
Log Cabin Open House Provides Motive, Means & Opportunity

Log Cabin Open House Provides Motive, Means & Opportunity

Every aficionado of mysteries knows that the the guilty had the ability to commit the crime (means), a reason to do it (motive) and the chance to commit the act (opportunity). The upcomingTennessee Honest Abe Log Cabin Open House provides the opportunity to tour a...
Develop Floor Plans Early

Develop Floor Plans Early

Develop Floor Plans Early in Planning Process All three options make planning easier!    Most people who want a log or timber frame home have been envisioning how they want their house to look from the outside for a long time before they actually have a plan...
Log Home Budgeting

Log Home Budgeting

Creating a Budget for a Log or Timber Frame Home Honest answers to realistic questions help in budget creation. By Wayne Brady, Sales Representative, Honest Abe Crossville In planning for a new wood home, it’s important to create a budget that allows for construction...
Increasing Log Home Appeal

Increasing Log Home Appeal

What Makes a Log Home Beautiful? Increasing Log Home Appeal By Perma-Chink Systems, Inc. What is it about Honest Abe homes that make them so appealing to so many people? We can talk about thermal efficiency, building with a renewable resource or living a log home...
Williams Mountain Home

Williams Mountain Home

Clearbrook Plan Selected for Williams Mountain Home Smart Decisions, Loving Compromises A North Carolina couple shares lessons learned while building a mountain dream home that incorporates dreams and needs for present and future enjoyment, allowing them to stay in...
Visit a True Log  Home Manufacturer

Visit a True Log Home Manufacturer

Log home manufacturer Honest Abe Log Homes invites the public to visit its National Headquarters in Moss, Tenn., on July 16 or Sept. 17 for a Manufacturing Tour and Log Raising. The guided tour of the manufacturing plant includes the state-of-the art mill,...
Let Honest Abe Compare Log Home Packages for Best Price

Let Honest Abe Compare Log Home Packages for Best Price

Let Honest Abe Compare Home Package Quotes for Best Price Honest Abe is so confident about package prices for log and timber frame homes, they are backed up by the Honest Abe Honest Value Guarantee. Honest Abe will meet or beat the price of any competitor’s comparable...
Gender Frequently Determines Log Home Design Preferences

Gender Frequently Determines Log Home Design Preferences

By Josh Beasley, President, Honest Abe Log Homes I don’t want to perpetuate any stereotypes here, and I certainly do not want to start any arguments, but it’s just a fact that men and women have different priorities when it comes to planning a new home. In our...
Small Home Cabin

Small Home Cabin

    By Claudia Johnson, Director of Marketing, Honest Abe Log Homes     When some people imagine their forever home, it’s a spectacular log or timber frame home. Over the past 40 years, Honest Abe Log Homes has met many of those dreamers,...
Observations from a Log Raising Attendee

Observations from a Log Raising Attendee

Four times per year Honest Abe hosts log raisings at its National Headquarters in Moss, Tenn. Below is an email from one of the January 2016 attendees. The Log Raising was Great and it was well worth the effort to come up there. Most of what was shown was pretty much...

A Letter from a Recent Honest Abe Customer

One of our recent Honest Abe Log Homes Customers recently sent this letter to Honest Abe Log Homes President Josh Beasley about his family’s experience in building a wood home. He’s given us permission to share his thoughts. Josh, I just wanted to touch...
Trees Vital to Wood Home Design and Planning

Trees Vital to Wood Home Design and Planning

“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...
Crossville Model Featured on Cover of March Log Home Living

Crossville Model Featured on Cover of March Log Home Living

   Honest Abe Log Homes’ Crossville Model Home is featured 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.    ...
Let Honest Abe Compare Log Home Package Quotes

Let Honest Abe Compare Log Home Package Quotes

We feel very confident about our prices for log and timber frame homes – so much so that we stand by them with our Honest Abe Honest Value Guarantee. Let Honest Abe compare log home package quotes. Simply submit a detailed item-for-item quote from another company. If...
Budgets Challenging but Necessary

Budgets Challenging but Necessary

Budgets are challenging by necessary. 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...
Interactive Floor Plans Now Online

Interactive Floor Plans Now Online

Honest Abe Log Homes now has 12 interactive floor plans online at mywoodhome.com, the website of Log Home Living, Timber Home Living and Log Cabin Living. The plans selected to be featured are the following: Tour a traditional square log cabin designed by Honest...
Why it is beneficial to come to a log raising?

