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BOWDOINHAM — If you are reading this article, it is likely that at some point in time you've dreamt of living in a log home. It is exciting to envision how your home would look. You can probably imagine what each room would include and can almost see some unique features that you would like.
When it is time to take the next step, how­ever, you may find yourself a bit over­whelmed with a myriad of decisions to make. What shape would you like your logs cut? What style would you like the exterior corners of the home to have? Would you like a conventional or heavy timber roof system? Would you like a shingle or metal roof... or some other type?

With 25 years experience delivering dream homes, Hilltop Log & Timber Homes, has the planning process down to a science and the expertise to take the worry out of your home project. As with much of life, time and money dictate a lot. It is no differ­ent when you are planning a home. (The first 2 steps address these factors.)

STEP 1: THINK BACKWARDS
Consider when you realistically can and want to be moving into your new home. Be specific. For example, do you want to move in during the spring or fall? From that point, count backwards about six months to account for construction time. Add an additional six months to one year if you are still looking for land. The length of time it takes to plan your custom home depends largely upon you. Knowing what you want in advance will shorten the planning time. At Hilltop, once your deposit is placed your home is put into a cut rotation schedule. Ask your Hilltop client adviser when your deposit needs to placed in order to get you in the schedule to meet your timeline goals.

STEP 2: FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT
There are ample creative ways to work within your budget. The key is to know what you can afford before you begin plan­ning. Hilltop Log & Timber Homes works with several top quality home mortgage lenders who can quickly assess a budget that is right for you. Be sure to include financing plans for the construction of your home if you are not going to build it yourself. A turnkey project price, including well, septic, earthwork, and foundation will be considerably higher than a complete materials package price. Which of these scenarios will be right for you?
With goals set for both time and money, you are ready for the fun part.

STEP 3: COLLECT & REVIEW
Take your time scouring through floor plans and photos. Chances are you will like some aspects from a few different ideas and will formulate your own home based on a combination of things. This is where Hilltop's client advisers and Custom Design Team apply your home choices to your budget and make recommendations to deliver you what you want at an affordable price.

STEP 4: DETERMINE PACKAGE
If you haven't already figured out what type of package you need during Step 2, now is the time to do it. Most log home companies offer a variety of packages. Common choices include a weather tight shell or complete package. A weather tight shell typically includes all your windows, doors, walls and roof only. This option may be suitable if you'd like to take the project to a certain point and then complete the inte­rior at a later time. Complete packages, as they are named, are intended to include all the materials you need to complete your home, except for appliances, finish flooring, sub-work and cabinetry. Complete pack­ages represent your materials and their associated costs only. These packages do not include the cost to build your home.

Choose a turnkey package, an option that includes that total cost to build your log or timber home, if you'd like to just "turn the key" and walk into your new home.   This package will include all the earthwork, foundation, any materials covered and not covered in a complete package and the actual construction of your home.
When shopping for log and timber home companies, take great care to compare not only the bottom line price, but in each item included in the package. Be wary of attrac­tively priced packages that leave you with an unfinished home as each company's packages are not the same!

STEP 5: OBTAIN ESTIMATE
Now that you've settled on a plan and package right for you, you'll need a price. If the estimate comes in higher than you arc comfortable with, this is the phase where you can make some adjustments to the plan, again to ensure that you meet your budget. The expertise of a Hilltop client adviser is a valuable resource at this point along the way. Your adviser will work very hard to keep all the things most important to you, while also honoring your wallet.

STEP 6: SUBMIT BLUEPRINT DEPOSIT
Now that distant dream should be start­ing to take shape. When you order blue­prints, you are on your way!

STEP 7: OBTAIN FINANCING
Remember your homework from Step 2? It will come in handy now. Since you will have already compared lenders, you should be ready to secure your loan.

STEP 8: SIGN CONTRACT/SUBMIT DEPOSIT
Your timeline should now start to unfold toward your projected move-in date. Time flies ... before you know it; you'll be living your log home dream.

GARDINER - A family-owned company that specializes in log and timber homes hasn't stopped growing since its conception in 1983.

That year, Daniel McKenna, a carpenter, and his wife Cathy built their dream log home in Randolph. From there, the business took off.

Hilltop Log & Timber Homes designs, manufactures and sells custom log, post-and-beam and stick-built homes, cabins and commercial buildings.

With nearly 25 years experience, the company sells to a variety of buyers, including those seeking smaller first homes, larger second homes, luxury vacation homes and camps or cabins.

The company's commercial markets include resorts, campgrounds, restaurants, log home developments and bed & breakfasts.

In 1993, the company relocated to Bowdoinham with a full model home complex and new manufacturing facility.

