"My grandfather was a builder. My father was a builder and I started going to job sites with my Dad at age four," says Bud Santo who looked at the competition before selecting Northeastern Log Homes' EasyBuild Package for his own 3,600 square foot home. In fact, he liked the company so much, he signed up to build more Northeastern Log Homes in his upscale Newtown, Connecticut locale.

A spacious, bright quality

Now that Bud and his wife Karen have been living in their new home for over two years and construction is well behind them, they were asked how they like living in their log home. Karen's immediate response: "The eastern white pine Northeastern uses just has a brightness and quality that you don't see with other types of wood."

Bud is quick to add, "I also like the purlin roof support, it gives our home a really secure, warm feeling." The Santos also asked the company to modify the plan with an additional row of logs. This raised the ceiling height, which markedly increased the sense of spaciousness without much additional cost.

Energy efficiency built right in

While many log home companies design elaborate systems to compensate for settling over a period of years, Santo is quick to point out, "With Northeastern's air dried logs there was no shrinkage whatsoever. I was able to hang the kitchen cabinets directly on the walls and install all the windows and doors, without having to worry about movement."

When it comes to energy efficiency, "I heat the entire house with a wood stove in the basement that is tied in with the duct work for $300 a year," he enthuses. Our favorite quote from Bud? "This log home is the real deal."

This home was featured in Country's Best Log Homes magazine.