2013 - Volume #37, Issue #1, Page #42
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Log Cabins Built And Delivered
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The business started when Jim Gega and his wife decided to invest in a getaway building on their recreational property in Michigan. Campers and mobile units required too much maintenance and the pre-built cabins they found on the market were cheaply built and often unfinished. They finally discovered an Amish shop in southeast Ohio with the quality of construction they wanted.
“The cabin was perfect,” Gega says. “It had taken years to finally see our dream cabin come to fruition. We felt that everyone should have the opportunity to own their own high quality custom dream cabin. That’s when we decided to hire an architect, timber engineer and developed our own detailed build specifications. We partnered with the Amish shop, and the rest is history.”
Eastern white pine is cut in 4 by 6-in. cants and allowed to dry to 11 to 14 percent moisture. When a customer orders a cabin, wood is freshly milled into three flat-side, one round-side, tongue-and-grooved logs that are scribed, routered, screwed and caulked for inset (not butted) corners. Ridge beams are made of solid (not spliced) 4 by 8-in. timbers. Tongue-and-groove pine boards are used in the floor, roof, cabinets and furniture – all custom-made for each customer with aromatic eastern cedar trim. With 4 by 6-in. treated floor runners, the cabins are solidly built to be transported and moved around. No plywood is used.
Cabins are fully assembled in widths up to 12 ft. wide and lengths up to 32 ft. long. A second story (loft) is also an option. The roof section is added onsite.
Gega proudly points out that except for fasteners, all the materials in the cabin are from the U.S., including the wood, stains, shingles and steel roofing. Another thing that makes Trophy Amish Cabins stand out is their reasonable cost.
“Average sales are $15,000 to $20,000,” he says for the bigger and fancier cabins. The most popular unit is the 10 by 26-ft. cottage. Smaller, basic hunting cabins start at less than $10,000.
“People get so excited. It’s one of the very few times you feel like a child again,” Gega says. He’s watched macho hunters check out their cabin for the first time and talk about decorating ideas.
Due to the growing popularity of the cabins, the business currently has a 9-month waiting list.
“Our clients are our best sales people,” Gega says. “We ask potential customers to call at least two people who bought a cabin. You can’t beat that for credibility.”
Gega prefers to be contacted by mail or through the company website.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Trophy Amish Cabins, 957 Hidden Creek Dr., South Lyon, Mich. 48178; www.trophyamishcabins.com).
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