Author Archives: Drew Prochazka

Design Trends for 2025

| February 7, 2025

With a brand new year, there comes a brand new list of trends from the world of home design. If you’re designing, building, or remodeling a home in 2025, here are a few trends that will have real staying power for the rest of the decade (and beyond). Several well-worn trends like staunch minimalism and wall-to-wall “millennial gray” color palette have run their course, but there are lots of great and BOLD interior trends that have taken the design world by storm over the last year. Our interior design expert, Kourtnie Clark Whitmore has compiled a list of a few of those trends, along with ways to incorporate them into your custom log or timber frame home. CONTINUE READING

Custom Log & Timber Frame Home Pricing

| November 27, 2024

Determining The Turnkey Cost of Your Custom-Built Home

In general, log cabin homes and timber frame homes are typically niche areas of construction and tend to cost somewhat more (generally 10% and up) than a comparable, high quality, custom “stick-built” home with the same level of finishes, amenities, and design complexities. Many variables can affect the finished, move-in-ready cost of your home, including the location of your home, the contractor you choose, finish levels, design complexity, local building codes, appliances, quality of materials, etc…  The cost of Beaver Mountain’s home package is only a portion of the finished expenses, and determining a ballpark estimate requires an in-depth conversation about your project and vision. CONTINUE READING

Featured Home: Wayfarer Lodge

| November 27, 2024

Our team recently had the pleasure of catching up with two Beaver Mountain clients who built the gorgeous Wayfarer Lodge back in 2014. Nestled amongst the Catskill Mountains, The Wayfarer Lodge takes our classic Lodge floor plan and gives it a modern twist. Owners Dean and John split their time between Upstate NY and Florida and wanted a perfectly tailored log home that would be a summertime oasis when they needed to beat the tropical heat. This custom log home is truly a work of art both inside and out! CONTINUE READING

Timber Components for Contractors

| October 8, 2024

When you think of Beaver Mountain, the first thing that most likely pops into your mind is our custom crafted full-home projects, but did you know that we offer a wide selection of timber components for builders too? From exterior details like trusses, corners, and siding to interior details like accent beams and custom staircases; we can provide the one-of-a-kind handcrafted timber components for whatever your building project requires. Let Beaver Mountain be your go-to trusted source for high quality and perfectly crafted timbers for every project. CONTINUE READING

Custom Home Building Timelines

| July 16, 2024

Designing and building a custom home doesn’t have to be daunting. With clear communication and realistic expectations, the process is quite simple once it’s looked at step by step. At Beaver Mountain, we strive to ensure that our clients have an enjoyable experience and clear picture of the entire design and build process before we even start their home build project. Here is a helpful timeline to put things into perspective. On average, we tell our clients that it typically takes 8 to 12 months for a 2000 square foot home to be completed. With that in mind, let’s dive into the steps that take us through those months so you can visualize what goes into a fully custom-crafted log or timber frame home. CONTINUE READING

Smart Home Tech for Your Custom Home

| May 14, 2024

Did you know that when you design a custom crafted wood home with Beaver Mountain, you also have the opportunity to incorporate Smart Home technology into your custom home? While it might seem overwhelming, Smart Home tech doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some basic principles and ideas that will help you decide if adding Smart Home devices to your home build project is a good fit for you and your family. CONTINUE READING

Home Design for Retiring-In-Place

| February 16, 2024

Are you dreaming of retiring to a gorgeous custom crafted home surrounded by breathtaking views and the relaxing atmosphere of nature all around you? Perhaps you have a family cabin on a beloved piece of property and would like to transform the space into a one-of-a-kind wood home. When it comes to designing the dream home for your golden years, there are a few things to consider ensuring you’ll be happy and comfortable for many years to come. CONTINUE READING

Reduce your wood home maintenance with these tips!

| January 26, 2024

When you move into your custom crafted log or timber home, the last thing you want to worry about is filling your precious free time with home maintenance projects. There are several details that can be incorporated into the design of your log home in order to minimize the amount of maintenance your home will need. We had the opportunity to chat with Beaver Mountain’s own Drew Prochazka, Vice President of Business Development, to share his personal experience of log home maintenance. According to Drew, “While it’s true that log homes require a certain type of maintenance, there’s no such thing as a maintenance free home”. Even conventionally built homes require regular maintenance to last for years. As someone who has lived in a Beaver Mountain log home for two decades and has worked within the log home industry for the past 21 years, Drew knows a thing or two about taking care of a log home. CONTINUE READING

