Current Owners / Experts

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Permalink Reply by JMD on July 2, 2008 at 3:52pm

We designed a house with a 1500' square foot footprint that was specifically designed with reduced build cost as a major factor. Therefore, no huge greatroom ceiling (but it is open), trying to stay with stock finishes except for some "wow" items and putting the bedrooms under the house (it's a lakefront walkout). Our initial budget was $350 K and the builder was able to build the house very close to this price. Along the way we have vastly upgraded the appliances and decided to cover the exposed foundation in stone. This, along with radiant floor heat and some other upgrades has now pushed our budget up significantly.

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Permalink Reply by Dave on July 3, 2008 at 1:41am

Thanks for the info, it comes down to the needs vs. wants desision. The radiant heat is a good idea though, it's definitely in our plans. Good luck with yours!

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Permalink Reply by Dave and Julie Christiansen on January 11, 2009 at 1:46am

Julie and I did our radiant heat for the basement. We saved $3,000 doing it ourselves. The actual labor took us 1 day. We were exhasted, but saving 3 grand was well worth the work. Look at my pics and you will see a pic of me laying the tubing out. We used the installation process from Radianttec.com They are very helpful. Dave

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Permalink Reply by Tom & Barbara Gaskell/Heritage Log Home Dealers/VA on July 14, 2008 at 8:43pm

Dave:

Down here in Virginia it costs us about $160.00 per SF for a turn key job. Based on this, your log home would cost about $256,000.00 to build here. What you can do to save money is some of the following:

1. If this is a true two story you might consider a one and one-half story. This is the most inexpensive way to build a log home. This means that the second floor will be in the gable ends and you open the area up with window dormers and a shed dormer across the back.
2. If you garage is now a full log garage, you might consider building a stick built one and cover it in log siding.
3. If you have lived there for some time and have friends in the building business such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, you might consider being your own general contractor if you have the time, expertise and patients.
4. We have found that a lot of people building log homes want top of the line stuff right off the bat. Try using just simple things now and you can upgrade later. We have done that and it is looking better and the changes are paid for as we go.
5. All of those log home companies are fine companies but you can have the finest log home company but if you don't have a knowledgeable dry in crew, it will not be the best it can be. I might suggest that you also check with one of our Heritage Log Home Dealers close to you and see what they can offer. We have all built many log homes and our experience can be a great help to you.
You may have already considered some of these things but in case you haven't, I hope this helps.

Tom Gaskell

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Permalink Reply by Jarkko on August 4, 2008 at 12:42pm

Hi Dave,

Tom already listed the best ways to keep your costs down, here are some that still come in mind.

-Inside the house, use frame partition walls, instead of log walls.
-Don't build decks, porches etc. those are easy to add later.
-Get rid of dormer and bay windows, material cost is not significant, but they take lot of hours to build.
-Keep the floorplan rectangular or square if possible.
-IKEA supplies nice Scandinavian styled cabinets and vanities ;)
-Get as complete material package from the log home manufacturer as possible and always choose the cheapest material choice. (Upgrading later will be "double" cost but this way you get it done in the first place)
-Build garage later.
-Concrete slab foundation (that thermal heating installation is also a breeze) without cellar.
-Hire outstanding supervisor for your build site.
-Reduce square foot area

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Permalink Reply by Shelley Martinez on August 4, 2008 at 9:47pm

Dave- I had the same budget as you. Our home is approx 1,400 Sf and we have a walk out basement which provides an economical and addt'l 1,000 SF of entertaining space. We also put an egress window down there for a future bedroom - you might want to consider this as a money saving extra space.

Staining was the biggest shocker for me and I should've rolled it into my mortgage. Get the quote - decide if you can do it yourself. Stain companies such as Sashco can talk you thru it.

There are many great log home companies - it can end up being subjective. We interviewed about 8 of them before we decided on Hiawatha. We liked the look of the Norway red pine logs, liked their guarantee and how they processed/treated the logs, liked their sustainable forestry practices, etc. For the companies you're interested in, I would ask for at least 4 references and go to visit their past projects.

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Permalink Reply by Tom & Barbara Gaskell/Heritage Log Home Dealers/VA on August 5, 2008 at 8:31pm

Dave:

Let me clarify some of my previous statements. When I suggested that you try a one and one-half story in place of either a single story or two story, I mentioned that building a one and one-half story would be cheaper and you could open the upstairs by building window dormers and a shed dormer. If you decide to go that route, you need to build at least double window dormers. This will open up the rooms upstairs and it is a cheap way to gain square footage. Most of our customers will end up putting their bed in the larger window dormer and that leaves the rest of the room open. Also, a double window dormer over the great room will bring in a lot of light which is needed when building a log home. Adding a shed dormer across the back opens the this area to give head room for the loft or additional bedroom, bathroom and walk in closet.

