Log Homes of the Smokies: Log Home log Cabin Articles

ARTICE LIBRARY: BUDGETING FOR YOUR LOG HOME

The log home business has definitely matured a great deal over the years; however, there is still a great deal of misconception about exactly how much one would cost. As with any custom home there are many variables that go into it and you need to do your research and evaluate all your options. Of course purchasing something like a "log package deal" can sound ideal but more than likely unless you are equating the process to the purchase of a modular home it won't cover any modifications you make to customize your home to your specifications. All those are add-on fees that typically come at a premium.

Although there is much discussion around which mill logs come from and there being a great deal of distinction between them that is really a smoke and mirrors marketing tactic that is misused in our industry. There are only a handful of forests and mills that logs come from in building a log home and all the builders use them.

A greater distinction of the cost of lumber can involve who owns the mill. Many log home builders own their own mill and therefore have a lot of operations costs to overcome and must be able to build large volumes of homes in order to justify the cost. Another approach is to use the "just in time inventory" theory. This means the builder works with a mill as a vendor and only orders lumber when a home is ready to be built. This approach allows the costs to the customer to be lowered because the costs to build a home as well as operate a mill are not being absorbed.

Variables that effect the cost of building a log home:

Other supplies. The lumber itself is only a proportion of the total materials expenditure for your house. In addition you also have to consider materials such as flooring, a roof, windows, doors, kitchen cabinets and countertops - just to name a few. A couple of suppliers will quote a "weathered-in shell" encompasses all the elements that enclose your house (secure guarding the house through the components, which include the logs, windows and roof - A number of other suppliers merely estimate the log package deal, which means only the lumber is ordered and delivered and then it's up to the builder to provide the rest of the materials needed. . Be sure when you are evaluating quotes that you are comparing "apples to apples".

Based on industry standards the price for the lumber only constitutes roughly 1/5 of the complete finished house cost. The rest is up to your imagination, creativity and budget to customize your house to your personal specifications. You decide whether to use hardwood flooring or carpeting, marble counters or formica, a metal roof or asphalt shingles, and so on. Contrary to an improvement builder who offers a limited selection; a custom home builder offers the personal selection of everything from sinks to cabinets to doorknobs to the blueprint of your home. When you start factoring in all of these choices, you will learn that there's not much of a distinction between a log home and a traditional home besides the exterior walls.

Where you build. With real estate as well as with any type of supplies certain areas of the country are going to much higher than others due to supply and demand as well as the cost of living. The exact same traditional home built in Boston or Nashville is going to be drastically different in price. So if you are considering building your log home in Montana versus Tennessee, the entire cost of materials, land and labor are going to much less in Tennessee.

Labor costs. As with most services - automobile maintenance, catering, home building - a large part of the total cost involves labor costs. With a custom log home to is constructed almost completely by hand. Your builder may not need to peel or notch the logs, but he will still be putting the logs in one at a time, making certain the walls are plumb, drilling holes for your wiring, cutting settling gaps over the windows and doorways, and most likely putting in the roof framework one board at a time. Finding the right contractor is one of the most important components to manage these tasks. Cutting corners in this area by selecting the lowest priced estimate is definitely not in your best interests for the longevity and value of the home.

Take style into consideration. Probably the most magnificent log homes built have roof lines that stage all over the place, dormers that grace the front, vaulted ceilings on the interior. Nevertheless remember that every various angle you include towards the roof adds considerable costs. . When you need to pare down expenses, consider an easy roof line without all the angles.

Also when assessing total square footage and a blueprint for your home, it is much less expensive to go up rather than expand out. In the event you want a sprawling one-story ranch residence, you will incur a higher basis price, a larger roof, and more labor costs. However, if you build extra stories together with a much more compact base , even though you will need to purchase a staircase the real cost savings will be significant.

So what is the bottom line? A fundamental budget strategy within the SoutheasternUnited States can be estimated at $140-$160 per square foot to get a milled log home. this This is in comparison to the equivalent size of a customized traditional framed home. This square footage estimate does not include the land, the nicely, the septic, the driveway, or landscaping. However, it does include the basement, the lumber, the roof and a completed interior that is move in ready. This estimate is for the turnkey spending budget on your home only. If you are on a tight budget we would not recommend using an estimate below $130 per square foot.