Planning a Log Home in Wisconsin | DIY Dreams | Log Home Living |
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Originally Kevin and his wife, Sue, had planned to wait until they retired before building a log vacation home north of their permanent residence in Wisconsin Rapids. But after finding a picture-perfect 4-acre site right in town, they decided to take advantage of the bank’s favorable interest rates and scooped up the property to build a home they could live in year-round. They broke ground in May 2003, and a year later, Kevin, Sue and their 15-year-old daughter, Jenna, were sitting in the great room, peering through soaring windows at deer drinking from the creek below.
What’s remarkable about the Henkes’ construction timeframe is that Kevin, who had never built a home before, did much of the work in his spare time. He acted as the general contractor while also holding down a full-time job as a maintenance coordinator for a paper company. A professional builder did the shell, windows, exterior doors and roof, but Kevin’s team of friends and family members took it from there, working nights and weekends to have the house finished for the town’s annual Parade of Homes in August.
Kevin, a woodworking enthusiast, outdoorsman and intrepid bow hunter, says, “I just looked at this house as a big woodworking project.”
He relied on friends who are skilled tradesmen to donate their time and expertise, while the home’s finishing work was completed by a parcel of dedicated family members.
Kevin and Sue tweaked Golden Eagle Log Homes’ Eagle Prow design, adding more windows for an expansive view, a porch that overlooks the driveway and a master bedroom in the loft. Almost everything, from bathroom fixtures to flooring to kitchen cabinets to the wood-burning fireplace, was supplied by Golden Eagle. In fact, Kevin chose the company because they offered such a complete package.
“We’re a one-stop shop,” explains Jay Parmeter, president and co-owner of Golden Eagle Log Homes. “Customers don’t have as much time to shop around to make sure everything matches and fits. We’ve been doing packages for 20 years, and when we first started, we also had a home-supply center. Our customers gave us the idea to merge the two.”
Doing much of the work themselves also helped to cut costs for the Henkes. “With our sweat equity, we saved between $50,000 and $70,000,” estimates Kevin, adding, “We probably won’t live long enough to repay all of the favors.”
For the Henkes, this is much more than a house. It’s a precious trove of hard-won memories. “There’s a great sense of accomplishment involved with this project,” says Kevin. Now that it’s all done, there’s nothing he likes better than to sit back and enjoy the view of local flora and fauna from his great room—and share the experience with the people who made it all happen.
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