Related Costs To Building A Log Home

As I mentioned before, the log home plans and package have alot to do with the price. You may now be at the stage of your log home plans being close to completion and are getting some bids and other costs gathered from a log home builder. Those are very important steps but there are other costs that may come up that may or may not be part of that stage. Beyond the building permit some townships or counties may require a separate driveway permit. As far as driveways go, some developments may require an asphalt driveway, a culvert may be needed or extra gravel may need to be brought in. All of these items can add cost. Your log home will need electricity. The best thing to do for utility cost is to call the local power company to find out what they charge per foot of line and transformer. The same will go for phone company as well. Many log homes are built where there cable TV is not available so you will need to contact a satellite TV provider for those rates. We now have driveway and utilities so what is next? Chances are your log home will be built in an area that isn't serviced by municipal water and sewer so you will need a soil test (also called perc test) to get a septic design. That test and design will dictate size and cost of your septic system. In my area a perc test usually costs around $400. If you are on a smaller lot that may be impacted by setbacks from property lines, lake shore or road right of way you may need to get a survey to the house is placed to comply with local codes. Other items that are site specific can be window wells, retaining walls, fill to be either hauled in or haul out and lot clearing to name a few more. Ask your builder if the "extras" are covered. Most reputable log home builders will include these extras but some may be encountered before the builder is involved. There are many factors involved from log home companies, log home packages and prices, log home builders, site prep and site costs. It takes some time, don't rush and enjoy the process.

Log Home Plans, Log Home Designs...the fun has started

Not going to talk to much about log home plans, log home companies and such today. I've covered log home packages and prices already. I'm going to touch on log home plans a bit here. In the log home design stage it is very easy to get ahead of yourself. Don't get me wrong, you can't spend too much time thinking of your dream log home plan. However, if you don't have your land/lot to build on you may be ahead of yourself. Over the years in your mind and in sketches you have pictured the perfect log home plan. It is now time to search for the perfect building site for that log home plan. I've seen this happen before, people have found the perfect lot but are let down just a bit because that log home design they wanted just doesn't work right with the lot. It could be the view, contour or lake shore to name just a few game changers in the log home planning stage. Also, the lot may dictate whether you can have a walkout basement, full basement, crawlspace or slab. All of these options can change the budget. I put an eight foot basement under my log home but have a high water table where I'm at so could only go down a few feet. That resulted in my house sticking up out of the ground more than I wanted to I had to pay for fill to be hauled in and I built the grade up around the foundation. I have great drainage away from the house now!

I've also ran across people in the process that are trying to get rather hard numbers on build costs without own land. It is so hard for us to do that. We can ballpark and break it down in a few options but the lot conditions impact build costs in so many ways.

Designing a log home is a lot of fun and means you are getting closer to the start date. Think it out and take your time. Ask for advice from others but be careful...remember that everyone has an opinion of what their perfect floor plan is so don't get too caught up in what everyone says! If your budget without well and septic is $300,000 and the log home companies you have interviewed have given you some rough build costs numbers to help you design the plan. If you are hearing $150/square foot then you will be at 2000 sq. ft at the most. Remember appliances, floor coverings and a few extras add up in a hurry. Are you going full log? If so, keep in mind windows can't be right at an outside corner. There needs to be a bit of log length between the corner and a window or door opening. Think about what you want on the interior partition walls while planning. Some go all wood while others will incorporate drywall to break it up and add some color to the home. Photos help! If you have any, pass them on to us so we know what you are picturing. It all helps. All of these details ahead of time will speed up drawing and bidding time to keep the log home planning stage moving right along.

Keep it fun and if it gets too overwhelming at times just walk away and take a quick break from it.