"Homes are personal on so many levels - functionality, appearance, financial means," said Daniel McKenna. "We believe that Hilltop Log & Timber Homes is unscathed by a downward real estate market because we get right down to that personal level with each and every customer, giving them exactly what they want and can afford. It just works."

Late August of this year, the state Department of Environmental Protection granted Hilltop final permitting for construction of its new 19-lot subdivision along Cobbosseecontee Stream in Gardiner.

The property, aptly named Streamside Estates II, is the second Hilltop property of its kind in Gardiner.

"The City of Gardiner was very easy to work with and anxious to have the first new development," McKenna said.

Steven Foard said his wife Keri always wanted to live in a log home.

They chose to have Hilltop build them a ranch-style log home in Streamside Estates I - a 12-lot subdivision built in 2005.

Foard, stationed with the Navy in Brunswick, said they liked the location of the subdivision because of its easy access to Interstate 95.

Marie Stuckey, marketing director for Hilltop, said every one of those lots have been sold.

"Living here is easy access to either Augusta or the Brunswick area," Steven Foard said. "And (Hilltop was) a good company to work with. Anytime we had a small problem, they were quick to come out and take care of it."

Jason Simcock, planning and development director for Gardiner, said Streamside Estate II is one of Gardiner's largest housing subdivisions in recent years and is a sign that Gardiner continues to be an attractive community in which to live.

Of all the towns in Kennebec County, Gardiner ranked third in the number of homes sold in 2006.

"It's a positive sign for the housing market in Gardiner," Simcock said. "Its location in relation to Portland and Augusta is becoming more attractive for commuters. The housing market for Portland has been creeping northward along the interstate corridors. And Gardiner is in that region now. We're finding more and more people moving to Gardiner."

McKenna's son, Nate, sales and operations manager for Hilltop, said two lots already have been sold in the new subdivision.

"Our current subdivision (in Gardiner) brings in over $1 million a year for the tax base," Nate McKenna said. "And we use a lot of local contractors."

Hilltop also has subdivisions in Dresden, which filled up immediately, and Bowdoinham, he said.

The subdivisions, which range in size from five to 19 lots, have been a boost to the company.

Nate McKenna said the company sells the property and then handles the full construction of homes, including custom designs, anything from conventional structure wood exterior, to post-and-beam and log homes.

And Hilltop has recently been certified by the Maine Department of Economic & Community Development as a Pine Tree Zone Company.

The certification grants the company access to Maine business incentive programs and will allow Hilltop to create increased business activity and employment opportunity to support Maine's economy.

Hilltop plans to purchase land, machinery and equipment and will create new jobs, build a new warehouse, improve the existing facility and install three-phase power. In return, the company will receive tax relief on new employees and business expansion.

John Richardson, commissioner of the Department of Economic & Community Development, said Hilltop is a great addition to Gov. John Baldacci's new Pine Tree Zone initiative.

"The initiative will help increase competitive advantage for the job market in Maine," Richardson said.

BOWDOINHAM - Voters approved the town's participation in a Military Redevelopment Zone by an 18-7 vote at a special town meeting Thursday. Out of 2,368 registered voters, 25 voted at this meeting.

The redevelopment zone is a state tax break program modeled after the Pine Tree Zone to help offset adverse economic impacts caused by the impending closure of Brunswick Naval Air Station. Bowdoinham chose to use the program and designate acreage to help existing businesses grow.

As was the case during the public hearing held on Sept. 26, residents who showed up for the special town meeting on Thursday asked questions about the program and about the wisdom of state policy to administer this kind of tax break program.

Some voters expressed confusion about what the Military Redevelopment Zone is, confusing it with land zoning and asking why it was connected to specific parcels.

Some residents wanted to know if they could participate in the program and if the town could increase its 19.88 acres currently set aside as Bowdoinham's portion of the 500-acre zone. All of that land is owned by Hilltop Log and Timber Homes on Pond Road.

The voters who turned out Thursday also unanimously passed an emergency management ordinance that outlines what the town should do in the case of an emergency. It makes the town more eligible for federal funds in the case of a disaster, and requires town staff and selectmen to go through special preparedness training.

Marie Stuckey Sales/Marketing Hilltop Log & Timber Homes Bowdoinham, Maine 800-622-4608

New Energy Efficient Techniques Continue to Improve Log Homes

What new techniques are being developed to increase energy efficiency?

Reduce Heat Loss
Air leakage can be a major cause of heat loss. While some construction techniques rely on single tongue and groove construction with caulking set between the middle of the logs, this does not prevent water and insects from penetrating through the front.

Newer, superior techniques use double tongue and groove construction, special joinery and proprietary design to create an airtight seal and drip edge. As a result, the stacked logs act as one solid thermal mass. Caulking specifically created for log homes and applied to the front of the logs also prevents the invasion of wind, rain, snow and insects. Log caulking provides superior elasticity, allowing the log to expand and contract in any climate. Hilltop’s exclusive Triple Seal System pioneered these newer techniques.

