Purchasing Land

This past week I took the opportunity to make the three and a half hour trip to northwest Pennsylvania, where we will be building our Estemerwalt Log Home. I currently live in Myerstown, PA on the eastern side of the state and with our hectic schedule, finding the time to make the trip was difficult. However, it was important for me to show you where we will be building our home and why.
This was a chance to do some filming and bring you a better perspective than just photos. Although the time of year, last day of February, is certainly not the best time to showcase the beautiful surroundings, you will still get the idea.
When selecting this location, it was important to move my wife and children to a location where I could give my kids the same experiences and opportunities that I had growing up. I want to be able to come home and tell my son to put down the video game and go play outside without having to worry about the creepy guy down the street, or him getting hit by a car. What better place to build, but on the same hillsides that I roamed as a child.
My parents own a 60 acre farm in Clarion County, PA and I will be building our home on top of the hill approximately 150 yards from my parent's house. These are the hills where I grew up chasing small game as a youngster, playing football and baseball with my friends and shooting my first ever whitetail. I can't think of a better place to raise a family!
When choosing a home, it is good to research and ask for the advice of your builders, log home manufacturers, and anyone else involved in the project. They all seem to tell you the same thing - "THE LOCATION OF THE HOME WILL MAKE OR BREAK THE PROJECT." So what they are saying is, it is very important to take your time and don't just throw up a beautiful home in a questionable location. Make sure it is the perfect spot. Even if you have to put off building the home for some time, purchase the land first.
I am 100% sure of the location where we are building and it is going to exceed all of our dreams and expectations!

Show Wrap Up - Time To Buy Some Land

Just wanted to stop in and let everyone know that the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show was a tremendous success! Estemerwalt built us a beautiful 10x20 booth that knocked everyone's socks off. In fact, we had many vendors stopping by to see if Estemerwalt could build them a booth like ours. There was a lot of pressure for us to have a fantastic booth as we were the internet coverage sponsors of the show this year!

View Video Below of Our Interview With Jack Mundy of Estemerwalt Log Homes

It was a great week but now it is time to get down to business. Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting some video as well as blogs regarding "Purchasing Land". We have met with many people and have picked out just the right spot for my family and I. We are also getting close on the final designs of the home as well as our contractor. So check back soon!

See Us At The Eastern Outdoor Show

I just wanted to let you all know that we are going to be at the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA from February 7-15. We will be there with the Estemerwalt crew in our brand new booth that was built by Estemerwalt Log Homes. Stop by and see us in booth #3001 in the North Hall and for more information about the show you can visit - www.pasportsmenportal.com/eastern-sports-outdoor-show/

I look forward to seeing you there.

Here is a photo of what our booth looks like, of course it doesn't have all the nice signs and decorations on it yet, but it turned out awesome. As usual, Estemerwalt Log Homes always does an awesome job.

Choosing The Perfect Log Home Manufacturer

Estemerwalt Log Homes Team

Once we knew we wanted to build a log home, the search for a great company was on. Where do you start and how do you weed through all the companies out there and find the best one that will suit your needs? You may have guessed, my search began on the internet. The web is a great tool when doing research on log home companies as well as financing, designing the home, and more. Since I live in Pennsylvania, my search began with PA and we interviewed three different log home companies and the decision was easy, Estemerwalt Log Homes, Honesdale PA.

What I was looking for
I am not the handiest person around the house. I don't know much about building a home and really wanted to find a company that would hold my hand. I didn't want a company that would try and shove a standard design down my throat and leave me out there on my own to deal with contractors, purchasing the land, picking the accents and furnishings, etc. I am what you would call high maintenance and it was a must to find a company that would help us each step of the way. Also in today's economy it was vital to find a business that has been around for a long time and financially healthy. The last thing I wanted to do was put down a payment and have our log home company go bankrupt.

Why I Chose Estemerwalt Log Homes
The reason we chose Estemerwalt Log Homes was mainly the reasons that I mentioned above.

1. Estemerwalt has been in business since 1883, so I would say that qualifies as a financially healthy company.
2. Estemerwalt stressed the importance of hand holding. I really felt at ease with Kurt Propst, Owner and his entire staff. It is important that you feel comfortable with folks who will be building your home. You are going to be spending a lot of time with them over the next year.
   
3. One of the most important reasons, was the homes themselves. Estemerwalt builds log homes that are stunning and exactly what we were looking for.
4. We loved the option of building with the round logs. Of the three companies we interviewed, Estemerwalt was the only one that offered this style. We are building our home with the 12' round logs. Since their website says it better than I can, here it is;
   

   "This offers the beauty of the round log profile both inside and out. What sets us apart in the Northeast is our ability to offer larger diameter logs than many of our competitors. Round logs are available in 8-inch, 10-inch, and 12-inch diameters. The larger diameter of logs not only offer a more dramatic appearance, they can also increase energy efficiency of your home. We offer either a log-on-log look or a chinked style for a more historical appearance. "

5. While the other two companies really wanted you to pick from their standard design set, Estemerwalt was excited and encouraged us to come up with our own design that would fit my family's needs. This really energized my wife and she has been spending a lot of time researching and determining what designs works best for us.

There you have it. Everyone is different and the needs of each family differ on what is important to them. For me, choosing Estemerwalt was a very easy decision and we are excited about working with them throughout the entire process. When you are looking for your log home provider, determine what is important to you go in with a plan, don't compromise. Good luck in your search.

Introduction - Dreams To Reality

Hello and welcome to my first blog on the Estemerwalt's Dreams To Reality website. I am thrilled to be bringing you along on this journey as my family and I build our dream log home in Northwest Pennsylvania. Since this is my first entry I should tell you a little bit about myself and what the Dreams To Reality website is all about.

I am an avid outdoorsmen and the owner of the Sportsmen Portal, a hunting and fishing website dedicated to my passion. Being a country boy at heart and growing up on the hillsides of Northwest PA I always had a dream to build my own log home someday.

For the past 13 years I have been living in the city and working as the Director of Marketing and Strategic planning of a health system. I came to the realization that I wanted something different for me and my family, and that included a more rural lifestyle with a log home. So I quit my job at the health system and here I am working full time for myself.

I have a wonderful family, wife Liza, son Colin, and daughter Addison and they have always been supportive of me and my goals and we are all very excited about moving to the country! You will probably be seeing much more of them over the next 10 months as we build our home.

Now you may be asking yourself, "what is the Dreams To Reality website and what kind of information can I find there?" Over the next 10 months or so we are going to be brining the log home building process to you like no other website, including my blogs, video, photos, email updates and more. This is site dedicated to helping you understand the log home building process from beginning to end. It is also an interactive process and I encourage you to get involved. Let me know what kind of questions you may have, or maybe you already have a log home and you can help me with some suggestions. I am all ears and look forward to hearing from you. Register to receive our email updates regarding the progress of our new Estemerwalt Log Home.