Welcoming 2024 with Gratitude & Excitement!

| January 3, 2024

It may sound cliche, but 2023 went by in the blink of an eye. Looking back over the last year, we have so much to be thankful for as a company. Our incredible team was able to deliver high quality log & timber frame homes to each of our new clients while also strengthening our partnerships with countless industry professionals and past clients as well. These partnerships are the lifeblood of our company and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them. CONTINUE READING

Renovations & Home Additions

| December 6, 2023

One sure thing about life is that it’s always changing. The home you designed 20 years ago to fit your family’s needs might be feeling a bit cramped and in need of a larger great room or apartment-space above a garage. Sometimes even the most beloved homes are still the perfect size decades later, but just need some sprucing up to give you more space outside. Perhaps you’ve found the perfect property, but it has an older house on site that needs some remodeling. Whatever the reason, Beaver Mountain is here to help turn your home project ideas into the renovations & home additions of your dreams. CONTINUE READING

Micro-luxuries to Enhance Your Home Design

| September 25, 2023

First impressions in our personal lives are always important, but what about the first impression that our homes make? Your home is a reflection of your life, your story and the details tell everyone who steps through the doors about you. Making thoughtful decisions about form, functionality, and personality speak volumes. Whether you’re in the process of designing your log or timber frame home with Beaver Mountain, or if you’ve been enjoying the rustic beauty of your home for decades, you might be looking for a little interior design inspiration. One way that you can incorporate some modern flair into your interior design is by utilizing micro-luxuries throughout the rooms of your home to show off your personality and style without breaking the bank. CONTINUE READING

NYS Bans Gas Hookups in New Builds

| June 20, 2023

In early May 2023, NY Governor Hochul announced that NY State has begun making strides towards becoming the first state in the country to eliminate all fossil fuel equipment in new construction starting in 2026. Under this mandate, all new homes built by 2026 must be fully electric and can no longer include propane or natural gas fueled heating systems or appliances. While there is still a good deal of information we do not know at this time, Beaver Mountain wants to share with clients what we do know so far and the ways it could impact the future of new construction projects. CONTINUE READING

We love our local Communities!

| June 5, 2023

Being involved in the local communities has always been important to us. If you travel around Hancock or Deposit you’ll see many Beaver Mountain buildings, including the Hancock Chehocton Historical Association, Hancock’s Nature Center, Town Square, Little League dugouts, Deposit & Hancock Welcome Centers just to name a few! CONTINUE READING

Tips for Designing Your Outdoor Spaces

| May 17, 2023

One of the most important components of the home design and build process is factoring in landscaping and hardscaping to your property. We had the pleasure of chatting with Kyle Palmer from Palmer Contracting and Hardscaping to discuss why those are an important part of the process for homeowners to consider. Kyle is an expert in his field and offered some great insight into the process to help us better understand the application and functionality of both. CONTINUE READING

Log Homes vs Timber Frame Homes

| March 30, 2023

Log vs Timber Frame: What’s the difference?

Designing and building your custom home is an investment in the future for you and your family.  Such a well-thought-out decision deserves to be one that you are happy with forever. Careful planning goes into every detail of your custom-designed home for months or even years. For you, there is something beautifully artistic about the intricate detail and noticeable craftsmanship of a house made from white pine or red cedar. CONTINUE READING

Creating a Great Room Vision Board

| March 6, 2023
Mood Board for Great Rooms

Creating a vision board (also referred to as a mood board) is a great way to start your log or timber frame home design planning.  These visual representations of your taste will help us have a clear direction before we start to design your home. These boards can be as simple as a Pinterest page account or as complex as a notebook filled with sketches, notes and printouts. You can check out our Gallery and Floorplan pages, Instagram or Facebook for lots of Beaver Mountain home inspiration. The sky’s the limit! CONTINUE READING

Sustainable Building

| January 28, 2022
Prow Front Log Home With 10" Logs

Sustainability is top of mind for everyone these days. For Beaver Mountain log homes, it is not a trend; sustainable building is what we’ve done from the start. Going above and beyond building codes is important to us, not only to provide our customers excellence in service, but also because in doing so, we are honoring environmental and sustainable practices that matter to us personally and leaves a legacy for our children for years to come.