Insulation Options
An increasing number of home buyers are looking for a mix of design elements, breaking up the interior wood with sections of drywall. The demand for this style choice is supported through the availability of super efficient Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) walls which provide two times the strength of a standard 2x4 wall system. SIPs are manufactured in a continuous lamination process in which the foam directly bonds to the skins, providing the highest strength bond possible. It achieves this remarkable strength through its laminated construction, with two skins of 7/16" oriented strand board surrounding a core of high-density isocyanurate insulation. The high-density isocyanurate insulation provides very high insulation levels and excellent fire safety characteristics.

What is the R-factor of a SIP?
SIPs are available in thicknesses of 4.5” yielding an R-25 value, 5.5” yielding an R-32 value and 6.5” yielding an R-38 value, the latter being the most recommended.

SIPs insulate as well as 9" of fiberglass or 6" of 1-lb. density expanded polystyrene (EPS), yet at an overall thickness of only 4.5" to 6.5” for the entire wall system. Once the exterior siding is added, the R-value again increases.

Is a SIP a green product?
Yes. SIPs meet government standards for a green product and because its energy efficient an increasing number of people are choosing them. SIPs products are tested for government standards annually.

If I choose a SIP panel home for energy efficiency, do I have to give up my dream of owning a log home?
Definitely not. Technically speaking a SIP panel home and a log home are two different animals. However, from the exterior and interior they can look identical. The SIP itself is not seen, and can be covered in whatever material the homeowner desires, including log siding outside and inside to achieve a log home look. Conversely, an expertly constructed log home also offers some great energy efficient properties.

What type of heating system do you recommend for my new log home?
Heating system choices are best made based on your geographic location and the design of your home. Geographically speaking, forced hot air systems are recommended for southern regions and warmer climates. The benefit of this type of system in the south is that it can be more efficient for the home owner when integrating with an air conditioning system. In northern regions or colder climates, a hot water baseboard or radiant floor heating system is preferred.

House design also affects heating system choices. Homes with very high ceilings and lots of glass might be heated differently than homes with sections or rooms that are closed off or used with less frequency. These factors should be taken into consideration when choosing a heating system.

If my home is facing the north because of the view, what else can I do to save energy?
High performance homes require less energy largely due to high efficiency windows. Glass is a major component in energy performance. It is not just the house itself – it is the products that go into the house. The use of premium quality and energy efficient windows is critical to achieving energy efficiency and long term savings.

With almost 25 years in the log and timber home industry and a background that includes general contracting these homes, Hilltop Log & Timber Homes has become extremely selective about product choices for its homes, especially when it comes to windows. The company advises home buyers to consider High-Performance Low-E4 glass with a hermetically-sealed system for optimum insulation from heat, cold and sound. An argon gas blend between two glass panes minimizes thermal transfer. High-Performance Low-E4 glass is 35% more energy efficient in winter and 41% more efficient in summer, creating the potential for a dramatic reduction in energy bills.

Are there other areas of the home where energy can be saved?

After windows, roof systems account for the greatest heat loss in a home at over 50% of the total. You can not underestimate the importance of a superior roof. Insulation is compartmentalized between the rafters of a conventional roof, leaving gaps for air leakage. A conventional roof has breaks in its insulation, where the R-value drops to ratings between 3 and 6. Additionally, the presence of any moisture at all in standard pink insulation reduces the R-value by almost half.

A heavy timber roof system is significantly more efficient with no break in the insulation and includes 5”of R-32 rigid insulation. Unlike a conventional roof where insulation lays abutted against each rafter compartment, Hilltop offers rigid insulation panels that overlap one another, leaving a continuous impasse for air to creep through. Additional R-value increases can be achieved through the use of thicker insulation strips or a SIPs panel roof, which provides an R-38 value.

When used with proper sealants, SIPs make an extremely air tight home, cutting the amount of heating or cooling energy lost through air leakage. To keep air within a SIP home fresh, an air to air heat exchange system is recommended, but is not as necessary in a log home.

How can I tell if a product is energy efficient?
The US has created the Energy Star Homes program to rate the energy efficiency of home products. To test for Energy Star ratings, a blow test is performed to find air leakage. SIPs automatically have an Energy Star rating because hundreds of tests have documented the air tightness of SIP homes. Using SIP panels is the quickest step toward achieving an Energy Star rating because SIP panels are so tight; the Energy Star program has waived the blower door requirement. The EPA provides SIP builders with a SIP Visual Inspection Form to replace the blower door test.

Because log home energy efficiency depends on both quality wood products and quality construction techniques, blow tests are recommended.

Can a whole house have an Energy Star rating?
Yes, but only if all the products within the home meet the Energy Star rating criteria.