Thank
you for your interest!
We would love to share our “Dream Home” and stories
with you. If you
can attend one of our monthly open houses we can explain what
Honest Abe Log Homes has to offer. We
also can schedule an appointment to get together.
It is our promise to guide and assist you thru the
process of building and owning a log home.
Everyone
dreaming of building a log home must educate themselves to the
process and it can be confusing at times. I
researched the market for years before making the educated
decision to build an Honest Abe Log home.
We looked at numerous models, evaluated package contents
offered by many different companies. When you make the final decision you must feel comfortable
with process, the decision itself, the company, and the builder.
Everyone
wants to know “how much does it cost” to build a log home.
It’s a fair question, one that I find hard to answer. It depends on your taste and desires. Log homes tend to cost a little more than a stick house. After
all, you have more than 2 x 4s nailed together, covered with
plywood and vinyl siding. There are affordable ways to own a log home. Do
not let sticker shock be the deciding factor.
If a log home is your dream you should go for it, we did.
In the long run you
are getting a better home and it will last forever.
Look at it as an investment in your future.
We
designed our own home with the help of Honest Abe’s design
department. It
was our intention from the beginning to be our own General
Contractor and use an experienced crew from Honest Abe for the
dry in. The
remaining construction was a lot of sweat equity and sub
contracting. We
saved a lot of $MONEY$ by doing so!
My construction crew consisted of my wife Penney,
daughter Heather and yours truly.
Our
“Dream Home” project started with excavation in early May
2001. The sub
contracted foundation, rough plumbing and basement floor were
completed by late June.
The log package was delivered and inventoried in mid
June. Dry in
began on the 9th of July, the sub floor was built and
the log walls up in a week’s time.
We interfaced with the crew daily.
In the evening we cleaned up and kept things orderly.
Partial dry in was completed on September 5th.
We continued the process ourselves by cleaning the
exterior and interior surfaces and applied the exterior
Penetreat, stain and top coat. A
roofer applied the shingles and the gutters and downspouts were
installed. We
installed the exterior doors, windows and trim.
We
now had a weatherized shell and started on the interior.
I used metal studs rather than wood that came with the
package for the interior walls.
Heating contractor installed the ducts for a geo thermal
system. Plumber
installed plastic drains/vents and copper water lines.
We insulated the second floor gables/dormers; finished
them with wood and dry wall.
Other interior walls were finished with drywall and
contracted the painting. I wired the whole house, starting with the conduit from the
transformer and finishing with the switch plates. Proud to say I passed the final electrical inspection the
first time. Kerosene
heaters were used till the electric was turned on in mid January
2002. Kitchen
cabinets were delivered and were easy to install.
Built and tiled the countertops.
Tiled and grouted the kitchen, laundry room and bathrooms
floors. Set the
bathroom sinks, vanities, tubs, showers, and commodes.
Installed 2200 sq feet of wide plank pine flooring in the
great room and bedrooms. Had
someone do the finish sanding and we applied the stain and
finish.
The
home we were living in sold quickly.
Did not want to rent an apartment and put things in
storage. We decided
to rough it and move in while we worked on the house; did so in
April of 2002, what an experience.
Penney and I are still married, despite what you hear
about building your own home.
Was
it hard work, YES! Would
we do it over again, YES! Was if fun, YES! Did
all of this while I kept my day job and Penney managed her
Longaberger Basket business.
We have the personal satisfaction of looking at our
work and enjoying a great feeling of accomplishment.
Please
call, write or email for more information.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Wayne
Wayne & Penney
Gerding
Homestead Log Homes
871 Avenstoke Road
Waddy, KY 40076
502 859-2489
E-mail:penway@mis.net
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