contents April, 2012
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Cover Story: Outdoor Ideas A Look at
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The Virginia Creeper Trail
Porches and Decks
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The Colors!
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Photos from a DIY Project
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Lodge Recipe: Pan-Fried Fajita Steaks
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New Floor Plan: The Custom Segura
blog & news room
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Log home and cabin related videos ready for viewing on our YouTube station. If it is in our library of photos, it is likely in our Google Picasa photo gallery as well.
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Outdoor Ideas:
A Look at Porches & Decks
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ow 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 those points are important functionally, the necessity of the outdoor spaces today may be most needed because of our culture. Many of us have memories from our past of time shared outside on the porch. Personally, I love it when a Spring storm blows in. I go out on our screened porch and just enjoy watching it rain. The smells, the sounds, and the feeling of the cool breeze rushing by is both relaxing and invigorating at the same time. Most importantly though, it reminds me of time with family. Growing up, my father and I would do the same, and I guess that is why it sticks with me even today. It was an opportunity for him to pull me away from MTV, or video games. It gave him a time to relax. Most importantly, it gave us time to connect.
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Distractions within our homes are continuously growing; cell phones, iPads and iPods, recorded television shows, and the list goes on. One great way to connect with family is by spending it outside of the home. Equipping your new home with porches and decks is beneficial to your family, relaxation, and is also good for the home itself in terms of protection and appeal. The rest of this article is dedicated to photography and ideas. Most are practical and affordable ideas rather than over-thetop. Use them as starting points to create the perfect space outside your home.
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Top Left: The porch of a home is often the first area visitors get to see up-close. Designs like this allow for a beautiful entry way, but also serve a functional purpose to the home owners. Extending an open deck beyond the covered porch creates an even greater open feeling. Bottom Left: Elevated porches have a number of benefits. Besides adding extra protection to the walls, door and windows, they can create a secluded escape. Often, these areas are accessed from the master bedroom. With private access, the area becomes the owner’s private get-a-way. The added height is great for enjoying the beautiful views that many of our log and timber homes seem to enjoy. Right: Does it get any better than the traditional front (or back) porch swing? It’s easy, affordable, and provides a great place to relax. With Honest Abe’s exposed 4x6 porch rafters, hanging a swing is no problem. The standard width of our porch designs are eight feet wide, so there will be plenty of room for the porch swing as well.
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Porches don’t have to maintain the traditional “shed” design or appearance. This “gable” porch roof creates a grand entrance into this Honest Abe Log Home. By incorporating the right mixture of multiple tiers, stone work, exposed rafters, lighting and details, this porch is sure to leave an impression with visitors.
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Honest Abe’s porch materials can also be used for sheds and shelters. This Honest Abe Log Home features an extensive amount of back porch to the home, then also incorporates a rustic shelter over a portion of their pool.
This development’s clubhouse (a hybrid log/timber frame built by Honest Abe) features a pool area open to home owners. They chose to use rustic log and timber components for their pool house and shelter area.
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Above: When you have a great view to take advantage of like the one above, make sure your design incorporates proper outdoor living areas. This gazebo is elevated about 12’ off the ground and attached to the first floor porch of the home. Below: Exterior fireplaces are becoming increasingly popular. Winter or summer, they become a natural gathering area.
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The Vriginia Creeper Trail
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re 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? From time to time we like to share interesting destinations we think log home enthusiasts will enjoy. In this special, we would like to introduce you to the Virginia Creeper Trail found in western Virginia. Representatives from Honest Abe Log Homes took a trip down a portion of the Virginia Creeper Trail in 2009. It’s an experience that had such an impression it led a few to take the 6 hour drive again to enjoy it with their families. The trail, which follows an old railway, winds through the mountains, over bridges and beside beautiful mountain streams. The trail officially starts in Abingdon, Virginia, goes through Damascus, then on up to White Top at a distance of 34.3 miles. Notice the word “up”? So, most everyone runs the trail backwards. Because of the elevation, it’s often times several degrees www.honestabe.com
cooler on top of its highest point at White Top Station. On the day this article was written, just after noon, in Abingdon the temperature was reported at 71.7 degrees. At White Top Station, it registered at 62.6. A trip from White Top to Damascus is about a 17 mile ride, with almost a 2,000 ft. drop in elevation. Since the trail is most often traversed from it’s official end point to take advantage of the descent, an abundance of bike shops exist in Damascus. Each will rent bikes, then haul groups to the top of White Top Station for the ride down. Once you get back to Damascus, you simply bike back to their shop. The shops typically have an assortment of bikes for all April 2012 • Honest Abe Monthly • 9
