Mathew Sterchi
Mathew Sterchi is Vice President of Sales & Marketing at StoneMill Log & Timber Homes, a family-owned business based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Mathew’s brother-in-law, Rob Cantrell, has served as company President since 1994. StoneMill was founded in 1974 by Mathew’s father, John R. Sterchi, Jr. It began as a log home company specializing in dovetailed, chinked log construction and handcrafted timber frame roof systems. They became more involved with timber framing and hybrid log and timber frame construction in the late 90’s as timber frame demand grew due to changes in national energy code requirements.
Today, StoneMill specializes in the design, fabrication, and construction of the unique components for log and timber frame homes across the U.S. They help clients looking to build primary and secondary residences mostly in mountain, lake, or farm settings. StoneMill’s services include in-house professionals for design, project management, and fabrication as well as delivery and installation. Their team has over 100 years of log and timber frame industry experience and have built over 1,500 homes across the country. They are members in good standing with the NAHB and BBB.
StoneMill’s team is deservedly proud of their accomplishments which notably include:
Celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2014 as one of the oldest log and timber home companies in the country.
During the 1980’s, StoneMill was honored to build a log and timber home for former President Jimmy Carter.
The formation of Creekside Construction, their specialized installation division, that works across the U.S. building log & timber frame shells.
Winning numerous design awards through Log Home Living, Building Systems Council and other trade publications.
We asked Mathew what have been some of the challenges in nurturing StoneMill Log & Timber Homes. He told us, “Growing our business was tough with the high interest rates of the late 1970’s and during the recession of 2007.” Another challenge is the uniqueness of timber frame construction. As Mathew says, some difficulties are created by “the high cost per square foot and the many choices available to build a timber frame. We offer options on different frames to fit within our client’s budget goals.”
We also asked Mathew if it is difficult working with codes offices across the country when building timber frame homes. He replied, “With 43 years of experience designing and building log & timber frame homes across the U.S., we have worked with many different county codes officials. We know how to work with each county’s design and engineering requirements. Our expertise makes the process much smoother for our clients when applying for permits.”
Many of StoneMills’ projects include beautiful exterior and interior logs and chinking. We asked Mathew about the maintenance and energy-efficiency of that and he told us: “Our traditional dovetailed, chinked log profile incorporates an insulation joint between each log course using rigid, closed cell foam to increase the energy efficiency of the log walls. This provides higher R-values in the log walls to meet more stringent energy code requirements. The synthetic, latex-based chinking material (we use products from Permachink) serves as a flexible sealant between each log course to eliminate heat loss and air infiltration for a weather tight shell. The Permachink chinking product is a one-time application, requires low maintenance, and carries a limited lifetime warranty when installed per manufacturers specifications.”
To find out more information about StoneMill Log & Timber Homes, go to:
StoneMill Log & Timber Homes
10024 Parkside Dr.
Knoxville, TN 37922
1-800-438-8274 (toll-free)