One thing is clear, wood homes are becoming increasingly popular, and more and more individuals are considering investing in a secondary residence or log home that suits their needs. We sometimes get approached by individuals looking to purchase a prefabricated home. However, this is a product we’ve chosen not to offer. Here are five good reasons we’ve chosen only to offer custom Harkins homes, handmade by our artisans.
1. Our relationship with our clients
Harkins offers a unique boutique experience to its clients. At Harkins, our clients become team members and that contact with the architecture team is primordial to the project’s success. Sometimes we must play the role of counselor, mediator, or negotiator while also drawing up the technical plans. Surprising? Not really when we remember that buying a log home or timber frame home is a major investment, and that means it’s so important that we ensure early on that the home meets the client’s needs to the max. With a prefab, this relationship with the client doesn’t last nearly as long and we can’t offer the same level of personalization, because we don’t have as much time to understand the needs as clearly and we don’t get the opportunity to design specifically for our clients.
2. Product quality
When our artisans build a home, they pay special attention to each detail. The level of care and detail is impressive. By working with the raw materials year after year, our installation crew has developed an exceptional understanding of the material and its potential challenges. This experience is what comes into play when guaranteeing the quality of our work. Sometimes, we have to make adjustments on the fly, because our experts know their material. With a kit, there is a greater risk of error and less opportunity for us to adjust to provide a better end result.
3. The uniqueness of each home
The homes that we build are exceptional. They’re like children–we love them all, and we take great pride in them. We don’t have a catalogue of pre-established products that we offer broadly. This is why we don’t offer prefab, DIY kits. It’s synonymous with mass production, repetition, and quantity over quality – and that’s not what we’re looking for. By working with our team, we guarantee you a log home that meets your expectations, your taste, and your needs.
4. The importance of fit
A Harkins log home is a magnificent puzzle, for which each piece is handcrafted to fit perfectly. The wood will shift over time, so to ensure optimal insulation and proper adjustment of the openings, we install systems that can help manage these shifts. Our timber frame homes don’t have the same systems but it’s important to understand the material to ensure the product and its components (like the doors and windows) are a proper fit. By taking care of the installation and oversight on the worksite, and in the years that follow, we can ensure the product is up to standard and that the home is protected from air and water leaking in. A prefabricated home has bowl corners, which means that gaskets will be required to seal it. With the Scandinavian technique, everything is done by hand by our experienced artisans. Thanks to this method and our corners with shoulders, no gaskets are required!
5. Our promise to offer nothing but the best
At the end of the day, what matters most to us is offering a high-end product. We want our homes to be known for their extraordinary quality and exceptional design. Our promise is to deliver nothing but the best. This is why we don’t offer prefabricated homes and prefer to focus on projects that meet our standards.
Voilà, now you know why we don’t offer prefabricated homes! We invite you to check out our creations and feel free to contact us for more information.