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Rich and Schätz Hermann have certainly found the perfect location for their new log home—overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River. During a visit, an osprey soared above the river and signs of deer were everywhere.
“We’ve had as many as 11 deer at our feeder,” said Rich. “We were going through 50 pounds of corn each night.”
Rich talked about the two ruffed grouse that flew into the window. “Schätz cleaned the grouse and said, ‘Look no lead,’” Rich recalled who had recently received a fresh supply of crappies from a neighbor in Palisade. “I told Schätz, ‘We move up here we don’t even have to go get food. It comes to us.’”
The new log home that the Hermanns had built came from Pine Ridge Log Handcrafted Log Homes out of Grand Rapids. Pine Ridge is owned and operated by Mark and Evie Bookey.
Rich and Schätz discovered Pine Ridge after spotting a log home near Palisade (Kenny Spolarich). Rich and Schätz liked what they saw from the road, and they visited with Kenny. They loved what they saw, and that’s what they wanted.
Mark takes great pride in his work, something the Hermanns really appreciated. “Mark is a very competent builder and a very hard worker,” added Rich. “It is amazing how he can make those cuts in the logs and they all fit.”
Mark’s craftmanship is evident in all his homes, and the Hermann home is no exception.
Mark commented on the Hermann log home. “What a beautiful location,” shared Mark about the spot on the river. “It is always enjoyable to see how the log home fits with the landscape.
The Hermann log home has some unique characteristics including the fact that it was built with three log trusses. “Our log trusses are unique to each home,” said Mark. “They are structural as well as aesthetic.”
Another unique aspect of the Hermann home was the use of cedar on the interior. “Rich and Schätz used tongue and groove on the inside of the roof and cedar decking for the loft floor,” added Mark, “which turned out really nice.”
Mark noted that the cedar gave the home a more natural look. “It also has a beautiful fireplace built by Dean Masonry.”
“The design of that cabin is very open, and I love the building,” said Mark who especially likes the gabled entry and the car port. “The car port at the end of the home really adds to the building.”
The Hermann home is not quite finished yet, and the next phase of the project will be the stonework provided by Dean Masonry on the outside. “He’s [Bill Dean] really going to dress that home up because of the stone work he is going to do. I look at a log home as an unframed picture. A really nice painting looks good, but it even looks better when it has a frame.”
Log homes are naturally “Green”
An important aspect for many home builders these days is to help preserve the environment. According to Mark, a log home has several “Green” qualities.
First and foremost, the one log home quality that is not obvious to most homeowners is how long the structure will last. “How long does a typical conventional home last? Is it 50, 60 or 70 years? The building is pushed over, and they build it again.”
Traditionally, log homes have stood the test of time. “You can go to a Scandinavian country and find log buildings that have been there for 1,000 years. Technically, a red pine log building with a roof over the structure, untreated, deteriorates at a rate of one-fourth inch per century. So as long as mankind is around to keep a roof on it, these buildings should be around for 300 or 400 years.”
“Who has the truer “Green” building?” added Mark. “It’s the log building. If the foundation holds up and the logs hold up, the only thing you will have to replace is the roof.”
“The question to ask is how much energy is consumed to build a conventional building versus …
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