When you choose Beaver Mountain log homes, we understand that you are looking for a home in which to enjoy nature. The very essence of our log homes combines luxury living with the great outdoors. But we take this environmental benefit further with sustainable practices in waste reduction, high performance heating options, and we offer solutions for solar energy and off grid living. CONTINUE READING

One of the 20 Best Custom Home Builders

| January 20, 2022
Beaver Mountain Log Homes Custom Home Builders Country Cubco Timber Home

We’re proud to be included in the Top 20 Best Custom Home Builders in Upstate NY by Home Builder Digest! They highlighted our Country Cubco custom built home, a ski lodge in the Catskill Mountains of New York designed to host friends and family.    The Country Cubco Timber Home is a perfect home for entertaining, with a large open concept living space, dining for 12 and a large wraparound deck that is accessible from the beautiful French doors in the living room. A wall of windows lets in natural light and passive solar heating in the winter months. During the summer, simply open the doors to feel the mountain breezes. A double sided fireplace is an unusual, but beautiful, feature. One side opens to the living room, the other to outdoor living room under a porch. The area is designed to allow you to enjoy 3 season outdoor living and has been a very popular design option lately. To see the entire Country Cubco gallery and floor plan, click here! CONTINUE READING

Enjoy the holidays! Tips to make your home holiday ready!

| November 24, 2021

It’s hard to believe that we’re staring down the last few weeks of 2021 already! Sometimes these holiday weeks can feel a bit overwhelming with visitors, baking, cooking and decorating, so here are some of our favorite tips and tools to help make it easier! We want you to enjoy the holidays!

Invest in a large cutting board.

If you’re like most people, your cutting board could probably use an upgrade! Not only is a large board great for meal prep, but it’s perfect for carving meats, or charcuterie! Catskill Woodworks has some beautiful hand made boards that you might not want to ever put away! They also can teach you how to take care of your wood with oils, making sure it’s something you’ll love for years. (These also make perfect gifts and can be customized!) CONTINUE READING

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

| May 20, 2021
Bags of coffee surrounded by rocks and leaves

With Father’s Day just around the corner, we thought it might be fun to round up some of our team’s favorite gift ideas! We know how hard our guys are to shop for (although we must add that a design consultation with us for a custom log home would be a fabulous gift!)

For the coffee lover:

Upstate Coffee Roasters is one of our favorite small coffee companies! They’re located in Gloversville, NY and have some great hand roasted beans. You can’t go wrong with their Cayuga Lake artisan blend, or if you like something lighter, try their Lake George single origin bean! CONTINUE READING

Log Home Interior Design Trends

| May 7, 2021

We’ve seen some interesting trends lately in log home interior design as our clients are creating their homes! Here’s a few of our favorites…

Mixing Bold Patterns

Using Primary Colors

Wallpaper & Murals

Cottagecore 

Comfort is Key!

Let’s take a look at those in depth!

Mixing Bold Patterns

Bold patterns are a great way to give your home some personality! You can go for a floral or maybe a geometric pattern to give any room that “pop”. But in 2021, we’ve seen clients mixing those patterns together! You can choose a common color palette, then mix and match to your heart’s content! CONTINUE READING

Future-Proofing Your Home

| November 11, 2020

Here in the Catskills, we’ve seen a huge rise in the numbers of people building their dream vacation homes. They rent them while they’re not using them, with the long term goal of having it as a retirement home. If that’s something you’re thinking of, there are a few things you should keep in mind. CONTINUE READING

Tips for an Eco-Friendly Home

| September 17, 2020

Many of our clients are looking to include eco-friendly, green features into their homes. As you’re planning your new custom home (or just getting ideas for your current home), here are a few tips and ideas to reduce your carbon footprint and stay healthier in the process!

Kitchen

Use natural cleaning products. Vinegar, baking soda, rubbing alcohol make a fantastic window and glass cleaner. Lemon juice can help remove stains from countertops (and is fantastic as an adhesive remover too!) Baking soda freshens up carpets. Not only are these all extremely effective, they are cheap and almost always at hand! Vinegar and a bit of dish soap is also quite effective as a weed killer. A great option especially if you have pets or small children around. CONTINUE READING

Beaver Mountain Log Homes Kitchen Design Tips Kitchen Island

Kitchen Design Tips: Part 2

| July 8, 2020

Last time we started talking to Carol from Northeast Cabinet Center about ways to increase your storage and  keep your kitchen organized. (Click here to read that post!) Today she’s back and has some more tips for us!