Why it is beneficial to come to a log raising?

by Inez Price, Sales Representative, Honest Abe National Headquarters An Honest Abe Log Raising 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...
2015 Dealer of the Year

2015 Dealer of the Year

Coulters Take Dealer of the Year Honors for Second Time The 2015 Honest Abe Log Homes Independent Dealership of the year is T&M Log Homes of Albany, Indiana. T&M Log Homes, owned by Tonia and Mike Coulter, is a repeat winner, also having won in 2012. The...
Designer Hix Featured in Hometown News

Designer Hix Featured in Hometown News

Macon County resident Michael Hix, a designer for Honest Abe Log Homes, has been recognized with the highest award presented for log home industry design. Honest Abe was the first place winner of the 2016 Jerry Rouleau Award for Excellence in Home Design in the...
Log Homes: Environmentally Friendly

Log Homes: Environmentally Friendly

By Perma-Chink Systems, Inc. Think GREEN. Log homes are often the only building solution that is totally natural. This abundant, renewable resource is good for your health and the environment. Log homes are increasingly the choice of consumers interested in living...
Honest Abe Log Cabin Featured in Log Home Living

Honest Abe Log Cabin Featured in Log Home Living

The Clayton home, a 1,600 square foot cabin on the Tennessee Cumberland Plateau, is featured in the Dream Home Showcase issue of Log Home Living. Download the article here. The article was written by Claudia Johnson, Director of Marketing for Honest Abe Log...
Virginia Mountain Dream Home Realized

Virginia Mountain Dream Home Realized

Wayne and Cindy Parent built their dream home in Roseland, Va., in 2014. “We believe the warmth and beauty of a log home cannot be matched by any other type of conventional construction,” Wayne said. “Living in a log home was a long-time goal of ours, and it has been...
Passing the Perc Test

Passing the Perc Test

One very practical matter that must be considered regarding placement of a log or timber frame home  can be summed up in four words: no perc, no house. “That’s why it’s extremely important to be sure the land you’ve selected for your new log or timber home will pass a...
The Truth about Log Home Maintenance

The Truth about Log Home Maintenance

By Greg Crider, owner/operator of Renew Services LLC, Guest Columnist There is much to be said in terms of variables associated with the endless scenarios of what makes good or bad maintenance and how to best go about it. Remember, the most important point is to stay...
Couple Converts Hunting Cabin to Home

Couple Converts Hunting Cabin to Home

Hunting Cabin Expanded into Home By Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Log Homes A small log cabin built as an escape has been transformed into a Tennessee couple’s forever home. “One of the first places we remember going when we moved to Murfreesboro in 1988 was the Honest...
Aging in Place in Your Forever Home

Aging in Place in Your Forever Home

Some 70% of seniors spend the rest of their life in the place they celebrated their 65th birthday. Think about that for a minute. It means that the log or timber frame home that you are planning to build will most likely be the home you live in for the rest of your...
11 Reasons You’re Right to Want a Log or Timber Home

11 Reasons You’re Right to Want a Log or Timber Home

1) Trees Grow Back When a home is made from solid logs, you are effectively taking the carbon contained in those logs out of environmental circulation over the entire life of the home. Eastern White Pine, which is used for Honest Abe’s log homes, is a major species...
Honest Abe Builds New Area for 10″ Round Log Home Production 

