About halfway between Cleveland andColumbus lies one of the most beautifulcountrysides in Ohio called the Mohi-can area. Resident Louis Bromfield, therenowned author and conservationistwho traveled the world over, dubbed it"the Edge of Paradise." This area, namedafter the "Mohegan Indians," is rich inhistory with famous area residents suchas Johnny Appleseed and Tom Lyons -who is said to have over a hundredscalps to his credit. It is also the site ofthe Copus Massacre, the last Indianmassacre that took place in Ohio.

Today, very appropriately, this ishome to Ohio's largest log home manu-facturer, Hochstetler Milling, Ltd. This,however, didn't just happen overnight.Besides being greatly blessed with goodemployees and customers, it took some24 years of doings.

Like most normal Amish youth, my

formal education ended with 8th grade.While this may seem as a disadvantage,it does also have some advantages. Bythe time our English friends get throughcollege, we may have had as much aseight years of hands-on experience. Thisexperience is quite often in a fieldwhere we remain for most of our lives,while our counterparts will often get in-

volved in a completely different careerthan what they took in school.

Personally, being an avid reader, andreading any self-help books and maga-zines that I could get my hands on, in-cluding anything from the encyclopediato the IRS 1040 instructional booklet,helped enhance my education.

Spring 2010

Here in North Central Ohio with afoot of snow on the ground andmore coming down, it's hard to getexcited about planning and order-ing seeds for the garden. But I knowit would make it easier on myselfand everyone else if I'd take thetime, plan the garden, and order theseed now. We all know spring is justaround the corner.

Needless to say, every springwhen the weather suddenly turnsnice, we haven't ordered our seedyet. So we end up rushing aroundgetting our order in late. Naturallythey are already sold out of some ofthe items and we end up with sec-ondary seeds.

The same scenario applies toplanning your home. "It's cold." Withthe slow economy we don't get ex-cited about ordering our plans. Afterall it's a long time before "spring,"when we want to break ground. Thenbingo - "the weather breaks." Our ex-isting home sells and we don't haveour blueprints yet. So we rush aroundto get our plans done and becausewe are under the gun we end up withsecondary plans.

Considering the large invest-ment and the fact that once it's builtit's very costly to make a change, itclearly makes sense to plan ahead.Once you have acquired the prop-erty it is never too early to startplanning. The building processgoes so much smoother and it cansave you a bundle. But most impor-tant it's the difference between hav-ing a home where if you'd buildagain you'd change this and movethat, versus one that you truly loveand wouldn't change a thing.

A VIEWFROMTHE MILLBy Levi Hochstetler

Hochstetler Milling, LTD552 St. Rt. 95Loudonville, OH 44842800-368-1015

Change Service Requested

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PAIDMAILED FROM

ZIP CODE 46750PERMIT NO. 832

History of Hochstetler Milling - Part 1 By Levi Hochstetlercontinued on page 2

Living the Log Home Lifestyle

continued on page 6

Hiring adesign pro-

fessional orworking withyour log home

representative to de-velop a log home design that will workfor your family’s needs and wants for anew home, whether it is a custom designor a standard manufacturer’s model plan,will be a custom built home for you. Youand your family are the ones who matterwhen it comes to planning because youare the ones that will be living in yourhome. Your lifestyle patterns are goingto influence your design decisions foryour needs and wants that are built intothe home plan. When I speak aboutlifestyle, we are looking at how you willbe using the specific spaces that com-

prise your home plan ingeneral - about how youdecorate the interior andplan exterior details foryour entire property.