age ranges, and even have bike trailers for small children. If you would like to bring your own bike, that is no problem, they will just charge for the haul up the mountain. Large chain hotels and motels are nowhere to be found. Instead, take in a local bed-and-breakfast, or enjoy some of the small cabins that scatter the countryside. If a trip is planned for this area of the country, consider a day to go down the Virginia Creeper Trail. When we traveled the trail, my wife was a few month’s pregnant and I pulled our three year old son in a bike trailer. We all had a great time, and intend on returning. It’s an incredible outdoor experience, that any member of the family can go on. Article by: Joshua Beasley, Marketing, Honest Abe Log Homes
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Virginia Creeper Trail Resources: VA Creeper Trail Club: http://www.vacreepertrail.org/ VA Creeper Trail Online Guide: http://www.vacreepertrail.com/ Google Maps of Damascus, VA: http://g.co/maps/d7euy YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/jpQx5KBv-qY
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The Colors! Is your idea of a log home interior made up of entirely wood tones or is there any thought to having a “splash” of color? An accent wall in the great room, painted cabinets or a completely different type of finish material in an area or two can add beautiful variety. The majority of our clients finish their home’s interior entirely out of wood, with no drywall anywhere. Yes, some of our clients prefer just a little drywall, giving them more flexibility to infuse more color into the home. These range from accent walls in master bedrooms, to a wall in a great room, a gable end wall or child’s bedroom. Or, are all of your color accents coming from your furnishings? The options are numerous. Here are some photos to help inspire you in decorating your log home. Article by: David Everitt, Dealer Manager, Honest Abe Log Homes
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Photos from a DIY Project While the “Turn-Key” trend exploded in the mid 2000’s, it has now been replaced by the DIY (Do-ItYourself ) Project. Ronnie Cato and Terry Petit out of northern Kentucky are great examples of this. After a devastating house fire, the couple recalled they had seen a log home model on the side of a highway and promised themselves that one day that would stop in. Soon after, they stopped in and met Dallas Powers of Lead Creek Log Homes, who is a independent dealer of Honest Abe products in Hawesville, Kentucky. Ronnie has experience with drywall and trim, and they both thought it would be a fun experience to do as much of the work as possible themselves. Terry has a lot of interior restoration experience, so painting and wallpapering would be no problem. This combination of wood and drywall has allowed them to bring vibrant colors into the home. As construction continues on evenings and weekends, the couple is living in the basement of the home. The home’s basic dimensions are 30 feet by 40 feet, not including the porch. The exterior closely resembles Honest Abe’s Raleigh floor plan, while the interior layout is almost identical to the Sinclair model. The couple expressed gratitude to all their friends and family that have come to help work on their new log home. Looks for this home to be a featured article in Honest Abe Monthly in the future! Article by: Joshua Beasley, Marketing, Honest Abe Log Homes 12 • Honest Abe Monthly • April 2012
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Pan-Fried Fajita Steaks Serves 4 2 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
4 (10-12 oz. beef strip steaks 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 8 fajita-style flour tortillas 2 yellow bell peppers, cut in half and seeded 8 plum tomatoes, cut in half 12 green onions, trimmed 2 limes, cut in half
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Preheat 2 large cast iron skillets over medium-high heat. 2. Combine the chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl; rub the mixture evenly over the steaks. 3. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into each of the hot skillets. Add 2 steaks to each pan and sear, turning every minute, until the steaks reach desired degree of doneness (10 to 12 minutes or an internal temperature of 120° for medium rare). Transfer the steaks to a platter, cover loosely with foil, and let stand. 4. Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm in the oven as the vegetables cook. 5. Increase the heat under the skillets to high. Add some of the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to each pan, if necessary. Divide the bell peppers, tomatoes, green onions, and lime halves into 2 equal piles; add to the hot pans. Cook, tossing the vegetables and limes a few times, until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the platter with the steaks. 6. To serve, heat both skillets over high heat; return the steaks and fajita vegetables to the pans and squeeze the charred lime halves over the top. Serve with the warm tortillas. Each diner gets their own steak and can help themselves to the vegetables in the pan.
We hope you enjoy this recipe from the new Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook: A Treasury of Timeless Delicious Recipes. The cookbook can be ordered from the Lodge web site or from Amazon. For more information about Lodge and their cast iron cookware, visit: www.lodgemfg.com
“The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook: A Treasury of Timeless, Delicious Recipes” - Oxmoor House. 2012 www.honestabe.com
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FLOOR PLAN OF THE MONTH: Custom Segura
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ne of our great pleasures is to watch how our customer’s take multiple Honest Abe floor plans and merge them into one. The Segura’s home was designed in similar fashion. It combines a couple of our classic floor plans, adjusting each to 14 • Honest Abe Monthly • April 2012
suite their needs, to ultimately represent a brand new plan. This floor plan features three bedrooms and two and a half baths. The master bathroom is spacious, and the master bedroom features an exit onto the
rear deck. Front and back porch areas provide superb outdoor living space. Everything is located on a single story unless built on a basement. The living room, dining area and kitchen are all open and www.honestabe.com
FLOOR PLAN:
Honest Abe’s Customer Creations: Custom Segura Square Feet: 2,216 Floors: 2 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2.5
feature a vaulted ceiling. A wide fireplace, flanked by two fixed glass windows overlooks the area. For more information on the Custom Segura, download the PDF available through the members area of Honest Abe Extra! www.honestabe.com
Want More Great Plans?
Check out the floor plans section dedicated to log and timber home plans created by Honest Abe Log Home customers! April 2012 • Honest Abe Monthly • 15