September / October 2007 - Finding a New Engineer

So, we tried to put the past frustrations behind us and start again, planning on breaking ground in spring 2008. We exhausted our options trying to find a local engineer that could do the project. The problem was first that most were not able to think outside their little box and get on board with the butt and pass building method taught in Skip's class. The vast majority of log homes in the area are not "real log homes." The few that agreed to do it wanted to draw their own plans, not just engineer them, which drove the cost up significantly. Jeff had already designed the floorplan and had Great House Designs modify a stock plan, which they did for a very reasonable price. Thus, we had to look down the hill in San Bernardino for an engineer. There was only one other log home built by one of the LHBA members in California that we knew of, so Jeff got in contact with them to see if we could possibly use the same engineer. The other home was in Kern County, not nearby, but it was worth a try. Unfortunately, the engineer was not able to take the project. So, we opened the yellow pages and started calling engineers. Finally, one in San Bernardino gave us a referral for another guy in Crestline, a nearby mountain community. Jeff discussed the plan with him and he seemed to be a winner. He understood the building method and agreed to just engineer the plans we already had. "Why reinvent the wheel and spend more money?" he said. Exactly!! So, he met us at the property and even took notes! (maybe he would actually remember what we told him and follow through with it, unlike the other engineer!) After all details were discussed, he said it should take him about 3 weeks. Again 3 weeks?? Is that like standard engineer jargon? We basically had to trust him. So far he was much more professional than the last guy and we hoped we'd learned something from the last ordeal, but how would we know? It really was a leap of faith, but we had to move forward, so we sent him the retainer, and toasted a small victory.