Honest Abe Builds New Area for 10″ Round Log Home Production 

A 10″ round log home may be exactly what you are looking for, and Honest Abe has redesigned our production facility to manufacture true round 10″ timbers. Do you love the look of the large rustic lodges nestled in the majestic landscapes of the Northwest? You...
Communication Makes Home Planning Happy

Communication Makes Home Planning Happy

We don’t want to perpetuate any stereotypes here, and we certainly do not want to start any arguments, but it’s just a fact that men and women have different priorities when it comes to planning a new home. In our experiences working with dozens of couples, we’ve...
Six Tips for Researching Log Homes

Six Tips for Researching Log Homes

Researching log homes and timber frame structures can be a daunting task, but Honest Abe Log Homes has created an easy tip sheet to help you  get started. You may download the tip sheet as a .pdf here or pin this .jpg to your Pinterest board for easy...
Inspiring Home Product and Planning Guide

Inspiring Home Product and Planning Guide

Download your copy of our Inspiring Home Product and Planning Guide, a 52-page publication that features information specific to our products, company history, manufacturing process, green practices, building systems, log homes, cabins and timber frame homes, package...
10 Steps to Owning Your Log or Timber Home

10 Steps to Owning Your Log or Timber Home

10 Steps to Owning Your Log or Timber Home Somewhere in your heart and mind, your wood home already exists. You’ve watched a sunrise from the covered porch. You’ve warmed yourself by a glowing fire. You’ve served a holiday meal from your rustic kitchen. Since 1979,...
6 Tips for Researching Log Homes & Timber Frame Homes

6 Tips for Researching Log Homes & Timber Frame Homes

Thank you for downloading 6 Tips for Researching Log and Timber Homes. We believe this tip sheet will offer some ideas you may not have yet explored. Have fun and good luck with your research. We’re here any time if you have questions or need help.  Click button...
Planning Bedrooms in Log and Timber Homes

Planning Bedrooms in Log and Timber Homes

Decisions, Decisions Making decisions about bedrooms for log or timber frame homes is no different in some ways than for any home. Decisions like how many bedrooms, what size each room will be and whether there will be an adjacent bathroom are basic. However, for log...
Honest Abe Log Home Tour of Manufacturing Plant Made Better

Honest Abe Log Home Tour of Manufacturing Plant Made Better

Plan a Tour of Honest Abe’s Mill Acquisition of an electric golf cart will enable visitors to Honest Abe’s Model Home and Manufacturing Facilities at Moss to take an intimate and comfortable guided tour without extensive walking. “Guests are always welcome at...
Making a Carpenter Bee Trap

Making a Carpenter Bee Trap

Carpenter bees are a threat to wood, whether its a log or conventional home, a porch, wooden furniture, architectural details, etc. Two of Honest Abe’s owners, Shane Smith and Nick Patterson, got together with Independent Dealer Dallas Powers to learn how simple yet...
Choosing Property for a Log Home

Choosing Property for a Log Home

by Jeff Clements, Vice President, Honest Abe Log Homes Where do you want your new log home, log cabin or timber frame home to be? That greatly varies. It’s commented many times that we just don’t see that many log or timber frame homes driving up and down the road....
Timber Frame Home is Flexible Choice

Timber Frame Home is Flexible Choice

A timber frame home is a beautiful, economic and flexible choice Do you love the interior, natural look of wood but want a more traditional exterior or more decorative flexibility on the interior? If so, then a Timber Frame home is the choice for you. Honest Abe Log...
Douglas Fir is Beautiful, Strong and Economical

Douglas Fir is Beautiful, Strong and Economical

There are many reasons why Honest Abe uses Douglas Fir for heavy timber rafters, collar ties, wall-tie trusses, ceiling beams, girders and timber frame components. “Abundance equals affordability, and since Douglas Fir is the most plentiful of all North American...
Finding Your Forever Home

