PRE-DELIVERY CONSIDERATIONS

FINAL PAYMENT:  Final payment for your log home package must be made at or before delivery, prior to the unloading of your home package.  Even in those cases where you receive your package in more than one shipment, be prepared to pay the entire balance due at delivery of the first load, with certified funds only.  This is strict company policy with all customers.  Please, no exceptions are allowed.  Check with Tennessee Log Homes several days prior to delivery for the exact balance due [1-309-873-2219].  Personal checks will not be accepted.

ACCESS:  Your job site must be accessed by a tractor-trailer nearly 70 feet long and weighing up to 80,000 pounds.  You are responsible for preparing access to and from the building site that will accommodate the vehicle.  Watch for tight curves, low hanging limbs, steep hills, bridges with low weight limits, unpaved roads and other obstacles that may prevent the tractor-trailer from accessing your home site.  Also, keep in mind that the truck will either have to turn around when unloaded or will have to back in to the site.  It is strictly up to the truck driver as to how close to the job site he or she can travel without endangering themselves and their equipment.  Furthermore, you must have room to maneuver the forklift and room to store the material.  You should, therefore, have an alternate unloading site prepared in case you misjudge the accessibility of the job site.  (Often a building supply house may unload and shuttle materials to the job site that is inaccessible to tractor-trailers.)

UNLOADING:  The log home purchaser is responsible for acquiring a forklift or other equipment and unloading the log home package.  An all-terrain type forklift generally works best and should be capable of lifting three tons.  The heaviest bundle of materials will usually be less than 6,000 pounds and the average bundle will weigh approximately 4,500 pounds.  You are allowed three hours to unload the trucks after their arrival.  Please have the labor and equipment necessary to unload within the time limit on site before the scheduled delivery time.

STORAGE OF MATERIALS:  You will need the following items to properly store the materials you will receive with your log home package:

                1.  4-mil. plastic sheathing

                2.  stacking lumber (4x4’s, 6x6’s, etc.)

                3.  several bales of straw

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:  To arrange for on-site technical assistance from one of our experienced log home builders or dealers, contact your dealer and/or our offices at least four weeks prior to delivery.  Do not, however, schedule assistance on the same day you take delivery of your home.  Furthermore, you will be best served by the technical assistance if you have your foundation and subfloor built and are ready to put up log walls when the assistance arrives.  To have logs for the first few courses on the subfloor (away from the perimeter) is also efficient.

DELIVERY DAY

UNLOADING AND STORING MATERIALS:  On delivery day, after making final payment to the truck driver, you may begin unloading your log home package.  Spread your straw on the ground where you wish to stack bundles of materials, preferably a high point near the subfloor but out of the way of porches, decks, etc.  Use 4x4 or 6x6 wood spacers to keep bundles off the ground.  The straw helps keep moisture away from wood and minimizes mud from splattering on the material.  If your subfloor is already built, some logs should be set on the subfloor being certain that the weight is evenly distributed over the subfloor.  Do not stack bundles within two feet of the subfloor perimeter to allow room to lay the first course of logs.

CHECKING MATERIALS RECEIVED:  Use your copy of the Bill of Lading and the Materials List (from truck driver) to inventory and count material received.  Note obvious shortages or damages on the truck driver’s copy of the Bill of Lading.  After unloading is complete, further count and inspect materials received.  You are allowed ten days to report damages, shortages, etc. to Tennessee Log Homes’ headquarters.  If you need assistance or have questions to be answered concerning this inventory, do not hesitate to call us [1-309-873-2219].

COVERING MATERIALS ON JOBSITE:  You should keep all materials well covered and protected while being stored on the job site.  Use a 4-mil plastic or tarpaulin to cover all materials, particularly kiln-dried products such as tongue & grooves, lumber, sidings, and doors and windows.  Secure the plastic covering with weights around the bottom (wood blocks, bricks, etc.) to keep wind from blowing it off.  On sunny days, remove the plastic to allow air circulation throughout the bundles, replacing the plastic at night.  Keeping your woods products dry is extremely important.

FINAL NOTES ABOUT DELIVERY:  The truck driver is usually not an employee of Tennessee Log Homes and will not be participating in off-loading procedures.  Please direct any questions you may have concerning the delivery or products received to your Tennessee Log Homes representative.  Call Tennessee Log Homes’ headquarters and let us know how your delivery went [1-309-873-2219].