Drawers

Roll out drawers are a really easy way to access everything in your cabinets and come in several widths. These are very helpful in the kitchen to pull your appliances, pots/pans, etc. out for an easy access. No more crawling on your hands and knees retrieving an item in the back of the cabinet. They also aid in keeping a better inventory of your supplies since the items are readily available with an easy glide out drawer. CONTINUE READING

Summer Favorite Recipes!

| June 22, 2020
Grilling in front of a log home

Summer is officially here and we’re ready to grill! If you’re like us, you’re looking for a few new recipes to try out, so we thought we’d share a few of our favorites!

First up is Blackend Grilled Salmon with Mango Avocado Salsa. This is a tried and true hit with all ages! It’s best if you can plan ahead and make the salsa a few hours before cooking to let the flavors all meld together. We made this over the weekend and it was delicious! CONTINUE READING

Reopening Information

| June 6, 2020

Beginning Monday, June 1st 2020, Beaver Mountain Log & Cedar Homes will be open. The Model Homes & Design Center will be open by appointment only. Please call JoAnn at 607-467-2700 or email info@beavermtn.com to get in touch with one of our Sales Consultants and schedule a meeting.
Our Sales/Design team has moved the Hancock, NY offices to our Deposit, NY manufacturing facility (just 6 miles down Route 17). There are a few reasons for this move and it is something we have been planning for years, but the recent temporary closures made it possible. This will help our team members all collaborate more effectively, and will also make the safety plans put in place by NYS easier to facilitate.
 CONTINUE READING

Log & Timber Homes are Naturally “Green”

| April 16, 2020
Owls Club Beaver Mountain Custom Home

There is a lot of buzz right now about living “green”.  It stresses being conscious of the world around us and practicing environmentalism, such as recycling and using paper instead of plastic.  The mindset can also be applied to building homes.  In fact, Beaver Mountain has been committed to being green long before it became popular and incorporated this approach into every aspect of the home building project. CONTINUE READING

Family Activities: Kitchen Scrap Gardening

| April 1, 2020
Beaver Mountain Kitchen Scrap Gardening

At Beaver Mountain, we’re all about family! In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing some family-friendly activities to add a little cheer and color to your days. If you’re stuck home with the kids right now, why not try your collective hand at growing veggies? Some of your favorites can actually regrow from a small piece of the original. Kitchen Scrap Gardening is easy, fun, and – as each day brings new growth – gives everyone something to look forward to! If you include the kids in every step along the way, they’ll understand and enjoy the process even more. CONTINUE READING

Don’t Forget the Landscaping

| March 17, 2020
Log Home Landscaping with Fire Pit

With thoughts of spring and building your new Log or Timber Framed home, keep in mind that the exterior landscaping is just as important as your interior décor. For as much time that you put into figuring out your style for the inside of your home, the outside is the first impression everyone will see when pulling into the driveway. First impressions are lasting impressions. CONTINUE READING

Beaver Mountain Log Homes Overlook Retreat

What Are You Waiting For?

| February 20, 2020

Undoubtedly you might think that just because there is snow on the ground and the temperatures are frigid, you can’t begin to build your dream home. This is so far from the truth! Realistically, while the weather and ground conditions are not ideal in the northeast, it’s the perfect time to lay the ground work and begin the process of building. Here are some of the reasons why: CONTINUE READING

Cedar Crest Cabin Cedar Log Home Livingroom

Let Furniture Set The Stage For Your Log Home

| January 24, 2020

Let Furniture Set the Stage in Your New Log Home
Story By: Pellham D.W. DeGroot
Guest Commentary by Log Home Living
There’s no shortage of information about building a log home, whether you’re cutting down your own trees or stacking pre-cut logs.  But precious little tells how to furnish a log home.  Most people wind up OK, or at least think they do, but some regard furnishing a log home as an impossible mission.
No wonder, even if you are blessed with taste and confidence, few people have any experience with log homes, even those who have done and re-done other kinds of homes many times, even a few pros, Logs pose challenges.
There’s the wood, obviously.  But because logs represent more than just a place to live, furniture has to go beyond form and function to convey who the owners are and how they live in their log home.  That means worrying less about a stated theme – Southwestern, art deco, rococo, French Country, Victorian, etc. – and more about setting feelings: casual, comfortable, rugged, outdoorsy, down-homey. CONTINUE READING