Finding Your Forever Home

The Basics of Planning and Building a Log Home or Timber Frame Home – Here’s a link to a recorded webinar (free) hosted by Honest Abe Vice President Jeff Clements and the editors of Log Home Living Magazine. It guides you through considerations for designing and...
What to Expect from Top-of-the-Line Finishes

What to Expect from Top-of-the-Line Finishes

In addition to building a quality home, you want to build a beautiful home, which is why your choice of wood finishes is so important. The most desirable finish allows the wood grain to emerge so the color complements the wood rather than covering it. Many of Honest...
Honest Abe Home in Log Home Living

Honest Abe Home in Log Home Living

See an Honest Abe home in Log Home Living magazine. One of Honest Abe Log Homes’ beautiful creations is featured in the July issue of Log Home Living as part of the Dream Home Showcase. Pick up your copy and read about this amazing home. Here’s a sneak...
Log Home Floor Plan Catalog & Planning Guide

Log Home Floor Plan Catalog & Planning Guide

Honest Abe’s Floor Plan Catalog Our 52-page Honest Abe Floor Plan Catalog includes our standard plans as well as a variety of custom plans imagined by Honest Abe customers – all created by Honest Abe’s design team.  Inside you will find a rendering of each plan...
Inspiring Home Plans and Guide

Inspiring Home Plans and Guide

Our new 52-page Honest Abe Floor Plan Catalog includes our standard plans as well as a variety of custom plans imagined by Honest Abe customers – all created by Honest Abe’s design team.  Inside you will find a rendering of each plan along with a basic...
Learn About Log Home Log Styles

Learn About Log Home Log Styles

The log style you choose determines how you home will look. Here’s an overview of Honest Abe’s log styles to help you understand how various log systems work. To help you visualize how your home could look, visit our galleries for examples of other Honest Abe...
Log Shapes and Sizes Determine Look of Home

Log Shapes and Sizes Determine Look of Home

The log style you choose determines how you home will look. Here’s an overview of Honest Abe’s log styles to help you understand how various log systems work. To help you visualize how your home could look, visit our galleries for examples of other Honest Abe...
Considerations in Log  Home Kitchen Design

Considerations in Log Home Kitchen Design

Designing a kitchen for a log home or timber frame home requires the same considerations as with a conventional home – lifestyle of the owners, budget, family size and available space. One important decision is how to provide adequate lighting in addition to the...
Hand Hewn Logs Add Richness to Home

Hand Hewn Logs Add Richness to Home

The Art of Hand Hewing by Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Log Homes, Log Home Living, Spring 2015 Hand hewn logs add richness to a home. These logs evoke a feeling of the past by capturing a skill that was necessary for early settlers and is now an art. Honest Abe Log...
Kitchen Confidential: Planning a Log or Timber Home Kitchen

Kitchen Confidential: Planning a Log or Timber Home Kitchen

Click Here to Watch Kitchen Confidential Speaker: Sara Brown, Home Group Editor, Log Homes Living magazine No matter the size of your log or timber home, the main level is definitely where you’ll do most of your living. And although you’ll spend plenty of time in...
Honest Abe Dealership, T & M Log Homes, Expands

Honest Abe Dealership, T & M Log Homes, Expands

Tonia and Mike Coulter, owners of T & M Log Homes in Albany, Ind., Honest Abe Independent Dealership and 2013 Dealers of the Year, has expanded into Kansas with the addition of Kyle and Rebekah Taylor to the T&M team. “For the past 18 years Tonia & I have...
Kiln Dried Log Homes are Stable, Durable and Beautiful

Kiln Dried Log Homes are Stable, Durable and Beautiful

At Honest Abe Log Homes we’re often asked why we do kiln dry the logs and timbers used in every log home, log cabin or timber frame house we manufacture. We believe in the value of creating kiln dried log homes and timber frame houses. Kiln dried logs are “pre-shrunk”...
Log Home Solar Heating

