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Log Homes Made Easy: Contracting And Building Your Own Log Home (Paperback) Author: Cooper, Jim. Number of Pages: 270. Published On: 2000/10/01. Language: ENGLISH |
Tips For Building a Log Home
By TC Thorn
Log homes have a long and valued tradition in the United States and other countries, and despite our modern age, they've never really gone out of style. In fact, they're more popular today than ever. In our busy stressful lives, more and more people want a first home, vacation home, or retirement home that's off on a piece of land of their own, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. If this sounds appealing to you, and you're seriously thinking of taking the plunge and building a log home, let's talk about some tips that can save you time and money.
First off, buy the land on which you're going to build. Do this before you make a commitment to a log home manufacturer or decide on a particular design. Often the lay of the land will dictate the best way to go about building a home on it. (And going against the lay of the land will only cost you money and trouble.)
Second, have a realistic idea of how much the total project will cost before you sign up for a log home package. What they quote you for the kit and what the actual costs will be are going to be a lot different. To get a feel for how much more you'll end up paying once labor and non-kit necessities are included, talk to builders, contractors, and other homeowners who have built a log home. Don't be afraid to ask the manufacturers how much actual costs tend to run in your area.
Whether you're browsing kits or planning to have an architect design your dream home, keep a scrapbook of pictures and clippings in the months leading up to your purchase. Trying to say everything you want in words can be difficult, but if you can point to a picture and say "do the kitchen like that and the bathroom like that..." you'll be more likely to get the home of your dreams. Don't be afraid to spend months in the planning process, considering everything, before actually committing to a design.
Before you buy, check references. Look for a log home manufacturer that is a member in an organization such as the Log Homes Council. This means they have a comprehensive construction manual and have agreed to hold up to certain log-grading standards.
Make sure you've taken care of financing before starting construction (and make sure that financing will cover the cost of the whole project--there are too many tales of partially finished log homes out there that have been abandoned because the erstwhile builders ran out of money). Some home buyers with disposable income will start the process paying out of pocket and then try to get a construction loan when they run out of cash. This is a bad idea, since lenders usually refuse to loan money on construction that is in progress.
Make sure you understand the manufacturer's terms of purchase and that your financing covers those terms. Especially pay attention to the time period of the agreement (and what happens if you exceed the time limit). Examine the refund and warranty policies.
Keep these tips in mind as you think about your future log home. Plan copiously and don't rush. This way you'll be more likely to survive the building process and get the home of your dreams.
For more articles on log homes, visit the author's site and blog: Log Homes and Log Home Ideas.
How To Build A Log Home
By Patrick Ritrosky
If you ever wanted to enjoy living in a log cabin this is for you!
I always wanted to build a log house, but for one reason or the other the need to live and my desire could not come together.
Then one day I had an idea, why not put an addition on and make it out of stone and logs!
This would be my own little log cabin that I always wanted. I needed an extra bed room so why not?
I began building the house in 1983 and added on in 1993 and 2003 (2003 log addition)
Finally my dream was going to come true. After some research and numerous in curries about logs from manufactures, I decided to go back in time and do it the way they use to in “the Olden Days”. After all I self taught my self to hand cut sand stone with a Hammer and Mason chisels, why not do the logs my self!
Laying up 3-6 feet of hand hewn foundation stone I began to lay up the logs only on 3 sides. The reason for this is I used pine logs that were dead for a few years yet were not rotten or bug infested. I needed to keep them out of the weather as much as possible, with over hangs and prevailing weather patterns, keep the logs dry at all times. The back wall is all stone so the rain, snow, and sun can reek havoc on that all it wants!
This was a very labor intense build by hand and little help, but the out come was so satisfying and rewarding! The look is very 1800s with a touch of 21st century Tec knowledge, vinyl windows and poly filler for joints made it warm and cozy.
The cost was very affordable because all the material was free except shingles, windows rafters, and sheeting.
Estimated 100 + tons of stone and 75 logs that were all hand cut, and laid with love and compassion. Inside the fire place is10’ wide by 14’ high and 14’’ thick out of sand stone that was harvested in the area of my travels in western Pennsylvania.
The entire house is heated with a wood fired boiler in the basement that my dad and I built out of junk that was lying around. The water is pumped through pipe into the old cast iron registers that someone was throwing away! All but the log addition has piping in the tile floor and the fire place. We keep it about 75-80 degrees in mid winter with no extra heating cost.
My wife Robin and I Live in rual Western Pennsylvania, were we enjoy are country life helping others find the same life style we do by working from home. This is what gave me the time that Ineeded to build my dream house just the way I wanted to. This life style can be yours only if you want it. Just like my dream of building a log house, planning, working hard and doing the mundane little things over and over you WILL see your Dream come true! Check out the log house and pick up a copy of "Think And Grow Rich" while your there, http://www.PatRitrosky.com
So if your thinking about building your own “log cabin” it’s only a dream away! You can do it if you only wish to and talk to me! By the way you can go to www.PatRitrosky.com to view some pictures of this one of a kind little log cabin. Just click on “Going From Nothing to Exquisite.”