Southern Indiana Living - Sept / Oct 2022

the people who occupied them,” Randy
said. That has held true through
the years. “We have some nice people
in these homes,” said Dale, who has
been involved since his parents built
the first cabins.
They have had clients from as far
away as California and north of Chicago.
“Word of mouth sells houses,”
Randy said. The clients from California
had heard about their work. They
ordered a cabin with a phone call.
“They just told us, ‘Build us one,’”
Randy said.
There have been some repeat
buyers. Sometimes people have
to move for their careers or family
needs and sell their getaway home,
then move back to the area, Billie explained.
“Then they are ready to buy
another.”
Most cabins are used as retreats.
However, there are 20 or so permanent
residents. “Sometimes the cabins
are retirement homes,” Dale said.
Cabins are nestled in scenic
woodland lots that provide privacy
and every cabin has a good view. “It
is always very quiet and peaceful
here,” Billie said.
Randy said proximity to Patoka
Lake has been a positive for cabin
sales. “The lake has been good to us,”
he said, adding that some of Linda’s
family may not have felt that way
when it first came in. “It took some of
their good farmland and they had to
relocate,” he said. “But it has not only
brought us clients but other business
and employment to our area. I helped
build the lake and worked for the Patoka
Lake Regional Water and Sewer
District.”
The business only had one real
bad time, Randy said. “That was during
the recession – 2007 to 2008. That
was hard,” he said. “There was one
year we didn’t do any new construction.”
But in spite of the economic
trends and the problems brought
about by the pandemic, they have
persevered.
When the business transitioned
to the next generation in 2001, Gilmore
Log Homes began. At first, Randy
and Linda’s other children, Eric Gilmore
and Annette Zehr, were involved
but have since opted out.
Once their youngest daughter
graduated from Crawford County
High School in 2021, Dale and Billie
realized their time needed to be spent
on growing the business. “That is
why we chose to move from Marengo
to the cabin area,” she said.
“Some want to entertain family and friends; some like
to keep it more intimate. With the lake nearby, some
want to take advantage of that for swimming, fishing
and water sports. Some are just looking for a quiet
place to relax. We do our best to guide them to build
the dream home getaway they want.”
- Billie Gilmore
Co-owner, Gilmore Log Homes
Pictured: (top) the open living area and kitchen of a recently complete cabin includes vaulted ceilings; (bottom) the
upstairs loft area, open to the living room and kitchen below, includes a bathroom with a barn door.
Southern Indiana Living • Sept/Oct 2022 • 21