With this in mind,let’s look at the specifics oflifestyle details that youwill want your home to bebuilt around. Questionsyou will need to addressmay be how the floor plan handles trafficflow from room to room or within a livingspace. How do you use living spaces suchas the kitchen, a dressing area in the mas-ter bathroom, or any number of livingspaces inside and outside of your home?You may even want to be specific enoughto work with a kitchen and bath designeror a lighting specialist to work out where

lighting and electrical outlets are placed tomake these spaces functional for how youperform daily tasks. Think about whereyour toaster and coffee maker will beplaced in relation to other appliances inyour kitchen; whether you want addi-tional task or ambiance lighting in otherareas, where light switches will be placed

Designing Your Log Home...Piece by Piece

The kitchen and dining areas are the hub of family activity. Traffic flow and use patternsare important design points for comfortable indoor and outdoor living and entertaining.

and what type. Will you needstandard switches, three way orrheostat (dimmer) switches?Consider where you get ready forthe day; do you need an electricoutlet beside your mirror? Is themirror just a mirror or is it abuilt-in medicine cabinet?Where do you store towels,sheets, and blankets? How ac-cessible do you want items youuse every day, or the roastingpan that gets used at family re-unions or special holiday meal prepara-tion? Do you need areas for canning andpreserving food items? Do you want spe-cial areas for reading, listening to musicor watching movies? Should you plan aspace for the computer or use a home of-fice? I recommend that clients walkthrough these spaces and consider howthey will be used and what functionsthese spaces will serve.

As you can see there can be hundredsof small details that can be considered be-fore you even get to furniture placementand where to use the antique armoire ordinette server you found and refinishedfor your dream home. The whole idea isto determine what your lifestyle needswill be and how you address them in thedesign of your new log home. Design pro-fessionals, interior decorators, kitchenand bath designers, landscape architects,and a host of other professionals focus onthese concerns. You may use one or moreof these professional services, or you maychoose to work through these questionsyourself and with family members.

Thinking about and making prepara-tions for how you will live in your new loghome during the planning and designprocess is essential to the successful com-pletion of your building project and enjoy-ing the home you build. As a log homeenthusiast and a residential designer, thelifestyle issue for me can be narroweddown to interior details and exterior de-tails. Interior details as described previ-

ously deal with the essentials of living inyour home, the type of interior room func-tions, furniture placement, interior deco-rations, etc.

Exterior details will include itemssuch as driveway and parking areas, pub-lic and private entries and access, transi-tion areas such as walkways to and fromparking, porches, patios, outdoor livingand entertaining areas. Other exteriordetails that will be impacted by lifestylechoices are exterior steps and stairwaystyles, door and window styles, exteriormasonry, exterior trim and decorativetreatments, and any detail that will af-fect the look and feel of the home andthe surrounding property. Interior andexterior details of the home will reflectyour lifestyle choices that you will beasked to consider throughout the designand building of your log home.

The level of detail planning will dif-fer from person to person. The impact ofyour lifestyle on these interior and exte-rior details, how you will live with andutilize your log home and the individualliving spaces throughout, begins withhow well you can visualize and plan forthe small things of your home. Take timeto consider the details of your log home.Details are a part of any home, whetheryou are building a small cabin in thewoods, or a primary residence. Thesmall amount of planning effort it takescan pay off in the efficiency of yourhome's layout.

FEATURED NEW FLOOR PLAN

The Fairhaven

The Fairhaven is one of our newest plans, a large ranch-style with 3 bedrooms and

2-1/2 baths. It features the popular open-concept great room with fireplace and ex-

posed timbered ceiling, large master bedroom with adjoining walk-in closet and

master bath, and kitchen with L-shaped island and raised serving counter.

Plus, convenient mudroom off the double garage, first-floor laundry with adjoining

bath and rear deck off the dining-kitchen area. This dream ranch is both stunningly

beautiful and step-saving practical, especially if you desire a single floor plan.

Designing Your Log Home continued from front page

Watch for future articles on putting together the log home design puzzle.

The author, Jim Kanagy, works with Hochstetler Milling and has been designing log homesand timber homes for more than 25 years.

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Foot paths leading from thegarage to the family entry andguest entry guide traffic to theseareas, where client and guestparking leads to the office porchand front porch.

VISIT OUR MODELSHours: Daily 9-4pm; Sat. 9-noon; Closed

Sun. Other hours by appointment.Directions: 5 miles N. of Loudonville on SR 60

to SR 95. Turn left on SR 95 tothe McKay model.