Selecting The Right Log Home Company

Winding down from a busy weekend. Had a great mix of play and work. It is always great to get emails and calls with log home inquiries, plans and questions. It is interesting to see where everyone is at from that first call asking for basic information and a plan book to researching log home plans and pricing to nearing the final stages by emailing or mailing a plan to get the bidding process underway. Like I said earlier, I've been in the log home business as a log home dealer for a national company for over ten years now. I have spent these years only in the milled log environment and build both full log and half log homes. As you have been going through your magazines, plan books and websites you have set some aside to be reviewed again and already have disqualified some others. At this stage you are starting to learn more about log home plans, terminology, energy efficiency and the difference between all the log home packages and prices. What is the next step? I suggest narrowing the scope down to log home companies that are near where you are going to be building. If you are looking at one of the national log home companies, check out their dealer network. It is quite possible that a log home company that you would like to check out may have a dealer in the area of your build site. Even though the headquarters of that log home company may be across the country, that job of the dealer is to be familiar with local codes, local build costs and should have a network of local builders. I feel that a local log home company or dealer is very important to your project. Code requirements change in every region and can be tough for a non-local company to keep up with. An example would be a log home company that is based in the northern climates such as Wisconsin or Minnesota usually design their roof systems for a certain amount of snow load and have to meet an R-value of R38 in the roof systems. Obviously, southern states don't require snow load so that home may be over engineered for the southern climates and result in some added materials costs that are unnecessary. The opposite of that is a southern based log home company not familiar with snow loads and the energy requirements of the northern states. It is much easier planning for local codes in the early stages rather than dealing with it once you are trying to get a permit. I am not saying you have to go with a local log home company but your research will prompt you to interview that company and/or dealer to see if they are able to meet codes in the area you are going to build in. Local builder support is so important to your project. A quality log home company should have builders that can get your log home built. If they don't I would strongly consider putting them on your disqualified list. Yes, the current economy has alot of builders has alot of guys looking for work. But, how many of them have built with log? Do you want them learning on yours? I don't think so. The log home company should also have a list of referrences so you can check them out as well as their builders. Chances are past customers are more than willing to show their house off to you as well. Take them up on the offer, there is no better way to learn about a company and log home builder than to talk to a home owner. Every log home company out there is more than willing to sell you a log home package. However, not all have the means of helping you get it built. You have spent so much time researching and planning your dream log home so don't select just any builder. I have seen too many examples of why the builder is so critical to the project. I have some more information on this website that talks about log home builder selection and log styles.

In closing, I want to touch on estimated build costs. If you already own our lot it is going to be easier for the log home company to give you an accurate estimate. Without you knowing the location and site conditions we can only help so much. There are too many unknown variables just with the foundation such as slab, crawlspace, full basement or basement with a walkout. Tree clearing, rocks and other site conditions will play into final budget.

Log Home Packages and Prices

Hello! Thank you for stopping by. Log home packages and prices ... It all can be so confusing but hopefully I can help you out as you go. If you have found this page I'll assume that you are in the researching stage of buying a building your dream log home. Log home packages and prices are two of the most important pieces of the puzzle but yet they are so confusing. There is no standard with the log home companies to offer an industry standard log home package. With that said, log home packages and prices can and will vary widely. It is up to you, the log home enthusiast to sort it all out and make the decision you are comfortable with. At first glance on log home package may seem alot cheaper than the others and it may be a let down when you realize that items such as roofing, windows, exterior doors and interior items are not included. Some of the log home companies offer a shell only log home package and even that can get confusing. Some will include windows, some won't. Some include roofing but maybe not soffit and fascia. On the other end of the spectrum of log home packages and prices are the very complete package. Early on a complete package will seem like more money but after sorting through it all you will realize that they may be offering complete exterior package as well as all the interior products such as insulation, knotty pine, interior doors, interior trim and some even include kitchen cabinetry and plumbing fixtures. Your day, hours and sometimes years of research will eventually pay off and you will find that log home company that you are comfortable with and are priced accordingly. Log home planning is alot of fun but at times can get overwhelming. At those times, it is best to take a quick break from it to clear your head and gather new ideas. I can't stress enough the importance of comparing what log home packages include or don't include from log company to log home company. It will get easier though as you eliminate some from your list and start narrowing it all down as the project gets closer. My next blog will be on selecting that log home company and your log home plans. For more information until then feel free to visit my website.