So now that you've stumbled across my website, you may be wondering about who I am -- and why I might be qualified to offer any kind of advice on this subject.

Over the past 20 years, I have been involved in the log home industry in many capacities. I have been a consumer, an authorized dealer for several national log home companies (I am only affiliated with one now), and as a speaker/consultant. I have also been involved for the past eight years with my own mortgage company financing the construction and purchase of log homes. I have also built my own log home, which is the basis for this book

Throughout this period of my life, I kept being asked to share my experience with people at log home shows and realtor meetings. The painful story of how I lost my own log home was the most frequently requested topic. And I did a lot of library research (believe it or not, there was no such thing as the Internet in those days) on how to buy land, how to go about selecting a log home manufacturer and how to hire a contractor (builder).

I began compiling all this research into a series of files for my own reference purposes. One day I got a call from a log home magazine asking me to provide an article about my experiences. In response, I wrote an article called "Building Smart - Three Lessons I Learned The Hard Way". I received literally hundreds of emails asking me for more information and I decided that the need for creating a book on the subject was too great to ignore.

I felt that if I could share my personal tragedy with others, add to that the knowledge I have gathered over the years on how I could have avoided it, that I could help others save thousands of dollars on their log home dream. And more importantly, I could help them avoid financial ruin and the possibility of losing their log home.

I know you will find this book to be very informative. No matter what your log home dream might be, this information will guide you through the many steps necessary for a successful project.

If you should have any questions about the book after you purchase it, please feel free to contact me directly. I can be reached at dleach@loghomemistakes.com. You can also call me direct. The number you see on the website is my direct number. I'm usually in the office, but if I'm not there, leave a message and I will return your call.