The McKay

Hochstetler Milling, Ltd. • 552 St. Rt. 95 • Loudonville, OH 44842

The Black Fork

419-368-0004 • 800-368-1015

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Take advantage of your trip to Hochstetler Milling by also seeing what else the Mohican area has to offer. From McKay take State Route 60 into Loudonville, whereyou'll discover an array of dining options and specialty shops. Then follow State Route3 south to the Wally Road Scenic Byway area - and you'll see why we are well knownas the camp and canoe capital of Ohio.

No visit to the area is complete without touring Mohican State Park and Forest.From Loudonville, take State Route 3 south to State Route 97 and you'll discover6,000 acres of rugged woodlands that are simply beautiful no matter what season youvisit. Don't miss the Gorge Overlook, a Registered National Natural Landmark offering a stunning view of Clearfork Gorge - a spectacular chasm over a thousand feetwide and 300-feet deep.

In the heart of the forest, stop at the scenic Covered Bridge where it spans theClear Fork River. Enjoy a picnic lunch along its bank, or take the 2-mile hike to Bigand Little Lyons Falls. Mohican boasts over 45 miles of hiking trails, ranging from easyto difficult, which wind along its rocky hillsides. You'll also find snowmobile, cross-country skiing, and bridle trails, as well as a challenging 25-mile mountain bike pathrated by many as the best in Ohio.

Ohio's Amish Country, one of the state's largest attractions, is just a short drivefrom Loudonville. Follow State Route 39 east to Holmes County, and spend a day exploring a variety of shops tucked in the rolling hills and inside the small Amish communities. Sample dozens of cheeses and take home your favorites. You'll find hardwood furniture, baked goods, quilts, and crafts. Tour an Amish farm, and dine atone of the fabulous Amish-style restaurants.

Continue your tour to adjacent Wayne County, where a visit to the village ofKidron is a must. It's home to the famous Lehman's, with thousands of items fromhardware to non-electric appliances, and much more. Other unique attractions includeSmucker's, P. Graham Dunn Gallery, and Pine Tree Barn.

For a complete list of things to see and do in the area, visit the www.Loudonville-Mohican.com, www.VisitAmishCountry.com, and WayneCountyCVB.org.

After Visiting Hochstetler, See Mohican's Natural Beauty- Largest Amish Community in the World is Nearby -

When Rick and Kandy Mullinsdecided to build their own log home,Rick asked himself one question."How hard could it be?"

As it turns out, the buildingprocess was not difficult at all. Thechallenge for Rick was finding thetime to build while working 50-60hours per week as a quality manager.

"With my job experience in read-ing blueprints and running powerequipment, I was confident I couldbuild our log home myself. Plus, I hadhelped a neighbor build his log home,so I had a pretty good idea what wasinvolved," Rick recalled. "Theprocess took a little longer thanplanned, but the satisfaction of stack-ing our own logs was more thanworth the extra time."

For several years Rick and Kandyattended log home shows and read loghome magazines, with hopes of oneday living in a log home of their own.Their dream became a reality whenthey sold their home in Mansfield,Ohio and broke ground at the top of ascenic 5-acre lot near Pleasant HillLake in Perrysville. That was, Rick

noted, after countless hours of re-search.

"We chose to buy our logs fromnearby Hochstetler Milling, and theywere wonderful to work with. We fellin love with their McKay modelhome, and made so many visits tostudy its design that they began call-ing us by name as soon as we walkedthrough the door. We also made sev-eral trips to another McKay designthat was under construction. We tookdozens of pictures and made notes atboth locations before we hadHochstetler draw up blueprints of theMcKay with our custom revisions."

The Mullins' began building inMay of 2006, while living in a camperon the same property. Using the blue-prints and construction manual pro-vided by Hochstetler Milling, theentire process went very smoothly.Rick only made a couple minorchanges from his original plans - leav-ing an upstairs bedroom open to cre-ate a loft, and making a small designchange on a closet.

As Rick says, "Once you get theshell up, you're only limited by your

own imagination!"Using the primitive

living quarters of theircamper as incentive,Rick finished a bed-room and bathroomfirst, and they wereable to officially moveinto their log home inJuly of 2007 - al-though it was Decem-ber of that year whenthe rest of the homewas completed.

