Jon
Fogelson of Log Knowledge explains that the vanishing 
homes Martin saw were log shells. The company builds the shell for
each project at its headquarters in LaPorte, Colorado. The logs are
cut, notched and stacked in the yard. Then the logs were numbered,
disassembled and transported to the building site for quick reassembly
on the owner's prepared foundation and floor system. The same process
was used to build the Pelican Lakes clubhouse. To passersby, the clubhouse
appeared to be built in two weeks, but the actual time from ground-breaking
to completion was seven months.
Construction
went smoothly though the building crew had to work long hours to
meet the deadline, particularly during the last two weeks. It was
late November, and Christmas parties had been scheduled for the
club's banquet hall. "When people walked through we'd overhear
them say, 'No way this place is getting done,' but that was the
motivation for us," project manager Ron Moore says. "At
the last minute, we got the certificate of occupancy." The
club opened December 3, 1998, the day of its first scheduled holiday
party.
The
golf course is part of the Water Valley subdivision Martin developed
on a reclaimed mining site 50 miles north of Denver. The club was
named after the four manmade Pelican Lakes that separate the course
from the community.
After
a day of competition on the 72-par course, golfers can share a beverage
on the deck of the clubhouse and watch the sun set over Habitat
Lake and the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Looking south from
the pro shop, they see the Cache La Poudre River wind its way around
the golf course.
The
design of the clubhouse is a function of the building site and its
surroundings. Initially, the site was as flat as a driving range.
One day Martin brought in a forklift placed a pallet on it, climbed
aboard and raised the lift to the optimal height for the best views.
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