A lot of companies will provide solid logs for the gable ends and the dormers but you can save money and possible settling problems by stick building them and adding log siding to the exterior and any wall covering that you choose for the inside of the house.

When you build a log home the roof will be attached to the log walls of the house. That means the roof will settle with them. If you add logs above this area, a problem can be created by the fact that the logs in the gable ends and dormers will add additional settling but the roof cannot move down any further than the walls allow. Sometimes this may not be a problem but more times than not - it is.

If you have any further questions, I would be more than happy to talk to you. Just give me a call. Barbara and I have built a lot of log homes and we have the experience to answer any of your questions.

Tom

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Permalink Reply by Dave on August 23, 2008 at 2:37am

Good ideas, ours will most likely be the 1 1-2 story (loft 2nd floor). The dormers are a great tip, especially with letting in light. Thanks for the tips!

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Permalink Reply by Rob Romine on August 13, 2008 at 12:04pm

Dave--these are all great suggestions on money saving tips and ideas. The only thing that I can add is to use a company that is a member of the Log Homes Council (as are all that you listed above). Using a Council Member will help ensure quality, precise building plans, and technical support when you need it. All of these items will cut down on potential down time, which will cut down on labor costs.

I also recommend that you factor in the costs of maintenance before, during, and after construction. Make sure that you are using wood that has been sanitized of insects and decay fungi (kiln drying and pressure treating are the only methods of sanitization used in the industry) and that your wood has had a preservative applied by the manufacturer. If you have to apply a preservative on the job site this only adds time and money.

Hope this helps. Best of Luck on your project.

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Permalink Reply by Dave on August 23, 2008 at 2:40am

I'm glad you brought up the maintenance. One of the company's we are looking at pressure treats the logs with borate to keeps the insects away, and the other does not but suggests the stain that had the deterring treatment in it. Do you have any opinions on these? We are looking for a way to sway our opinion from one company to the next, but as I am descovering, it is very subjective here. All the companies are great in their own ways. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Dianne on August 23, 2008 at 10:12am

Our original log home built 30 years ago did not have the logs kiln dried or borates applied prior to delivery. Yes, we used borate stains over the years, but still had some minor powder post beetle problems. After 25 years of treating the wood ourselves, several times these treatments were done after total cleaning and power washing just prior to re-staining and all the stains contained borates. And once we paid a professional to to spray the borate only treatment to make sure it was done correctly. Well, it was a constant battle, we were winning...but we sure did put a great deal of effort into it...

When looking to build our new log home getting the kiln dried borate treated logs was a definite "must have" for us. As (was explained to us over the years) the borates need to be able to "penetrate deeply" into the logs doing the treatments on site after construction is rather difficult for the spray to penetrate everywhere it needs to be. Any residual oils/stains on the logs prevents absorbtion so no matter how clean you think you have it it's still not the same as having it done at the factory.

Just my opinion, but I do speak from experience...

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Permalink Reply by Chris Radford on August 25, 2008 at 2:41pm

I think that the 2 factors that will save you the most on your home besides how you plan to finish the inside of the home are to #1 be your own general contractor and look at other options other then kit homes. Almost anyone can be thier own general contractor. There are so many books out there that you can read if you are unfamiliar with the construction process. Basically you are in charge of scheduling all of the subs that do your work. You will save rounghly 20-25% without touching any part of the house by doing all of your scheduling yourself. Your prints should guide most all of your subs on any technical issues that you may be unfamilair with. Second you dont have to buy a kit. There are several reputable saw mills that sell graded random length logs not kits. These are much cheaper then kits. If you can find a builder that has experience this will save you greatly. I am currently building my house this way. Granted I am the builder and have stacked all the logs and will do all the finish work, but my home is 4800+ sq. ft above ground and another 2800 in the walkout and we should be moved in for about $350,000. I saved 100,000 by getting the logs at a mill instead of through a kit company alone. Don't get me wrong, there are some nice things about the kits. I visited several mills during my 3 year planning phase. I just couldn't see paying 100% more for pre cut logs. Kit homes go together much easier, but once again it's what it's all worth to you. I would say that finishing materials are the next big budget buster. Flooring, kitchen and bathrooms will kill your budget if you are not careful. Look everwhere when you price stuff. I am able to flooring online that is cheaper then carpet would cost local. I am not usng any cheap quality flooring countertops or cabinets. All granite, marble, hardwood, and maple products. All I can find for builder grade products. You really just have to do long hard research and askl for samples.

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