Along the way,Rick used several time-saving strate-gies he highly recommends to oth-ers. For instance, he pre-stained allthe beams, rafters, and tongue andgroove panels before putting themin place. Not only was it quickerand easier to do on the ground, itwas also safer than working on lad-ders and scaffolding.

To avoid trying to carry a heavyclaw-footed bathtub upstairs, Mullinssimply used a forklift to put it in placebefore the loft was finished - also re-ducing the chance of damaging wallsin the moving process. He also rec-

ommends waiting to pour the con-crete floor of a basement until after itis under roof - to allow water to drainnaturally and eliminate clean-up frominevitable rainfall.

The result of Mullins' labor is abeautiful log home accented withtheir aforementioned imagination.The interior beams and rafters arestained in rich English walnut, whichallows them to stand out againstwhite stained tongue and groove ceil-ings. In the family room sits a Soap-stone wood-burning stove purchasedat Lehman Hardware in Kidron,

At Home in the Woods...For the Mullins', Building Own Home W

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Would you like to have your home featured in a future issue? Please submitpictures and a few words to Hochstetler Milling, 552 St. Rt. 95,

Loudonville, OH 44842. If selected, someone will call you for an interview.

Was a Labor of Love

which combined with Geothermalheating, has produced winter heatingbills that Rick describes as "embar-rassingly low!"

Rick incorporated many itemsfound on their property into thehome's decor. He peeled and staineda narrow Hickory limb, and fashionedit into a handrail to the basement.Similar brancheswere used for cloth-ing racks throughoutthe home. Fossilsand old electric in-sulators uncoveredwhile digging havealso found their wayinto the design.

All the home'sinterior doors wereAmish-made byCounty Line, butthe large slidingbarn door that sepa-rates the masterbedroom from thebath is always a fa-vorite feature of vis-itors. A five-footstone veneer sur-rounds the shower,giving it a cave-like

appearance that also draws manycompliments.

For anyone interested in buildingtheir own log home, Rick and KandyMullins would be happy to answerany questions and will even opentheir home up for a tour. Simply callHochstetler Milling at 800-368-1015to make arrangements.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity of working with RoyTeide, owner of American Timber Frames who was aCase Western University grad having 7 years of collegeunder his belt. He graciously shared his wealth ofknowledge, thus filling in some of the educational gapsthat may have been missed otherwise.

As an Amish youth there were many opportunities tolearn the building trade. Barn raisings and house raisingswere not uncommon, along with many other smallerprojects. When 16, my first real building job was workingon an old timber frame barn and renovating it for ahome. The next project was helping build a log home.This I greatly enjoyed, which was a primary influence ingetting involved in the log home industry in later years.

From there, 5 years were put in at American TimberFrames, a company that designed and built heavy timberframed structures with traditional mortise and tenonjoinery held together with wooden pegs instead of boltsor nails. This was a natural fit for me, satisfying a needfor excelling in craftsmanship. This also gave me a lot ofhands-on design experience. Today Hochstetler Milling'sdesigns are heavily influenced by this experience.

Other areas of experience that impacted the com-pany today was building high end homes in the Colum-bus area, such as in Muirfield Village - a Jack Nicklausgolfing community. All together it gave me a designbuilder perspective of a log home producer, rather thanfrom the sawmill perspective. This serves us well when

working with log home-builders.

How a young person withno business experience, nogood business plan, and nowealthy father to back me up,could convince the late RonMcMillian from First KnoxNational Bank to loan me$15,000 at 18.5% interest toinitially buy the planer mill is truly amazing. Somehowhe believed in the young man and his planer.

It helped that Roy Teide put in a few good words forme, along with the fact that I was investing an additional$15,000 of my own money in the project. Another thingthat probably convinced him is the fact that I was able tosave 80% of my income since coming "of age" - an Amishterm for when they can keep their income, which typi-cally is 21 years old in the Amish culture.

