Testimonial
January 16, 2003
To anyone thinking of building a log home:
It was almost 2 years ago that my wife and I first started thinking about the possibility of building a log home. After mailing in the response card from a log home magazine, we were overwhelmed by the flood of literature, which came our way. Still very skeptical about the idea of building a log home, we decided to visit the three local dealers in the Cedar Rapids area from which we had received literature. The first left us with the impression that selling log homes was more of a hobby and he really couldn’t tell us much about the company supplying the logs. The next bashed the other log home companies until both my wife and I were ready to scrap the whole idea of building a log home. Then we visited Cedar River Log Homes and Jeff Tegeler. Jeff was extremely professional and we instantly got the impression that he took pride in providing a quality product. I like to think that Jeff took as much consideration in choosing which log company he wanted to represent as we did in choosing one to manufacture our home. In our eyes, choosing Kuhn’s Bros was the right decision for both of us.
We liked what we saw in the choices of home plans but didn’t see the exact home and floor plan we were imagining. I am glad we mention this to Jeff; he had no problems with any suggestions we threw out. Between Jeff and Kuhn’s Bros., we had several different quotes in front of us in a matter of a few days. Jeff did not hesitate to throw out his own suggestions, which were based on his years of experience, even though it meant more work for himself and Kuhn’s Bros. Jeff also had a good grasp of the pricing process and at his advice we put down a small down payment and were able to lock a price many months before we actually placed an order, saving us thousands due to a pricing change during that time.
Also with that small down payment, Jeff got us signed up for a free Kuhn’s Bros log home seminar and plan tour. We had just made the decision to go for it and we started to think about builders when it happened. I lost my job weeks and weeks later the 9/11 disaster. It looked as though the whole project was on hold indefinitely. Jeff suggested we go to the seminar anyway since we were already signed up. Thank goodness we decided to go. I must admit that I was expecting more of a sales pitch than a seminar, but it wasn’t like that at all. It was a down to earth with no fluff lesson on building a log home. I was expecting to see little more than some pretty pictures. What I got was about 2 dozen full size blue prints showing nearly every detail of the construction. As a Mechanical Engineer, I know just how much work goes into making such a complete set of drawings.
We left Lewisburg convinces that I could build this home myself and since job prospects didn’t seem very bright, my salary would be offset by not having to hire a builder. With a lot of luck and some bangers with a lot of faith in our abilities, we sold our home, got financing and within a month or so we had logs delivered with Jeff counting every last molt to assure I had all I needed. The next year is kind of a blur. But I cannot say enough about how well the logs and timbers went together. To precut such a large structure and to have it fit as well as it did, earned the respect of this Engineer. Jeff and Kuhn’s Bros. made themselves available every step of the process. I’m not too proud to admit that there were times when I was stumped.
Last week, we passed our final inspection. The fact that someone with as little experience at building as myself can do 90% of the work on his own and still pass the stringent guidelines set by Johnson County and it’s sometimes overzealous inspectors and have a beautiful home besides, makes me very proud. But it is also a testament to those who did so much work before the first log was set in place. Log home living has thrown us a curve or two in the short time we have lived in our house, but I believe we can honestly say, we do not regret any of the choices we have made. I imagine we could have gotten a cheaper log home package, but the logs are really only half of what a good log home dealer and supplier provide. Jeff Tegeler and Kuhn’s Bros. have an excellent reputation in the log home business for a reason.
Our sincerest thanks.
Steve, Tammy, Lindsey, and Mitchell Reicks
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