Faith vs. Fact

| October 23, 2019
Beaver Mountain Log Homes Grandview Model Exterior Night

There really is no best wood for a log home

By Jim Cooper

A sure way to enliven a gathering of log-home enthusiast the superiority of inferiority of a particular species of wood.  It’s like tossing a gauntlet into a gathering of knights.  You’re almost guaranteed that someone will rise to your challenge.  Wood species provokes probably more heated discussion than any other aspect of log homes. CONTINUE READING

Attention to details can keep your project on budget

| August 8, 2019

By Jim Cooper

A builder recently presented a bid for a log home to customers who had already purchased a package and had blueprints in hand.  They had sold their home to buy land and were temporarily renting in anticipation of their new home.  In their enthusiasm, they overlooked on factor: construction cost. After presenting his bid, the builder was stunned to find a $100,000 gap between it and his customer’s expectations. CONTINUE READING

What is Custom Crafted?

| June 13, 2019

The term “Custom Crafted” means “made to the specifications of an individual customer”.  In today’s world, having your custom crafted, luxury log dream designed to meet your wants and needs has come a long ways from the days of “kit” log homes.  This is not to say that there still companies out there that still produce a cookie cutter home. CONTINUE READING

Best Log Home Award

| April 17, 2019
Beaver Mountain Log Homes Mountain View Exterior Front

Beaver Mountain Log Homes is selected as one of the Best Homes of 2018!

Log Home Living, a magazine devoted to log homes, conducted a vote by their log home enthusiast readers to select the top homes of 2018. Selecting from dozens of companies homes, the voters selected the Mountain View as one of the Best Homes of 2018. It will be featured in their Best Log and Timber Homes special issue. CONTINUE READING

Determining the Cost of Your New Home

| March 26, 2019
Beaver Mountain Log Homes Lee Stone Fireplace

The geographical location of where you intend to build your log cabin home, cedar home or timber frame home effects the labor rates for builders and subcontractors (carpenters, plumbers, electricians, masons, painters, etc).  Your builders and subcontractors level of expertise and craftsmanship will also have a direct effect on the turnkey cost of your log home. CONTINUE READING

Not all logs are created equal!

| March 19, 2019
Owls Club Beaver Mountain Log Homes

FAQ?

What sets one log home manufacturer apart from the others?

Among a variety of differences, one of the most important is the quality of the logs used to build your log home. In plain English: NOT ALL LOGS ARE CREATED EQUAL. Some logs, even of the same wood species, can suffer from structural defects, cosmetic blemishes, decay, or insect infestation. These irregularities and log damage could prove devastating to the structural integrity of your new home, not to mention its beauty. CONTINUE READING

The Gerald Custom Timber Home

The Process Of Designing Dreams

| February 22, 2019

by: Murray Arnott, AIBD

Guest Commentary by Custom Wood Home Architects and Designers

How do you get from the inkling of an idea to a great home? As they say, it ain’t easy, but the end result is worth it. Clients come to designers and architects with ideas on napkins, scraps of paper, or on the backs of maps or parking tickets (it happens — people driving past a home with a feature they’d like to incorporate scramble for anything to write on). Then we must do a certain amount of digging before the actual digging begins. We not only consider structure, supports, and seismic issues — we play the role of psychologist, teacher, and occasionally mediator between competing visions of different family members. CONTINUE READING

White Pine for your log home

Why Build your Log Home with Eastern White Pine?

| January 9, 2019

Strikingly beautiful and surprisingly affordable, Eastern White Pine is highly regarded in the building industry for projects that require a high quality appearance, durability, and stability.

Eastern White Pine performs extraordinarily well when compared to other pine species like Southern Yellow Pine, Lodgepole Pine, Ponderosa Pine, and Western White Pine. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wood Products Laboratory, it has the least amount of radial shrinkage of any wood species used as an engineering material and is rated moderate in decay resistance. The low shrinkage rate means that log homes constructed of Eastern White Pine will be stronger and more durable. CONTINUE READING

Beaver Mountain Newsletters

| December 9, 2017

Here’s where you can download PDFs of our newsletters and get inspiration to help you design your own custom log home.

  • The Foley (view PDF)
  • The Gerald (view PDF)
  • The Heron Cove (view PDF)
  • The Lost Acres (view PDF)
  • The Our Laughing Place (view PDF)
  • The Overlook Retreat (view PDF)
  • Holsapple (view PDF)
  • Mountain View (view PDF)
  • Tumbleweed (view PDF)
  • Kuyahoora Lodge (view PDF)
  • Camp Kozakis (view PDF)
    • CONTINUE READING