| The Log home industry has matured these last many | | | | well. A very big part of your budget will cover the |
| years, but there is still a lot of confusion about how | | | | labor, because this home will be built entirely by hand. |
| much a log home costs. Naturally, everyone wants to | | | | Your contractor may not have to peel or notch the |
| know the cost of the log package; however, the | | | | logs, but he will still be placing the logs one at at time, |
| budgeting only starts here. If you are shopping for a | | | | making sure the walls are plumb, drilling holes for the |
| milled log package (as opposed to hand-crafted, | | | | wiring, cutting settling gaps above the windows and |
| which is a totally different category), the difference | | | | doors, possibly fitting the roof frame one board at a |
| between one manufacturer's price and another is | | | | time. Your builder is the most critical part of the |
| minimal when compared to the total cost of the | | | | project, and it's not necessarily a good idea to go |
| structure. Here are some reasons why:Other | | | | with the cheapest quote. Do you really want him to |
| materials. The logs themselves only form a portion of | | | | cut corners to stay within a low quote?Design |
| the material costs of the home. Once the log walls | | | | features of the house. The most dramatic log homes |
| are erected, you still have to worry about a floor, a | | | | have roof lines that point in all directions, dormers |
| roof, the windows, the doors, the plumbing, the | | | | that grace the front, vaulted ceilings in the great |
| kitchen... the list goes on and on. Some manufacturers | | | | rooms. But remember that every new angle you add |
| quote a "weathered-in shell" which includes the logs, | | | | to the roof adds exponentially to the cost of the |
| the windows and roof - all the elements that enclose | | | | project. If you need to keep costs down, think |
| the building (protecting the house against the | | | | about a simple roof line with not too many |
| weather). Other manufacturers only quote the log | | | | angles.Also, the old adage remains especially true with |
| package, and leave it to the contractor to provide | | | | log homes: it's much cheaper to go up than go out. If |
| the other materials locally. When pricing a log | | | | you want a rambling one-story ranch house, you will |
| package, make sure you are comparing "apples to | | | | have a bigger foundation cost, a bigger roof to |
| apples".From our experience, the price of the Logs | | | | consider, and lots more labor. If you build more |
| only constituted approximately 1/5 of the total price | | | | stories and a smaller foundation, even though you will |
| of the finished structure. As for the rest... it's a | | | | have to invest in a staircase the savings are |
| high-end custom home, and like any custom home, | | | | considerable.So what is the bottom line? A basic |
| your cost is limited by your imagination - and your | | | | budgeting cost in the Northeast US would be |
| budget. You decide whether to use hardwood floors | | | | $140-$150 per square foot for a milled log home; this |
| or carpet, marble counters or formica, a metal roof | | | | is about the equivalent of a high-end custom |
| or asphalt shingles. No log home company will offer | | | | stick-frame house. This does not include the land, the |
| these products to you. Unlike a Development | | | | well, the septic, the driveway, etc. It does include the |
| contractor who offers you a limited selection, you | | | | basement, the kitchen, the plumbing, etc. This is the |
| choose everything yourself, from doorknobs to | | | | turnkey budget for the house only. You can certainly |
| toilets. Once you start factoring in all these items, | | | | do less if you give up a lot of amenities, but I |
| you will discover that there isn't a whole lot of | | | | wouldn't advise a starting budget of any less than |
| difference between a log home any another home - | | | | $130 per sq. ft. You may find yourself running out of |
| except for the exterior walls.Local price differences. | | | | money way too soon, and that would be a terrible |
| We built our log home in New Jersey, which tends to | | | | shame.Mercedes Hayes is a Hiawatha Log Home |
| be a lot more expensive overall than much of the | | | | dealer and also a Realtor in New Jersey and |
| rest of the country. The same house in Tennessee | | | | Pennsylvania. She designed her own log home which |
| would cost considerably less in lumber and other | | | | was featured in the 2004 Floor Plan Guide of Log |
| materials. Also consider that labor costs vary wildly as | | | | Home Living magazine. |