Log Home Solar Heating

10 Ways Solar Heating Can Make Your Log Home Warmer Log Home Solar Heating: Letting the sun shine on your dream log and timber home will make it far more comfortable while saving you hundreds of dollars on energy bills. If you’ve ever been in the window seat while...
Log Home Heating & Cooling

Log Home Heating & Cooling

New Advancements in Heating and Cooling Technologies for Log and Timber Homes New advancements in heating and cooling will enable you breath easy while spending less on energy. Here’s a primer on the plethora of choices for your new log or timber home. Wouldn’t it be...
2014 Dealer of the Year

2014 Dealer of the Year

Bear’s Den Log Homes Is Honest Abe Log Homes 2014 Dealership of the Year Bear’s Den Log Homes, Inc., of Newton, N.C., has been named Honest Abe Log Homes 2014 Dealership of the Year. “Congratulations to Bear’s Den owners, Darlene and Rodger Dawson,” said...
Honest Abe recently built a new model home in Crossville.

Honest Abe recently built a new model home in Crossville.

Friday, Nov 7, 2014 by Liz Engel Clark, Editor, Upper Cumberland Business Journal CUMBERLAND COUNTY – It’s a vast array of peaked rooftops, exposed timber and an expanse of porches – 1,700 square feet in all – but perhaps the most important feature in Honest Abe’s...
The Kitchen is the Heart of a Home

The Kitchen is the Heart of a Home

By Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Living, Sept.-Oct. 2014 The kitchen really is the heart of a home. It is far more than a location from which sustenance is distributed. A kitchen pulsates with daily activity and beats to the rhythms of life’s milestones. Because...
From the President’s Desk – Log Home Kitchens

From the President’s Desk – Log Home Kitchens

Log Home Kitchens Inspiring for Honest Abe President by Josh Beasley, President, Honest Abe Log Homes Honest Abe Living, Sept.-Oct. 2014 My passion for our homes was kindled within the warm atmosphere of a small country kitchen many years ago. My aunt and uncle built...
Center Hill Lake Honest Abe Home Showcased on Tour

Center Hill Lake Honest Abe Home Showcased on Tour

An Honest Abe Log Home on Center Hill Lake is a featured attraction in the 2014 Showcase of Newly Constructed and Remodeled Houses presented by the Home Builders Association of the Upper Cumberland on Aug. 23-24. A serene view of Center Hill Lake from two spacious...
Crossville Model Features American-made Flooring

Crossville Model Features American-made Flooring

By Claudia Johnson, Honest Abe Living, July-Aug. 2014 Honest Abe Log Homes’ new model home in Crossville, Tenn., features wide-plank, heart pine floors from Vintage Pine Flooring’s Mill House Select series. Vintage Pine Flooring owner Art Copeland said that the...
A Home With A View

A Home With A View

By Claudia Johnson Exciting. Warm. Comfortable. That’s how Richard and Linda Hespe describe their new Honest Abe log home nestled in the foothills of the Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. “We have built homes before, but this one is totally different,” Richard Hespe...
From the President’s Desk

From the President’s Desk

Housing Market Confidence Growing by Josh Beasley, President, Honest Abe Log Homes Confidence is a tricky quality. Too little of it leads to stagnation, while excess can give way to an arrogance that blurs reality. This holds true for my personal life, and it seems...
Focusing On Fireplaces

Focusing On Fireplaces

It’s always nice to come home on a cold day and warm up next to a glowing fire. There’s something about a fireplace that is inviting and comforting. The flickering flames can be hypnotizing to the eye. That’s why many of Honest Abe Log Homes’ customers have...
Honest Abe Log Homes Celebrates 35th Anniversary

Honest Abe Log Homes Celebrates 35th Anniversary

Honest Abe Log Homes and I have something in common.  We’re both 35 years old.  We were born into a struggling economy, where we learned to crawl, walk and eventually run, defying its intent to slow us down. We remember historical events that impacted our...

