The Beginning

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Permalink Reply by Shelley Martinez on August 4, 2008 at 9:40pm

Jay,
Depending on who you purchase your log home from and what type of package you purchase (shell, weather tight, et),find out if there are items your builder can provide more economically. (I.e. hard wood floors, windows, tongue & groove wood, roof, etc.) I personally think it's more economical to purchase a "shell condition" from the log home mfgr.
Make sure you see at least 3-4 of your builder's previous log home projects. Call references, call the county / city they work in.

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

Jay--keep the research going. This is the single most important step you can take in making your decision. I suggest visiting a Log Home Show in your area to talk to as many manufacturers as you can in one spot. But don't stop there! Use the information you gather to weed out the companies you like, and set a time to visit their model homes and their manufacturing facility. Take part in local seminars, webinars, and READ all the articles in the magazines you subscribe to.

Regarding construction loans, make sure that the bank you are dealing with understands the special nature of log home construction. A few questions to ask: Is this bank willing to pay for the full log home package on delivery day? Will this bank finance over 12 months? How many draws will you be allowed? Can you do any of the work yourself? It's better to get these answers now, instead of when you are ready to close.

Hope this info helps. Best of Luck on your project!!

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Permalink Reply by Jay Rodriguez on August 14, 2008 at 12:41am

Thanks Rob!
We will be vigilant in our research.

The info on the construction loan is helpful, I have started a journal on questions to ask and standards to meet and have added your advise. Thanks!

Jay

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Permalink Reply by Randy Pope on August 23, 2008 at 7:01am

Jay & Julie,

This is great...keep us apprised of your progress.

Randy

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Permalink Reply by Ted on October 5, 2008 at 7:07pm

There's the log home manufacturers side of the construction budget and then there is your side of the construction budget. The log home manufacturer will tell you what his package will cost you but then you must add in all the bits and pieces that make up your side of the budget. That's why I strongly suggest that you print out the Cost Estimating Guide that Donald Parsons refers to in his reply to you. There are so may small things on your end that can add up to big dollars that you want to be prepared for them, things we may not think of initially but they are real. For example, attorneys fees, permits, will you need to rent a small apartment or room while the house is being built? How about moving expenses? Will you be adding gutters, should you put aside some money for local labor to help with some of the construction costs if you are going to do some of the GC work your self.

One other thought. I see in the last issue of Log Home Design that there is an article on "how much your home will really cost'. It is far from complete but it's a good starting point to see how your house plans measure up against the national average. The article is based on costs to build a $364,195 turnkey log home. I put down all of my costs in one column, including the log home manufacturers price for a dry-in package. Then next to my list I plugged in the national averages (where available). It was quite an eye opening experience. If I am to believe the numbers then the log home manufactures price to me is about twice the national average, on the other hand my budget for plumbing and electrical contractors is also roughly about half of what it should be. As I said, the numbers the article provides are far from gospel but I think good indicators. See what you think.

Ted

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Permalink Reply by Jay Rodriguez on October 11, 2008 at 11:55pm

Thanks Ted, I did print out Don Parsons guide and will look at the LHD site.
Jay

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Permalink Reply by Terry Tadysak on October 5, 2008 at 10:06pm

Design is most important. You want your investment to last generations. Consider doing a weather proof full log sweedish cope shell if you have family/friends in the trades. You select the basement/foundation contractor. A 10 inch thick 9 ft high poured basement is desirable. Have the log supplier cap the basement and set the full logs including the roof structure, ice shield, shingled, aluminum soffets, steel facia, gutters, windows, doors, set the log joists for the loft, the log stairs up to the loft, conventional into the basement. When installing the 2x6 tongue and grove end matched flooring for the loft have the 2x6's clear coated on one side ( the side that will become the 1st floor celing ) before installing them. End matched is critical. Sand, stain and varnish the loft logs before installing the 2x6 loft boards as a sub floor. This way, once installed all the finsihing work is done for the 1st floor ceiling !
Make sure your design of the roof has sufficient overhang to keep the water off the exterior logs. I have a 32 inch over hang on the sides and 7 foot on front and back. Meadow Valley Log Homes in Mauston, WI was exceptional in helping to perfect my design. Regarding log prep and staining interior and exterior, I can send you my 'How to do' sheet to give you some suggestions. Send me your e-mail address at TTadysak@Habush.com and I will gladly send you what I have developed.
You will need your electrician involved in the design efforts. He will need to mark out where he needs to put receps and ligt switches. When the log builder begins to set the logs they will need to drill vertical holes in the first few courses to allow for electrical wires to be placed for receps. At doorway areas a 'race' will need to be available to place wires that will lead to wall switches for lights. Sounds like alot, but its not that difficult. The trades all need input before setting the logs. Locating a log railing installer may be your most difficult task. This is an art and requires an 'artist' who really knows what they are doing. Once you have done the research and planning, all will fall in palce and you will be happy you spent the time in this project. What you built today, if done right, will be enjoyed for generations to follow !

