Mountain magic created by Jim Barna Log Systems: Glass doors and windows soar to the ceiling, providing a stunning view of the horizon.
It’s an on-going mountain love affair.
Since the ’60s when Americans embraced the back-to-the-earth movement, the demand for log home living has grown to make up more than seven percent of all the nation’s new home construction as of 2003. In high recreation areas, the figure soars even higher. Case in point: Tennessee is the largest producer of log homes in the nation.
What the secret to the log home mystique?
“It’s a two-fold thing,” says Doug Allen, vice president of sales and marketing for Tennessee’s Jim Barna Homes. “First, our market is baby boomers and they want to have something tactile, meaning they can touch it, feel it and it’s not plastic, not vinyl, it’s real. Second, they also want the buying experience of creating something very individualized, something unique that will be a legacy to their family. They want to spend the money for themselves, but be able to leave something behind.”
The central focal point, a two-story stone fireplace, contrasts with natural-toned beams and accents in this open living area.
HERITAGE LOG HOMES, INC.
But there’s more.
“From a log-home standpoint,” Allen sums up, “buyers want the safety, the comfort and the nostalgia of this type of living.”
All of this comes together in a profile of discriminating owners. According to industry research for the Log Home Council, a specialized section of the Building
Systems Council of the National Association of Home Builders, people who opt for log homes are generally:
Professionals with more education than other buyers.
More careful and detail-oriented, taking around two years to plan their homes vs. six or seven months for conventional buyers.
Success-driven but with an urge to escape big city life for the peaceful countryside on holidays and weekends.
Married, in their mid-40s and focused on increasingly spacious layouts, most often around 2,300 square feet.
For more information about this dynamic, growing industry, contact Log Homes Council, National Association of Home Builders, 1201 15th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20005, or see our FREE info card on page 67.