Creating Your Own Log Home Wall Art

So, we’re in the process of remodeling some of the older “historical” type cabins at Mitchell Creek Marina and noticed how expensive simple wall art has become. We found this beautiful, watery, peaceful feeling pillow, which led to our inspiration for this craft! We...
Log Home Lake House Plan

Log Home Lake House Plan

Log Home Lake House Overlooking Center Hill Lake, Tennessee Overlooking the waters of Center Hill sits a log home owned by Mike and Christine Cornett. Life on the lake is different. It isn’t fast paced, and there are great neighbors who are willing to help. To Mike...

Make A Fall Ribbon Wreath

Hi and welcome to “Getting Crafty with the Smith’s!” Fall is our favorite time of year and what better craft to make than a “Fall Wreath” to show off our country charm in the spectacular fall colors!   Fall Ribbon Wreath What you need: •  Burlap Ribbon or Deco...
Denton Awarded President Emeritus Status

Denton Awarded President Emeritus Status

A special ceremony was recently held at Honest Abe Log Homes to honor Rick Denton (picture above, right, with Honest Abe founder Doug Smith), who was awarded president emeritus status. In recognition of his dedicated past, combined with the continued positive impact...
Honest Abe Log Tennessee Home

Honest Abe Log Tennessee Home

“We learned about Honest Abe from the Realtor and by driving by their plant while looking at properties. We stopped in and grabbed some literature while on the run so we could look at floor plans and dreamed about what we should come up with. After we closed on the...
Claytons’ Home Photographed By Pros

Claytons’ Home Photographed By Pros

For a gallery of photos from the shoot featured in this story, click here. Seeing a home photographed and published in a magazine represents the journey of how it came to be. Dedication and hard work is visible in every shot. The homeowners feel a sense of pride and...
Reusing That Old Mason Jar

Reusing That Old Mason Jar

Welcome to a new section in Honest Abe Living newsletter! In “Getting Crafty with the Smiths,” you’ll see fun and innovating ideas to re-use, recycle and get the full use out of items that often go overlooked. This section is to inspire your creative side while...
Honest Abe Monthly Receives National Recognition

Honest Abe Monthly Receives National Recognition

Honest Abe Monthly Receives National Recognition and Honest Abe Log Homes received numerous national home building accolades as part of the 2013 Jerry Rouleau Awards for Excellence in Marketing and Home Design presented by the Building Systems Councils (BSC) and the...
Custom Floor Plan: Busch Residence, One Father’s Legacy

Custom Floor Plan: Busch Residence, One Father’s Legacy

Nearly 50 years ago, the father of George Busch purchased a small lot on Nolin Lake in Kentucky. On it, he built a quaint three room cottage, as was typical in the community. At that time, small weekender cabins were constructed to provide basic necessities and...
Customers Praise Construction Crew and Chief

Customers Praise Construction Crew and Chief

by Josh Watson, Construction Coordinator for Honest Abe Log Homes “Joe & his crew did an outstanding job from the time they arrived until they finished. Thanks from the inspector and me on a job well done!” – Tim Johnston We always appreciate feedback from our...
Practical and Thrifty Log Home Perfect for Young Couple

Practical and Thrifty Log Home Perfect for Young Couple

By Josh Beasley, Honest Abe Living Though newlyweds, Nick and April Patterson’s story began long before they knew one another, in fact, before either were born. April is the daughter of Janie and late father Doug Smith, who founded Honest Abe Log Homes over 30 years...
A Team Effort – Darlington log home floor plan

A Team Effort – Darlington log home floor plan

When Matt & Tara Kamman decided to build an Honest Abe Log Home in Indiana, they chose to work with independent dealership T & M Log Homes, owned by Tonia and Mike Coulter.  The Coulters took a hands-on approach and helped the couple plan for the building of...
Rocky-K Log Homes Dealership Celebrates 20 Years

Rocky-K Log Homes Dealership Celebrates 20 Years

Rocky-K Log Homes, an independent dealership of Honest Abe Log Home products, recently celebrated 20 years of business in their hometown of Leitchfield, Kentucky.  Owners, Ellis and Sandy Kiper, welcomed the community with food, fellowship, music and fun to help...
Down a Different Road

Down a Different Road

Maurice and Elfi Fliess didn’t take the same path that most log home owners traverse. It’s common that people will dream for decades and research for years before building their perfect log home. They will visit manufacturers across the country, attend trade shows in...

