By Mike Haskew
Photos courtesy of Steven Rothenberger, Jared Gingrich
With million-dollar views of southeastern Pennsylvania’s rolling wooded hills, Steven and Becky Rothenberger’s property simply begged for a home with elegantly rustic appeal. For more than 30 years, they had researched and prepared until the vision became clear: they desired a home with a log look, minimal maintenance and, importantly, longevity.
“If I had been able to design and build our new home, say 15 to 20 years ago, I probably would have gone with full logs — that had always been my dream,” recalls Steven. “But as I grew older and became more aware of the log home construction process and the long-term maintenance associated with these beautiful homes, I began to look at a hybrid log system.”
Enter half-log siding. Steven set out researching companies that could provide the look and feel that he and Becky desired and do so at the right price point. “There were three must-haves for us that I had in mind — a minimum of 10-inch logs, saddle-notch corners and a hand-hewn finish,” he says.
The decision to use saddle-notch corners was strategic: the Rothenbergers felt the style effectively mimicked the look of a full-log home. Of course other options were available, but for them, the saddle-notch corner represented the true, classic log home look — “like building with Lincoln Logs when we were kids,” says Steven.
The search for the right log supplier concluded with a company that could meet each requirement. “Not all log home manufacturers offer saddle-notch corners or the overall look that we wanted,” Steven explains, “but it was an option that Northern Log Supply out of Michigan could do. They checked all of my boxes and were the most cost competitive.” Ultimately, the Rothenbergers opted for northern white pine half logs with a hand-hewn finish.
With the Rothenbergers’ comprehensive approach to species, style, corners and other considerations, they expect their choice to pay dividends for years to come, with minimizing upkeep at the top of the list.
“The half-log system will not have a maintenance impact on the overall construction of our home,” Steven explains. “As I was designing and working on the elevations, I always tried to balance look and feel versus the maintenance. I used this opportunity in my approach to incorporate different ‘maintenance-free’ building materials in the higher elevations of the home. It’s a personal preference, but I believe that this system, at the price point we had to work with, was the best bang for our buck.”
Next, Gingrich Builders stepped in to begin the process of putting together the walls. The company brought a half-century of experience to the project, and co-owner Bruce Gingrich had a professional hand on the helm.
His team attached the half-logs and saddle-notch corner system with hidden fasteners. “They extended past the corner with a section matching the half-log profile. This gives stability to the sizable solid-log corner,” Bruce explains. “The 4-by-10-inch half-logs and full round corners present the heavy, sturdy look that the Rothenbergers wanted.”
The half-log assembly was completed within two months, with only one slight misstep along the way. “The log trim pieces needed for around our windows and doors were unfortunately miscalculated,” explains Steven. “But Northern Log stepped up and made it right. They got us the missing pieces in a very timely manner, helping us keep the build on track.”
Cooperation and coordination shone through continually during the entire process of choosing, ordering and constructing the half-log exterior of the Rothenberger home. Working together, the team kept the project advancing on schedule and achieved the balance between good looks and low maintenance that Steven and Becky sought from the beginning, getting them one step closer to life in their dream home.