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Permalink Reply by Jay Rodriguez on October 11, 2008 at 11:57pm

This is great advise! I will print this out and use this in my interviews with future builders/contractors. I'll email you soon for your "how to" list, I appreciate your sharing it with me.
Jay

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Permalink Reply by Knightmare on October 9, 2008 at 5:31pm

Some advice on areas where we were burned or benefitted.

- Don't just look at the model homes and those from the builder you're choosing, ask for references for homes built by other builders (may require a field trip or two) using the same log manufacturer, visit them and ask the owners questions. Lots of questions. Our builder showed us a couple houses they built....but oh they had such good craftmanship because they belonged to relatives and friends. Not so with our house.

Get builder's bank references and look into past employment - we required our builder to sign a statement saying whether they (all principles, not just the guy who is the nominal owner) had any bankruptcies or legal actions in the previous 5 years. We also checked with the BBB and the state attorney general's office. After we had problems I found out about an online source for the state's court records, went there and discovered at least one bankrupcy filing for a former business and a lawsuit for non-performance (or some charge to that effect) within the past 5 years.

When the manufacturer says in their contract that they have no liability if you use one of their salesmen to actually build your house, believe it! You would think reputable businesses (one of those on your list)would not continue to let themselves be represented by those who exercise dubious buidling techniques, but our builder is still a sales rep despite having multiple issues that required manufacturer's intervention.
To htat end, make sure your contract explicitly states the house should be built according to the manufacturer's guidelines and hold to it.

Have your contract for the log package AND the one with you builder and primary tradesmen reviewed by your lawyer, preferably a lawyer with familiarity in construction law. Include in it your timetable so 8 weeks to dry-in doesn't stretch to 5 months while the builder goes golfing and works on other jobs and your interior gets rain stains. Include penalties for delay, or reward for punctual finish (carrot or the stick).

Also consider hiring a third party inspector to make sure the builder and trades aren't taking shortcuts. The government building inspector isn't goign to discover much on his 1 or 2 hour visits, he will probably only be looking at minimal requirements and health and safety features and will not be fmailiar with lgo home construction. Also beware some builders have long-term relationships with inspectors and the inspectors may just glance over things if he knows the builder well. I saw my neighbors get at least two inspections in which the builder nad inspector sat in a truck and then the inspector drove off. My trademan who was there at the time said they were friends and that builder always got the same inspector for his houses regardles of their location in the county. If you are building in an area that doesn't have it's own building code or even have building inspectors, hiring an outside expert will be worth the money.

I was led down a path by a couple of those mortgage companies that specialize in log homes and then they were unable to come through at the last minute. If you're in the mid-Atlantic I can refer you to a great mortgage team at one of the national banks that are not in trouble with the current crisis. I had no problem setting up as many draws as I wanted or needed as long as I was willing to pay the extra $125 for each draw inspection. Regarding inspections, the draw inspection is really not a quality inspection, that person is ther to verify for the bank that the material and work you are obtaining money for has been done. Period. This is not the same as the building inspector or the 3rd party inspector I mentioned earlier, oftenit is just a real estate appraiser.

Get with a lighting designer. here is a national association of lighting designer which can provide referrals in your area. Have that person work with you to design your lighting plan AND don't let the electrician talk you out of any of it. You will probably be paying a premium for an electrician to work on a non-traditional home so make sure he does the extra work needed to give you the lighting you will need. It is true that logs absorb light; the lighting designer should know this and plan accordingly. You can always turn lights off but it will be very hard to add more later. Can lights or tracklights are great to include in wood ceilings, esp if you have a cathedral ceiling. INsist that all the switches are the same height where ever possible.

We video taped and took a gazzillion pictures at every stage of construction. We especialaly took lots of pictures with references (yardsticks) for the locations of mechanicals (plumping, wiring) before the interior walls were closed in.

Good luck

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Permalink Reply by Jay Rodriguez on October 12, 2008 at 12:05am

This is a great deal of information, but it points me in the right direction for much of my research. I hadn't thought of hiring an independent inspector, but that sounds like an excellent idea. Has anyone else in this forum done this?

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Permalink Reply by Dave and Julie Christiansen on October 9, 2008 at 7:03pm

Jay & Julie: I'm Dave, and my wife is also named Julie. We bought our property three years ago and started the excavation last year. We are now at the point of drying it in for the winter. I feel you are right on track. Building a log home is nothing to rush into. You may consider being active in the building process as much as possible. Never let a contractor/builder tell you that you cannot build a log home. Feel free to look at our pics and judge for yourself. We contracted out the excavation, foundation and roof. We did everything else ourselves with help from family and friends when needed. When you are involved in the building process, you have a far better chance at getting the home of your dreams, and not what some builder feels like building for you. Enjoy the journey, the time you invest is worth more than gold my friend. Dave

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Permalink Reply by Jay Rodriguez on October 12, 2008 at 12:13am

Thanks Dave. We live in CA and our home will be built in CO, but we plan on staying in the loop on the building process. We will travel at least once a month to stay a weekend, and every 3 months to stay an entire week. I actually did a cost analysis for obtaining my pilot's license vs. estimating the cost of commercial flights. Commercial flights won out (about $500 RT pp).

Jay

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