selecting a log home manufacturer

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Permalink Reply by Shelley Martinez on November 24, 2008 at 2:16pm

Lew,
I'm a log home owner (and now a dealer.) To help you narrow down your choices, I would suggest a few things:

1. Go visit some of their past client's homes. Get references - call people who have purchased these homes and ask them questions about their experience, etc. But nothing beats seeing the homes firsthand.
2. Put together a spreadsheet of the 4 companies you are considering to compare them apples to apples. One company's "shell" package for example might differ from another - find out what they include so you can compare pricing and materials.
3. Visit / call the Log Home Council and see if they are a member. A member of this group adheres to the standards for the log home industry.
4. What are their guarantees they will put in writing.
5. Inquire / research their financial stability.

There are many more items but hopefully this helps you. I'm sure someone will respond from the forum who owns one of these homes and will be able to provide a firsthand account for you. Good Luck!
Shelley

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Permalink Reply by Kelly on November 24, 2008 at 3:29pm

Hi Lewis,

Another thing I would suggest is to check with each of these log home companies to see if they have a open house, or log home building seminar that you can attend. This way you can compare notes. Alot of these companies have open houses through out the year. Visit each company. This will help you with your choice of the company that you want to go with.


Kelly
I-Wood-Care

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Permalink Reply by Joe on November 24, 2008 at 3:32pm

Lew,
You don't say where you are planning on building as this could be key to whom you choose. The most important part is who is going to do the actual building as this is where the problems seem to arise once you choose a top notch home supplier. You might check the following website for some reviews:
http://www.loghomereports.com/products/directory.asp

Ideally you would want the supplier of the home to also be the contractor and they do exist.

I would then search the BBB in the area where you are going to build.

If you read the various topics within this blog you will get many ideas about what to be looking for in your log supplier, builder, types of log, air dried, kiln dried, insect protection, staining, foundation, etc. The devil is in the details especially with some of the suppliers being weakened right now with the slowdown in building.

Joe
Sarasota

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Permalink Reply by Mitch & Rene Jones on November 24, 2008 at 9:56pm

Lew,
We live in a Kuhn's Brothers custom home (We took a plan and made it our own). I was very impressed with their service. We visited several other companies and there are some fine ones out there. I agree with the others, you need to check out all the options and see which one suits you. If you plan on doing a lot of the work yourself I would check into attending a workshop, (Kuhns Bros. has one) I know other companies have workshops as well.
Talk to as many people as you can about "All" the companies you are interested in.

I would also suggest looking at as many log home magazines as possible, cut out the ideas you like and make a sort of scrap-book. Take these ideas to the dealers with you.

Good luck,
Rene

I love our home and would recommend this company to anyone!

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Permalink Reply by Kevin on November 30, 2008 at 6:19pm

Lewis,

I represent a company, and try to respond to questions with a neutral position. I hope this provides some food for thought.....

When it comes to which company offers the best deal, it may not necessarily mean they offer the lowest price. I would select a plan with a heavy timber roof system, or draw one of your own. It may not be the actual plan you are building, but will serve as a benchmark. Request an estimate from each of the companies you are considering. Specify what materials you want included in the estimate. Now you are looking at an apples to apples bid. Otherwise, when you request an estimate from 4 different companies, everything about each one will be different and almost impossible to make an accurate comparison. Each company will offer their own version of a "complete package" and those packages can vary greatly.

Other considerations are warranty, customer service and technical support, pre-cut logs and heavy timber roof system, construction support materials, technical workshops, reputation, delivery schedule and cost of delivery......

Also keep in mind, materials and stability of the log wall system are only half of the equation when considering a well built log home. Methods of construction are significant and can vary greatly from one company to the other. Observe details that are often overlooked from the "curb", as all log homes will look great from a distance. Important considerations are, what is the primary seal between the logs, How are doors and windows trimmed on the exterior, will they be airtight, how are the corners assembled, is there settling hardware?

Also as mentioned earlier, your builder will be a critical factor. Many home buyers spend months or even years choosing a company and plan, then settle on a builder in a matter of weeks. Any builder worthy of consideration will be quick to offer references.

Kevin.

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Permalink Reply by Rick Friesen on December 3, 2008 at 8:10pm

Lew,

(As with Kevin, I also represent a log home company but am trying to offer experience/expertise not creepy salesmanship.)

It has kind of already been said but I would state more strongly -- check with the different companies to see who they regularly work with and recommend as a general or finishing contractor. Then check those contractors and their references. Make sure you are also getting apples to apples bids from them.

Do your homework about each of these options just as much as you did when choosing your log home supplier. If you look on loghomereports.com, it seems many problems listed there come at the fault of the finishing contractor/s.

Good Luck!
Rick

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Permalink Reply by Rick Friesen on December 4, 2008 at 12:56pm

Whoa, thanks Mitch and Rene for pointing out that I totally butchered my opening sentence!

Sorry Kevin for sounding like I was implying that you were creepy! There was supposed to be a period in there...

My "full disclosure statement" should have read:

"(As with Kevin, I also represent a log home company. And, like Kevin, I am trying to offer experience/expertise not creepy salesmanship.)"

I know the community on LogHomeU.com is very wary of "professionals" hijacking the great relationships here. (See my blog post for more on this: http://www.loghomeu.com/profiles/blogs/and-so-it-begins )

My point was that I was trying to emulate Kevin -- not vilify him!! Many apologies!

Blushing,
Rick

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Permalink Reply by Kevin on December 4, 2008 at 2:00pm

Think nothing of it Rick. I knew exactly where you were going and what was intended.
I have seen a number of posts from salespersons fishing for a buyer, and been tempted myself, but that certainly negates the purpose of this message board. It is always good to benefit from so many other eyes and ears, sharing information about this industry, which benefits the buyers, home owners, and everyone else involved! The more we can avoid the "creepy salesman" thing, the more we can promote the concept of this forum.

Kevin.

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