Growing up, things were pretty tight on the farm duringmy teen years. I didn't get any allowances like some of myfriends, nor most youth do today. We were allowed to keepour earnings after hours, when the farm work was done.

One of those after hours projects was catchingbutcher chickens from area farms. After dark we wouldcatch the chickens with our hands and carry them tothe truck, where they were put in crates to haul off tothe local dressing plant. There were normally enough

"catchers" to each do about 1,000, which took 2-3hours. Normal pay was around $7.00 for the night. Nat-urally we thought twice before we spent this hard-earned "spending money" on any petty items.

With these and other projects, I had saved about$500 when coming "of age" at 21 years old. Lookingback, I honestly believe that this saved spending moneyis probably the most significant "seed money" that everwent into Hochstetler Milling.

Like so many other ventures, the initial $30,000 capi-tal wasn't enough to get the planer mill running. Workinga full time construction job made the payments, but not alot left over to keep the project moving forward. It stillgives me moist eyes to recall the desperate situation andhow I lamented my dilemma to Uncle Eli, who had alumber business, and how he came, helped me, and en-couraged me to keep going and not give up.

to be continued in the next issue

History of Hochstetler Millingcontinued from front page

The Young Man’s Planer: The bulk of Levi’s original business loan was invested in this planer.

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QUESTION:Recently we were at a log home show and we were givenconflicting viewpoints concerning single versus doubletongue and groove. Which do you feel is best?

ANSWER:Both arguments have very little merit and are often usedas a marketing ploy. Go with whatever is standard fromthe company you are buying from.

What is important though, is that there is a tongue andgroove and that there is a cavity for the gasket. Otherwise,if you squeeze the gasket between layers without a cavity,your log home is essentially setting on sponge. This willcause excessive settling once loaded with snow, etc.

A reversed tongue and groove, where the groove is on thebottom, such as in a spline system, is not a good idea aswater could enter and cause problems.

Buckeye Log Builders ProvidesExperience and KnowledgeAs partners in Buckeye Log Builders, brothersMahlon and Elmer Hochstetler have been buildinghigh quality log homes since 2003. Headquarterednear the small town of Brinkhaven in Knox County,Ohio, the crew of up to 7 employees constructs andremodels log homes primarily in mid-central andnorth-central Ohio - but have traveled as far as Kel-ley's Island on Lake Erie for their craft. Buckeye Log Builders builds homes exclusivelyfor Hochstetler Milling, and enjoy a close workingrelationship - in part because Mahlon and Elmerhappen to be brothers to Levi, HochstetlerMilling's owner. However the companies sharesomething else in common. They can both counton each other when it comes to quality and provid-ing customer satisfaction. As Mahlon explains, "Once a customer signswith Buckeye Log Builders, we work closely withHochstetler Milling to handle all scheduling and de-livery of materials, which is one less thing a customerhas to worry about. Since we use Hochstetler Millingfor preparing the blueprints, we can also be confidentthat they will be up to speed in providing all the nec-essary materials."

Mahlon went on to say that he can always counton the quality of the materials that Hochstetler pro-vides. And in the very rare occasion that there is aproblem, their close relationship allows them to eas-ily get replacement materials quickly if necessary. Elmer and Mahlon have both taken courses inlog home construction, as well as in grading materi-als. As a double check, they personally inspect alllogs when they arrive at the job site. Mahlon notes,"This is an important advantage that would be

If you have a question, please submit to Levi Hochstetlerat 1-800-368-1015 or mail to Hochstetler Milling, 552St. Rt. 95, Loudonville, OH 44842. continued on page 8

missed by a do-it-yourselfer, ora builder who doesn't special-ize in log homes." Buckeye Log Builders takespride in working directly withcustomers throughout the en-tire building process. However,Mahlon stresses that it is farbetter to plan well in advancethan to rush into any buildingproject. He recommends thatcustomers know what theywant - but to be realistic. "Have a good of idea ofyour wants and needs, but be sure theywill fit within your budget. And makesure your budget is in place before start-ing to draw up prints." Mahlon says pre-planning even thesmallest details will ensure your projectgoes smoothly. Everything from the typeof flooring and kitchen countertops, tothe color of interior stain and the hard-ware for cabinets is best decided beforebuilding begins. "When details like these are made onthe fly in the middle of a project, it re-sults in a rushed decision and more stressfor both the homeowner and builder."Mahlon goes on to say, "We are happy todraw on our years of experience to guidecustomers through these or any other de-cisions they may have." Another tip that he wished to share

