Log homes Go ‘green’ and energy-efficient  BY MATT BOLCH
For Carole and Sam Hess, building a 3,200-square-foot log home in Ellijay was a life-changing event. What started as a weekend home for the Sandy Springs couple has turned into a new career for Carole, who now helps other people decorate their log cabins in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. “This log cabin has not only changed what I do for a living, our cabin is more than a second home because we use it all the time,” says Carole, adding that the 90-minute trip to Ellijay makes traveling to their log home for even one night worth the journey. “There’s a peace that comes from the smell of the wood, and it’s such a departure from our Atlanta home.” The Hesses built a home from Barna Log Homes of Georgia that has four bedrooms, 3.5 baths and an open-loft bedroom that holds two additional beds. The home features four porches, including a covered porch used for dining and a connected covered porch with an angled fireplace overlooking a river. This porch has quickly become the preferred gathering place for family and friends. A large painting of a bear looks down on the outdoor room furnished with Appalachian rockers, old wicker furniture the couple repainted, game tables and chairs. The home has an English lodge look, with an eclectic array of furniture, including English country antiques, hickory furniture made by Amish craftsmen, leather sofas and rustic touches that are both nouveau and antique.  Unusual details include paneling in the basement from an English pub that Carole’s late father once used in his Avondale Estates home, and pine kitchen cabinets from the same home that now grace the Hesses’ kitchen and bathroom. “Some of those cabinets still have dents where my brother and I popped open Coke bottles,” Carole remembers. “Our mom wasn’t too thrilled about that.”
Builders of log homes and timber frame homes, which feature traditional exteriors and interiors more reminiscent of log homes, agree that the market has been changing recently to reflect trends in traditional home-building. Master bedrooms on the main level are more common, and high-end kitchens reflect the affluence and style of those who build these homes. “Design is the key to the whole project,” says John Ricketson, project manager for Hearthstone Log Homes in Macon. “People want balance between the ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ part of the home with 34-foot-tall cathedral ceilings and walls of glass, and the practicalities of bedroom access and not a lot of wasted space.” Owners can buy less expensive log homes, but Hearthstone abandoned the entry-level market two decades ago to concentrate on higher-end log and timber frame homes. Despite the general downturn in home-building, Ricketson says this segment remains strong because these are generally second homes for well-heeled clients who can afford them. In fact, building in a down market can save homebuyers money by obtaining better pricing from subcontractors. Finishes definitely are more upscale, agrees Alan Vickery, team member at Barna Log Homes of Georgia in Ellijay. “We’re seeing more high-end interiors, with Viking appliances, granite countertops and terrazzo floors,” he says. “There are some wonderful ways to break up spaces where people don’t want the all-wood look.”  Vickery has also seen changes designed to meet the needs of an aging population, with master-on-main configurations and 3-foot interior door openings to accommodate wheelchairs. He notes that Jack-and-Jill (adjoining) bathroom arrangements are common, as are outdoor fireplaces to create ambience in outdoor entertainment areas and indoor and outdoor fireplaces constructed of cultured stone.
Barna Log Homes of Georgia has seen intense interest in its new “green” Verde Cabin, which combines log home aesthetics with energy-efficient construction for lower operating costs. Features include special 1-1/2-inch-by-12-inch, hand-hewn log siding with Hardiplank exterior skirting, Trex exterior decking, high-thermal performance doors and windows, rain barrel water reclamation system, tankless water heater and light-gauge steel framing for interior support that allows for closed-cell Dow spray foam insulation, which seals the entire home and provides an R-value of 22 in the exterior walls. Timber frame homes offer a viable alternative to traditional log home construction, giving owners more design leeway on exteriors and interiors, says Richard Rosenbloom, president of Chattahoochee TimberFrames in Atlanta. The company is a representative of Riverbend Timber Framing. “Log homes and timber frame homes don’t compete with each other,” Rosenbloom says. “Once someone figures out which home type is ideal, you can’t sell a timber frame home to a log home person and vice-versa.” Timber frame homes are available in a variety of styles, from French cottage and Cape Cod to craftsman and modern motifs. The company sells in five Southeastern states, and recent projects have included a craftsman bungalow in Chattanooga and a house in an Alpharetta subdivision. “Most buyers tend to be permanent residents of preretirement age who intend to live in the home for many years,” says Rosenbloom. “It may be a second home to start, but these will become retirement homes.” Rosenbloom’s current clients include Wayne and Linda Trowell. The couple love the outdoors, skiing, playing tennis and hiking, and knew their new home would incorporate the outdoors and the indoors. The Alpharetta dentist and his wife had attended log home shows for several years and toured timber frame homes in Montana and Colorado before picking a timber frame model. The couple already owned property in Dawsonville, and construction started last fall on their 3,800-square-foot home, which will use 40 percent to 60 percent less energy than traditional building techniques, says builder Will Garrett. Energy savings will be achieved through the use of Energy Star appliances, Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co. windows with argon gas between the panes, Hardiplank shingles and shakes, insulated structural panels, a south-facing building orientation and leaving as many trees as possible in place. The lot will be xeriscaped for optimal landscape efficiency as well. For anyone looking to build a log or timber frame home, the first step should be to visit local home dealers or attend one of the numerous log home shows in the area. There, potential buyers will receive firsthand information that can help them make an informed choice. Depending on the type of home and the level of finish, a log or timber frame home can cost 20 percent to 30 percent more than traditional construction techniques, but using energy-efficient construction can save money on operating expenses. Even after purchasing the lot, the Hesses took their time selecting the exact home they wanted, taking about a year to think about the style, where to site the home and how big it would be. In the end, Carole says they selected an existing Barna model and modified it heavily to suit their needs. “We wanted to build it to live in a long time and then pass it on to our kids.” —Matt Bolch is an Atlanta-based freelance writer who regularly contributes to more than a dozen consumer, trade and custom publications. | 
