1) Money Back Guarantee:
It is difficult to develop a guarantee or warranty for a log or timber frame home. All of the ones we know about are just from third party warranty companies that are filled with legalese and loopholes. We can provide one of them just as easily as any other company. But, we want to give more than that to our customers. We at Hearthstone just don’t feel like those normal warranties do much for the client. In fact, a conventional warranty might actually detract from the value because they can provide legal cover behind which a manufacturer might hide. If something goes wrong, they can hope for a loophole or a restriction to help them. Let’s face it: their lawyers wrote the thing. Whom do you think it favors?
So, as is common at Hearthstone, we took a different route. A particular incident way back in 1986 prompted us to come up with an unparalleled guarantee for our customers. We had a customer deep in the North Carolina mountains. He had been living in a 1950’s era mobile home for years saving — literally — cash in a coffee can for his Hearthstone log home. We delivered and erected the small cabin, but the next day we got word from our distributor that the customer was so unhappy that he was near a nervous breakdown after having saved all those years, then being disappointed.
The president of the company immediately went to the job site and was sort of surprised. There were, indeed, a couple of things that weren’t the best work we had ever done. We were relieved because fixing the job would be easily done in one day. But, the client was still genuinely distraught and couldn’t bear the thought of a “fixed” cabin. After a day of reflection, we decided to take his cabin down and deliver him a new one. It was unprecedented in the industry and the news of what we did spread throughout our organization and beyond.
After that, the then-president (and still owner), Randy Giles issued the guarantee you see below. He figured that what we did for that customer was, in fact, the ultimate guarantee. It really means something, and he wrote it without allowing the lawyers to even read it, much less dilute the commitment that each and every one of us at Hearthstone make to our customers.
Nobody in the housing business has ever matched this guarantee. We don’t think that anybody ever will. And, it is far more than a guarantee: it communicates in no uncertain terms how we feel about our business, our competence, and our customers. Quality: In business since 1971 building homes for over 5000 customers nationwide.
All timbers are graded and stamped in accordance with Timber Products Inspection, Inc. which ensures our clients of the best quality material available, and the grade matches the engineering requirements. Architectural design staff features over 150 years of experience designing and building log and timber frame homes.Standard blueprint services include cross sections, floor plans, foundation plans, four elevations, and additional details for most permit and construction requirements.
2) History:
Hearthstone began thousands of homes ago in 1971 As A Restorer Of Old Log Homes in the southern Appalachian mountains. It wasn’t long until there were more people who wanted those homes than there were old logs for restoration. So, we set about learning how to craft new homes – yet with the quiet strength of character of those original log and heavy timber homes.
Though thoroughly designed and engineered to reflect our experience of thousands of homes and the best in modern technology and comfort, our log homes remain what they were at our modest, yet proud, beginning: faithful reproductions of those 150-200 year old, heart-stopping, hewn, and dove-tailed homes that were the pride and labor of our forefathers.
Early in the 1980’s, our culture of handcrafting, heavy timber construction, and historical reproduction led us to develop our timber frame homes. Now, most of our homes have elements of both log and timber frame construction.
3) Our log homes are visually more interesting:
Visually, Log Homes tend to separate into two broad options. One is the historic style with dovetail corners and Chinking, that you see on our Historic Style Log Homes page. The other, which you see on this page, is an unchinked, or minimally chinked, style that sometimes has a modern look to it.
These homes can have a handcrafted or hand hewn look, or they can have a more modern machined and planed look. At Hearthstone, we have unique abilities to do this type of home in long logs, dovetail corners if desired, superior detailing, and with impressive heavy timber floor and roof systems.
Hearthstone has been creating extraordinary heavy timber homes since 1971. We began as restorers of 150-200 year old structures, and that heritage still drives us today.
4) The atmosphere we create:
Log homes create a cozy and relaxing Atmosphere similar to what one experiences when in nature. When you walk in a log home (whether it’s your own or someone else’s) you immediately feel a sense of comfort and hominess. Due to the thermal mass that provides energy efficiency and the sound deadening effects of wood walls, log homes are often quieter than stick built homes. The warm living environment, natural building materials, high indoor air quality make for a stress-reducing atmosphere that is unlike any other.
5) We have true technical advantages:
The pioneers built their homes this way because of those outstanding Technical Advantages. We believe in those technical advantages—as well as the tremendous aesthetic appeal. At Hearthstone, we can respond to many different design ideas from our clients. To get started, we begin with several standard building systems—which we then mix, match, and modify to suit our client’s taste and budgets. Some of the styles that are chosen the most: The Hearthstone Traditional—this cost effective system generally features 6” x 12” logs up to 40 feet in length. We can alter the hewing look, the Chinking gap, the dovetail corner type, edge chamfering, log thickness, and other details to get different looks for different tastes and budgets. The Hearthstone Timberwright®—this system features 14” tall logs in various widths (usually 6” or 8”) with a very heavy, irregular edge chamfer that mimics the irregular shaped logs of the old log homes or the Hearthstone Timberlake® homes. Once again, we can alter the hewing look, the Chinking gap, the dovetail corner type, the edge chamfering, log thickness, and other details to achieve different visual effects.
All of our homes feature extensive technical specifications and techniques that promote centuries of use. We have many years and thousands of homes worth of experience. We have led our industry in technical innovation and excellence for decades. The systems, engineering, and details we build into each home—through the best of both hand-crafting and CAD-CAM technology—are the key to the success of your project.
6) We continue to define The American Soul:
Whether recreating the look and feel of a Historic 200 year old -log structure, or enveloping a more Modern home with the warmth of timber, HearthStone Log Homes can not only meet your need but exceed your expectations. A log home reflects the definitive American Soul: the sweat, blood, self-reliance, ingenuity, pride, and unbreakable commitment to doing what must be done. There is a huge reservoir of strong people who believe in America’s pride, values, and future. We, at Hearthstone, build that same spirit, tradition, and pride into every home we create. To most successfully achieve those objectives, we believe that our log homes should authentically reproduce the look, charm and aesthetics of our forefather’s homes. We then combine that basic philosophy with the finest in modern design, engineering, and technical details so that your Hearthstone home is enjoyed for many generations. Nearly all of the permanent, long-lasting log homes shared the common characteristics of logs hewn flat on the sides, joined at the corners with a dovetail-type notch, and chinked between the logs. While we have several different types of log homes, they all share these general characteristics.
7) We are just different:
Over the many years and thousands of homes, we have always focused on the art and trade of the Timberwright. Our company history, heritage, and culture make us Different from others in this business. We have enough size to focus the appropriate resources on your project, yet we maintain that culture of commitment to the creativity and aesthetics of our TimberWright®.
8) Quality:
Our unique homes are not so easy to design as they might seem. Our structures require special expertise in design, timber grading, manufacture, and erection to insure satisfactory long term structural performance. Through years of Experience and years of working with major code agencies, we have developed structural design systems that enable us to guarantee your home structurally for as long as you own it. We guarantee that every timber in your home is individually graded for it’s specific structural load in the home and that structural specifications are in compliance with major code agency guidelines.
Conclusion:
The imagination is the limit. The common denominators, however, remain: time-tested durability, superb energy efficiency, distinctive interior décor, lasting value, and a warm, rich feeling of living in concert with nature and your heritage.