was that in today's tough economy, onecould save on their budget by addingsome kinds of details to a log home at alater time. Things such as a garage, fire-place, back deck, or finishing the base-ment can all be added later when theybetter fit your budget. The crew at Buckeye Log Builders en-joys working closely with clients whetherthe project is big or small. They've also es-tablished a good relationship with banksthat don't mind dealing with log home-builders, which is sometimes hard to find. Mahlon concluded with, "We simplyenjoy using our experience in building loghomes to guide our customers throughthe building experience. The result is abetter product and a happier customer." For more information about BuckeyeLog Builders, please contact MahlonHochstetler at 419-566-8368.

Early one Spring day mybrother, Mahlon, andtwo of his adventur-ous friends decidedto go back to our lit-tle cabin in thewoods and basicallylive off the land forthe weekend.Since they tookno food, thiswould be a goodtest to see if theycould, in fact, notonly survive but ac-tually enjoy livingin the great out-doors off what naturehad provided. Althoughthey were young teenagers at the time, each had considerable experience incamping and hunting, so the idea seemed especially appealing.

As they walked along, they talked about hunting the "back 40", a uniqueblend of pastures, meadows, and mature woods literally teeming with game.They'd sampled venison, pheasant, quail, rabbit, and squirrel before - but nevergroundhog, which their friends had assured them, "tasted like chicken!" Thewinding trail led through a canopy of Hickory, Oak, and Maple trees to a beauti-ful clearing where the meadow started. The lush green grass of the meadowseemed a likely spot to bag their supper, so they quietly walked along the tree-line, scanning the meadow below.

Suddenly, a small brown object caught their eye about 150 yards away. Agroundhog to be sure, but too far away to risk a shot. As they began their stalk,stopping each time their quarry looked up, they were amazed at his size. Hewas, indeed, a trophy! And, after feeding several weeks on the tender grass, thisgroundhog would be delicious, they theorized. Finally, after patiently walkinghalf-crouched to within 75 yards, the boys decided they were close enough.Mahlon carefully raised the .22 to his shoulder, centered the crosshairs on theprize, and squeezed the trigger. A clean hit.

The boys quickly retrieved their prize and proudly headed back to camp withtheir dinner. In no time, a circle of glowing embers crackled in the stone fire ringoutside the little log cabin. After skinning and skewering the "hog" and placing itabout a foot above the coals on the makeshift rotisserie, they settled back to watchin great anticipation. Mahlon, the head chef, turned the spit every 5 minutes or so,reminding his friends that timing was critical to locking in the delicate flavor.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Mahlon announced their meal wasready. He grabbed his hunting knife and sliced off a hearty chunk. It seemed alittle tough, but the mouth-watering taste would, no doubt be good enough tosatisfy even the most discriminating gourmet. Well, one bite erased thatthought. The meat had the pungent odor of week-old roadkill and tasted evenworse! It was unanimously decided no amount of seasoning could make this oldgroundhog, freshly out of hibernation, "taste like chicken" and their "gourmet"meal was hurled back into the woods for the critters to eat...if they dared!

Buckeye Log Builders continued from page 7

Do you have an interesting short story about a favorite memory of a log home? Maybeit’s a childhood vacation, a weekend at the lake, or a day visiting a friend. Whateveryou remember and love to tell others qualifies. Don’t forget - a picture to go withyour story makes it even more interesting.

Please mail your submission to Hochstetler Milling, 552 St. Rt. 95, Loudonville, OH44842. Hope to read about your log home adventure in a future issue!

Groundhog Day As told by Levi HochstetlerCABIN FEVER