Do you want to build
a log home….BUT just think it’s not in your budget? And
you might feel that if you could build your dream log home, you would
want all of the bells and whistles to go with it,
like a full ridge beam,
half-log staircase, log railings, tree supports either for a loft or beam
support and still afford it.
The
possibilities are endless!
Granted, any home, log or not, is not inexpensive. The cost of a conventionally
framed home in the Kansas City area is about $125 a sq ft turn-key (finished
and ready to move into) and a full-log home in the Kansas City area
is about $135 a sq ft turn-key – only $10 more a sq ft.
What
if I told you that we have made it possible for folks to see their wishes
come true and watch their log home be built at a price they felt they
could afford, less than $125 a sq in most cases (depending on how the
folks finish the interiors).
The
HYBRID LOG HOME is a 2x6 conventionally-framed log-sided home (from
either Tidewater Red Cypress, Pine or Cedar), complete with the BELLS
AND WHISTLES i.e. full ridge beam from Douglas Fir, open log staircases,
tree supports for lofts or beam supports and railings. It has insulated
walls with an R-factor of about R21 and the interior walls are wide
open for the décor of your choice – pine tongue & groove,
drywall or a mixture of pine tongue and groove and drywall.
W ith the phenomenal paint on the market – you can compliment
your log walls with out-of-sight paint colors and techniques.
Folks
always ask what THEY Can do to save $$ when building their log home.
Here are a few tips for you to think about.
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Act
as your own General Contractor (we can walk you through the process
and always available for questions). And the nice thing is –
WE CALL BACK!
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Pull your own
permits and work with the County on codes (if your area requires
inspections).
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Subcontract
out ALL of the work OR Do some of the work yourself OR ask friends
or family that might have TRADES that they could assist you with
like electrical, plumbing, trim work, painting, staining the log
siding, soffit or facia.
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Hire a crew
to dry-in (framed up to the black paper on the roof and windows
and doors installed – the interior remains DRY from the elements)
your home.
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Consider using
scissor trusses rather than a stick-built roof. You can save a lot
of $$ on labor with scissor trusses and the look is just every bit
as breath-taking.
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Do you want
a pine tongue & groove ceiling? Buy your lumber in quantity,
polyurethane and hang on the scissor trusses with a trimnailer.
It’s a snap and easy! |
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Check your
local custom cabinetmakers. Honest to goodness, you can save at
least a couple of thousand dollars over your local lumber supply
retailer. And what do you get – knock-down GORGEOUS cabinets! |
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Ask your plumber
to plumb to the site and YOU set your sinks and install your faucets.
Some subcontractors will give you a discount if you pay CASH and
not a check – like 10%. What is 10% of $4000 - $400 you can
use some place else!!
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Do you think
you just have to have GRANITE countertops – PRICEY –
go with the TILE GRANITE at a fraction of the cost.
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Do you not
like the light fixtures you are finding or are they too SPENDY?
MAKE them from a 2x6, stencil it, stain it and poly it, then buy
an inexpensive unit for say $25, take out the fixture and globes
and wiring, route out a back section of your piece of lumber, install
the fixtures & wiring into your 2x6 or even a 2x8 piece of lumber
and hang it. Then folks ask you where in the world did you BUY your
fixtures!!
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Can you hang
drywall? If so, hang it – then hire the subcontractors to
tape and mud, then you can paint it yourself. Unless you’re
a good drywall finisher…that is!!
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Finish your
own tongue and groove for the walls using stain and polyurethane
or just polyurethane before it’s installed. I have a fast
process if you’re interested – slick as a whistle!
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Buy your own
fixtures or supplies and YOU arrange for a delivery.
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Set up your
OWN Accounts with your suppliers i.e. lumber, concrete, bathroom/
kitchen fixtures etc or what you can, deliver to the site yourself.
Lots of builders put a charge on that service and charge you, in
fact, Most do – but we don’t.
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Do you want
a fireplace but don’t want to pay the price for a masonary
fireplace – around $10,000 to $15,000 – depending on
the style.
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Buy a free
standing fireplace (Regency is a great brand – we have one),
Frame the structure, put concrete board on it, and apply fake stone
or fake brick!
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Yes –
you CAN DO IT! The Regency fireplace is a Zero-Clearance Fireplace,
with blowers. It can even be connected to your duct-work to heat
your entire log home! It is also an Environmentally Safe fireplace
in that it circulates the smoke and burns it, with no emissions.
This can be used in areas, such as Denver, that have “No-Burn”
days – ON the No- burn days. |
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Let’s
talk DOORS – lots of choices here. You might find antique
doors at a salvage business or antique store, solid pine or oak
doors again at salvage businesses for a fraction of the $$ of your
local lumber supplier stores. |
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Some folks
want double ovens and a cooktop – pretty Spendy for sure.
How about TWO stoves? You have 8 full working burners (no warmers)
and 2 full size ovens for usually about HALF of the cost of double
ovens and a cooktop. This is a picture of gas stove converted to
propane and electric.
Why?
Ice storms! With the Regency fireplace and propane stove –
you can heat and cook during any power outage. Not to mention, some
folks prefer cooking certain dishes with different types of stoves.
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Other
than materials, which cost-wise fluctuates (but still compare apples
to apples in pricing), we took bids from subcontractors on excavating,
plumbing, concrete work, etc., and had friends & family with great
trades such as electrical, heating and air conditioning. In many respects,
you can control the cost of your home.
We
work with customers in any capacity they desire whether it’s selling
the materials or any phase of construction. We have customers that have
different needs and unique desires. We do what the Customer sees in
their heart and mind to help them fulfill their dreams.
Folks,
I’ll be honest with you. We did much of this work ourselves as
our own General Contractor and closed on our log home in 2003 with it
costing $53 a sq foot.
Yes, that was just a few years ago, but the POINT is,
Where
There’s a Will, There’s a Way!
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