The View From Up North: Log Home Newsletters

It appears that the housing market is recovering slowly, but surely, with a drop in the most recent unemployment figures showing positive signs for our economy. We're seeing the positive upturns at our log home shows and from our dealers as well, with orders for the coming year keeping the mill busy this winter.

We're excited about the two new Log Home Seminars we've scheduled for March 19 in Baxter, Tenn., and April 2 in Mansfield, Mass. See the information below, and give us a call for more information or to register.

With the kind of extended winter we're experiencing in Maine, it seemed like a good idea to take a look at how simple tweaks to your log home design might take advantage of that free "space heater," the sun. Calculating the maximum solar gain by adjusting overhang and window placement seems to make sense as heating costs continue to rise.

Many of you plan to build in a rural area, and that usually means relying on a well for your domestic water. One of our neighboring companies, Bison Hand Pumps in Houlton, Maine, has been adding to their line of unique and functional hand pump designs. We give you an overview of these new looks, as well as how a hand pump can keep your well protected and water flowing in an emergency. I've had a Bison Hand Pump at my home for years, and highly recommend them!

Other stories this month include making sure your home office set-up is designed to help your professional life, and a look at some of the new, exciting kitchen appliances available this year.

With the right design tweaks, you can ensure that your log home will make the most of solar warmth in colder months and shade your interiors during the months when the sun is at its highest and strongest position. Learn how to calculate and maximize your passive solar gain here.

Many of our customers choose to build their log homes in rural areas with private water wells. Typically wells are serviced by an electric well pump. Planning for power outages due to storms, floods or other emergencies should include installing a modern hand pump to provide access to your water, as well as protecting your water source from contamination from flooding. Learn more here.

Many people have found working from home to be not only more convenient but more efficient and better for family life. If you plan to have an office in your new log home, here are seven tips to help you design in the features you need to make a home office successful. Learn more.

Just when you thought appliance companies couldn't come up with another "new" thing, they did! Most of the dramatic changes are occurring at the upper end of the category, but there are some lower-cost options as well. Read more.

We've found two terrific locations for log home seminars this spring. Plus, you can meet with Katahdin's log home experts in Indianapolis at the end of the month. Click here for more information.