The Enormous Strength of a Log Home

Over and over again, the strength and durability of log homes is proven by real-world examples.  This photo may not be the prettiest, but it’s a great example of the strength of our log walls and roof systems.  Just read the testimonial from the professional below:...
Honest Abe on Cover of Log Cabin Homes Magazine

Honest Abe on Cover of Log Cabin Homes Magazine

The Honest Abe home of Janet and Grady Wilson just made the cover of Log Cabin Homes November issue!  The featured article in the issue deals with trends, and Honest Abe’s Bellewood floor plan (which the Wilson home was based from) is featured specifically. It...
Building the Thompsons’ Home

Building the Thompsons’ Home

  With building in the beautiful countryside of Crossville, Tennessee in mind, Robin & Vickie Thompson bought blueprints for their log home in March 2010.  Two years later they were ready to build! With Sharron Bilbrey’s help, the Thompsons’ found...
Cumberland River Retreat Log Home

Cumberland River Retreat Log Home

Article & Photography by Joshua Beasley, Honest Abe Log Homes About thirty “river miles” downstream from the Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky, sits a Cumberland River retreat, a quaint hide-a-way and tribute to a family patriarch. Randy Fudge, former President of Honest...
Traveling the Barn Quilt Trail

Traveling the Barn Quilt Trail

These days, a family getaway often means a trip close to home.  Heading into the countryside to visit historic towns and sites along the way, stopping for a country-cooked meal, and perhaps spending the night where the sounds of nature lull us to sleep are as relaxing...
Written Endorsement from the Job Site

Written Endorsement from the Job Site

Often times, short and simple is better.  Honest Abe Log Home’s Construction Coordinator, Josh Watson, received an unexpected note of gratitude and endorsement recently from a customer. The unsolicited note was quickly written on the back of a check-off sheet used as...
Family, Friends & the Pursuit of Memories

Family, Friends & the Pursuit of Memories

For nearly thirty years now, Steve and Merry Byrne have made Dale Hollow Lake, which spans the Tennessee and Kentucky state line, their destination of escape.  While raising their two boys, the couple would drive to the area from their home near Louisville, Kentucky,...

Building Pines Point

Planning to leave their home of 36 years was not going to be an easy step, but John and Wanda Wallace were ready for a change of pace.  Both of them had a underlying passion for log homes.  Wanda credits much of this to memories of her father and grandmother telling...
Why Are Log Homes Better Than Conventional Construction?

Why Are Log Homes Better Than Conventional Construction?

12 Advantages Log Homes Have Over Stick & Brick Construction It is unlikely that frequent readers of Honest Abe Monthly need to be convinced on the many advantages log homes have over their conventional counterparts.  However, it never hurts to be reminded of...
America’s State Parks

America’s State Parks

by Joshua Beasley, Honest Abe Log Homes Hidden treasure is spread across our great United States of America, just waiting to be discovered.  Are you ready for the hunt?  We’re not searching for fine jewels, or the luster of gold.  There’s no need...
Third Time’s A Charm

Third Time’s A Charm

Building a custom log home is often a journey.  For some, it takes years of dreaming and research.  Others know exactly what they want and charge ahead.  Then some, like Clyde and Helen Williams, find an unconventional means to arrive at the log home...
KarSan Log Home Blog

