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Wednesday, May 4, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Luxe logsOrvis touting homes made for outdoorsy retireesBy ART CAREY There are problems (Iraq, global warming, the parting of Brad and Jen), and then there are problems. Where, pray tell, are you going to put your Church Creek bootfoot waders, your deep-dish dogs nest, your 19th-century barnboard table, and your Adirondack full-flex Battenkill fly rod, large arbor reel and spool? Worry no more. Orvis, the venerable Vermont-based purveyor of outdoor gear and accessories, has teamed up with Rocky Mountain Log Homes to offer a line of official Orvis log homes. As the ad in the spring fly-fishing catalog proclaims: Finally, a place for all your Orvis gear. Whew! These are not the sort of rough-hewn abodes that sheltered Davy Crockett and Abe Lincoln. These are luxury homes designed to appeal to rusticratic boomers who yearn for old-fashioned American craftsmanship, pastoral peace and the cachet of the sporting life or the illusion of such. The six models (land not included) range from the Battenkill (1,539 square feet; $551,490 turnkey price) to the Rogue (3,944 square feet, $1,152,529 turnkey price). Inspired in part by the architecture of the grand national park lodges, they are not ostentatious in the manner of a plutocratic palace in the Hamptons, but in their own sylvan way they make a statement: A wallet runs through it. If youre not sure how to go log, why not rely on people who originated the style in the pre-Hemingway era, says Barbara Lippert, ad critic for Adweek magazine. Even though youre buying something pre-made, at least you get this imprimatur of good taste. A lot of people suffer from taste insecurity, Lippert says, especially people who have money. Thats why Ralph Lauren is so successful. Indeed, these are not mere dwellings; they are lifestyle monuments. In design, trim, fixtures and hardware, theyve been Orvisized to reflect the preferences, pastimes and aspirations of the outdoorsy folk who buy the high-quality wares peddled in Orvis catalogs. These people like fly-fishing and wing-shooting (hunting game birds in flight), and they adore their dogs. So the Orvis log home comes with a sportsmans room for storing gear, tying flies, hanging waders, and bathing a muddy hound. We wanted to create something thats comfortable, functional and modern, but that also feels really old, like an old shoe, says Jon Sellers, Orvis project manager for Rocky Mountain Log Homes. The homes (see them at www.orvisloghomes.com) were introduced in a winter newsletter mailed to 2.2 million Orvis customers and appear in the current fly-fishing catalog. So far, there have been inquiries aplenty, but only two people have signed on the dotted line: a developer who intends to offer a home on spec, and a builder who plans to erect one as a model home. Orvis is certainly not the first company to sell homes via catalog. That distinction belongs to Sears, which offered kit-built homes in 1908 (starting price, $600) and even sold a line of simple log cabins. Nor is this the first time Orvis has strayed from its core line of duck decoys, rods and reels. Awhile back, it slapped its name on a Jeep Grand Cherokee, joining L.L. Bean and Eddie Bauer in putting its brand on wheels. This foray into home building comes as high-end log homes are surging in popularity. The National Association of Realtors pegs the total number of vacation homes at 6.6 million. Vacation-home sales rose 19.8 percent last year to 1.02 million, up from 850,000 in 2003. The typical second-home owner is between 55 and 64, according to the National Association of Home Builders, but their younger siblings are joining the trend, too. In a 2002 study, the median age of second-home buyers was 47, with a median income of $86,000. A log home offers a sense of roots and steadfastness and reconnecting with the past and the frontier ancestors you probably never had, says Lippert of Adweek. And a log home feels alive. It settles and makes noises, says Mercedes Hayes, 50, who built one on three acres in Hunterdon County, N.J. It sounds very corny, but you feel more connected to the land when you live in a log home, says Hayes, a real estate agent. With the Orvis homes, all the specs and engineering are done for you, so building can begin almost immediately, says Sellers, the project manager. These are high-end homes, but theyre a very good value for the money because youre getting an architect-designed home without the cost of the architect, normally 10 percent of the entire project, or the time thats involved in that, he says. The romance between Orvis and Rocky Mountain began about two years ago the result of mutual admiration and other synergies, says Orvis communications director Ryan Shadrin. Orvis was looking to spread its brand, while Rocky Mountain was looking to break out of the pack of luxury log-home builders. They are green companies moneymakers (Orvis has roughly $250 million in annual sales; Rocky Mountain, $30 million) and environmentally conscious. Orvis donates 5 percent of its pretax profits to conservation and habitat-preservation efforts. Rocky Mountain harvests only dry standing timber, salvaging dead trees so living trees are spared.
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