After nine months of long days and late nights nailing out every detail of his future home’s site prep and design, soon-to-be log homeowner Zach Parmeter is ready for some actual nailing to start happening. But before construction can begin, he needs something to build with. It’s time for the materials to arrive onsite, and Zach and his builder have done their homework to make sure delivery day goes as smoothly as possible.
For starters, the site has been prepped, the foundation poured and cured and the septic and well are both complete. Zach’s builder ensured the delivery would be hiccup-free by verifying the tractor-trailer carrying the materials would have easy access down the driveway with plenty of room for off-loading and staging.
While some companies ship an entire log home package at once, Golden Eagle Log & Timber Homes, the company Zach’s grandfather founded more than 50 years ago, sends between eight and 10 separate shipments. “The floor system, roof system, windows and cabinetry all arrive separately,” Zach explains. “The reason being, you don’t want those things sitting around your job site being exposed to the elements for months before they’re used.”
Though Golden Eagle’s shipments come in stages, there is still an abundance of materials and individual pieces that must be unloaded and sorted. “It can be very telling to see how organized the builder is when they are at the site,” Zach says. “Essentially, for the builder, the job site is his desk. If he knows where everything is, he can easily access it. Knowing exactly where everything is located prevents delays and keeps the build steadily moving forward.”
Zach also says a gentle approach throughout the process is essential: “It’s important the builder takes that extra time and care during the unloading process. This is their first chance at handling the materials, and they shouldn’t be rough or cause any damage.” Fortunately, Zach’s builder was on top of his game both in terms of organization and handling the materials with kid gloves.
And, while Zach admits that his work as a homeowner was mostly done before delivery day, he wasn’t about to miss out on the excitement of receiving the shipment. “The anticipation of the delivery is the fun part of it all,” he says. “It’s like Christmas. You look forward to it, and then all of a sudden everything gets delivered, and it’s like “Whoa, Christmas is really here!”
For Zach, delivery day signals a significant turning point in the building process — the transition from planning into doing. “Everything really starts coming together at this point,” he says. “It’s pretty thrilling.”
Join us on Zach’s Journey
Our “Dirt to Done” series will continue to follow Zach’s road to hybrid log home ownership, from the dry-in stage (next issue!) to adding the final finishing touches to his log-and-timber forever home. See all the previous stages here.