KarSan Log Home Blog

Blogs have become an incredible way for those building a log home to share their experience with family, friends and the world.  One customer of independent dealer Arkansas Log Home Connection took full advantage of this tool. The KarSan Log Home blog has documented...
Lloyd Construction Project

Lloyd Construction Project

Tim & Carol Lloyd already had the beautiful acreage to situate their getaway cabin, they just needed the cabin.  That’s where Honest Abe Log Homes came in.  Working with Inez Price out of Moss, Tenn., Tim & Carol designed their ideal plan. Located on a small...
Cumberland River Retreat Log Home

Outdoor Ideas: A Look at Porches & Decks

Now more than ever, porches, decks and outdoor living spaces are essential to new home construction.  They provide superior protection to doors, windows and exterior walls.  They help with a home’s energy efficiency, and have many other positive benefits.  While all...
The Virginia Creeper Trail

The Virginia Creeper Trail

by Joshua Beasley, Honest Abe Log Homes Are you ready for some adventure?  How about a 17 mile bike ride?  Wait… keep reading!  What if I told you it was all downhill, through the gorgeous Appalachian mountains, and that it’s so easy even children can do it? ...
2011 Dealer of the Year

2011 Dealer of the Year

Log Homes of West Virginia Named 2011 Dealer of the Year Honest Abe Log Homes Regional Dealer Manager David Everitt traveled to West Virginia on Feb. 9, 2011, to visit with Russ Saunders of Log Homes of WV.  While there, they presented Russ with Honest Abe’s...
Exterior Wood Burning Stoves

Exterior Wood Burning Stoves

By Joshua Beasley, Marketing & Advertising for Honest Abe Log Homes An ever evolving but long-standing issue has been the search for efficient and cost-effective alternative energy sources for homes.  Some owners do so to offset their utility bills, others to...
Get Answers at Log Home Shows, But Go Prepared

Get Answers at Log Home Shows, But Go Prepared

So you’re planning your dream log home. All of a sudden, reality hits and you’re faced with a barrage of questions. What floor plan do I want? Which company do I chose? Do I want a round or square log? Is one wood species better than the rest? How will I match my...
Insulation in Log Home Heavy Timber Roof

Insulation in Log Home Heavy Timber Roof

By Inez Price, Salesperson for Honest Abe Log Homes When you approach an Honest Abe Log Home, you take in the logs, porches, decks, windows, design etc… upon entering you will most likely observe the decorations, flooring, walls, what kind of view they have and...
Back In Time

Back In Time

by Sharron Bilbrey, Salesperson for Honest Abe Log Homes By taking a walk back in time to get a glimpse of the log cabins built by early pioneers in the Smoky Mountains, one will discover time-tested styles and designs that reveal how these cabins have influenced log...
Construction of the Sears Home

Construction of the Sears Home

By Josh Watson, Construction Coordinator for Honest Abe Log Homes Coming in from the cold weather of Coventry, Connecticut, the Sears chose the warmth of an Honest Abe Log Home built in Tennessee.  Upon completion of the design process this past April, the...

Honest Abe Receives Awards from NAHB

Honest Abe Log Homes, has received numerous national home building accolades, capturing top honors for best Presentation of Floor Plans, best Log Home Design Under 2,000 sq. ft., and best Log Home Design between 3001 – 4000 sq. ft. in the 2012 Jerry Rouleau Awards for...
Creating Affordable Log Homes

Creating Affordable Log Homes

You rarely hear these days “money is no object.” “No matter what your net worth, chances are you’re interested in making smart investments and getting the most for your money,” said Josh Beasley, president of Honest Abe Log Homes. “Building a log...
Honest Abe Log Home Survives Tornado

Honest Abe Log Home Survives Tornado

In April 2011 tornadoes ripped through the area and other parts of the South, killing 131 people in Alabama and more than 200 total in six states. The twister that struck Tuscaloosa, Ala., gained nationwide attention, as the mile-wide storm killed 15 people,...