HISTORY

In 1985, my wife Sheri and I began dreaming of moving out of Los Angeles into the country to build our own log home. In 1991 that dream was finally coming true. We packed our bags and left for Chico, to live and build on our newly acquired acreage. During 1990 we were actively designing our log home and consulting with many log home suppliers. Once we had our plan on paper, we put it out to bid with 12 log home companies. We ended up choosing a company that we felt would be best able to complete our project.
At this time, I was approaching the project as an “Owner Builder” but I wasn't going to build the actual log structure, our hired log home company was. In September of 1991, we submitted our plans to the county for the plan check process. This is when it all started to go down hill...the rest of the story is unbelievable:

“The plans”

The county immediately kicked out our plans because they had been done inadequately by the out of state architect and engineer. To get them to pass, I had to go to Utah and sit with the architect until they were redone. I then had to hire a California engineer to get them through the county. This set us back 6 months and was the first disaster.

“The log build”

We had purchased a log package that was traditionally designed: log walls, log floor joists and log rafters. During this phase of the building process I had my first encounter with flaky contractors and workers....it was a real headache. We then experienced fundamental problems with the floor system layout, which forced us to make some major design changes. And then, about mid way through the build, the log home company went bankrupt and took a significant amount of our money in the process! This really hurt and was a real disaster!

“On my own to finish”

When the log home company went bankrupt, it not only hurt us, but a handful of other people as well. There were a bunch of us in deep need. I realized I had to learn very quickly about the log home business to get us and a few others out of this ugly hole. This is how and why I started Sierra Log Homes.

“Necessity...the mother of invention”

I created Sierra Log Homes in order to purchase the remaining logs and building materials for myself and others. This was very difficult because I did not really know where to turn. This part of the story has a happy ending however. Fortunately, I caught on rather quickly and we were able to recoup our losses and put our project back on track. We were also successful at helping the others get back to work as well. But the story is not over yet!

“The Fire of 1992”

Log homes don't catch fire very well, unless they are open and in the middle of construction. Yes, our troubles were not behind us yet! In September of 1992, a massive forest fire burned our structure to the ground. This was during the later part of construction. At this point the whole dream project had turned into an unbelievable nightmare. You would have thought we had learned our lesson...but no, we decided to do it again!

“The rebirth of Sierra Log Homes”

During the redesign of the new home, we were operating Sierra Log Homes as wholesale company, buying and selling logs. We had no desire to introduce ourselves to the retail log home market until our model log structure was complete. The decision was made to designate our own log home as the flagship of our operation. We wanted the home to show our future customers all of the design & structural options in a log home. Furthermore, we wanted to give our future clients the comfort and freedom to tour an 8700 sq. ft complex at their leisure, to learn about log structures, and to assist in the design of their own log home. We intended that this structure help our guests eliminate design mistakes before they purchased and built their own log homes.

“Sierra Log Homes opens its doors to the world”

In 1994, the structure was complete and we were ready for the world. We then began designing and packaging log homes for the retail market with a commitment to service and quality. After understanding what we've gone through to complete our own home, you can now understand why our level of service is so intense and personal. We don't want anybody to experience the nightmare, but rather enjoy the dream!

CONCEPTS

The silver lining to my disastrous experience was the wisdom I had gained. This knowledge of every conceivable pitfall, and how best to deal with them all has become the foundation of Sierra Log Homes and it's business philosophy.

“Design concept”

• To create a custom designed structure tailored to fit the clients personal, functional, aesthetic and budget requirements.

“Structural Design Concepts”

• To structurally design a log home that fits the builder and the budget. The structural design dictates the ultimate budget. We truly believe that a log structure blending traditional log build with conventional framing methods is the log home of today and tomorrow.

“Log product concept and the environment”

• To produce the highest quality log product possible.
• To constantly improve our corner designs and log profiles to meet the demands of tomorrow’s market and housing requirements.
• To utilize standing dead timber instead of green timber (live trees). (We feel the impact to the environment is minimal and in many instances positive. It clears forests for new growth and is good use of product that would normally have no little use in the retail lumber market.)

“Packaging concepts”

• To couple with our log components other name brand building materials.
• To package as many of the building material materials feasibly possible thereby bringing all items in at a more reasonable cost.

"Concept overview”

• To produce and package quality log home building materials that will yield a premium custom structure yet be within a customer's budget.

DIRECTION

To know where you've been does not necessarily mean you know where you are going. This is why we feel it's important to share with you our goals for the future and projects currently in the development stages.

“Brochures & Catalogs”

There is a great deal of information on our web site, and we consider this to be an essential educational tool. It is a brochure and catalog in an of itself. You may also write or call for a color brochure and specific model information.

“Floor Plans & Design”

Because we custom design all of our structures, floor plan ideas are in constant demand. Thus, we are going to be releasing by the first quarter of ‘97 a unique plan book; one that assists in the development of a custom design. We will be sharing this information with you on the Internet as it becomes available.

“Log Product”

We are constantly developing new profiles. Our latest design is a true handcrafted log, 12”-14”, with a milled stacking profile and our handcrafted shrink to fit corner. This new series of log is called the Sierra Handcrafted Series. Our first structure of this nature was prototyped in Sparks, Nevada. Several photos of this structure appear in the gallery 'misc photos' section.

“Building products”

Our goal is to bring you innovation, quality and value through our own products and those of the company's whose lines we carry. We are entering the flooring market with our latest newcomer, Carlisle Wood Flooring. This is beautiful, thick and solid old world style wood flooring. We will be adding more flooring and cabinet companies to the line up throughout the coming year.

“Product Catalog”

Soon we will be introducing our on-line product catalog for your shopping convenience. Not only will it include building materials, but interior decor items as well. All are handcrafted items specifically related to current log home decorating demands. !!!! STAY TUNED FOR THIS PROGRAM....IT WILL BE EXCITING !!!!

“Web Site”

Our goal is to provide the most informative log home site on the ‘net’. We strive to keep it constantly changing with the latest and greatest we have to offer. Any and all input from you is highly regarded...so please email us your thoughts and suggestions!

CONCLUSION

Thank you for spending the time to read about us. We hope it has given you some insight into our passion for log homes and the dream it represents to most people. If you feel you need to know more about our concepts, philosophies and/or direction, please contact us via the phone, fax or email.

Thank you,
Larry Trimboli,

president, Sierra Log Homes

<>email for info