Who Will Build Your Log Home?
Seems like a trivial question, but there can
be a variety of possible answers.
Do it all yourself
Obviously, one of the answers is that you can
build your own log home, start to finish. You
can do everything from laying the foundation,
to stacking the logs, to plumbing and wiring —
if you have the skills and time — lots of
time. To assist you, many log home companies provide
detailed training, videos, drawings, and instruction
materials with their home kits. However, this
is a daunting task for most people. Most people
don't do it this way.
A builder can do it
Builders can have their own crews and equipment
to build your log home. However, it would be rare
to find a builder who has enough crew to perform
all the work to be done. Therefore, sub-contractors
would have to be located, hired, and managed for
parts of the job. In this case, the builder is
acting not only as builder for some of the project,
but also as a contractor for other parts.
Your log home company can do some of
it
Log home companies are not typically log home
builders. They supply the logs and other materials.
Some log home companies, however, have their own,
or contract, building crews who can take your
home to various stages of completion. The benefit
is that they are familiar with that company's
product and construction method. This work is
not included in the log package price.
General contractors typically do it
A general contractor can be a builder, or not.
Most importantly, he has to be the overall project
manager. He has to manage the project timeline,
hire and schedule sub-contractors, manage the
project budget, and monitor the project day to
day. His is not an easy task. For this, he will
charge you for his services, generally in the
range of 15%-25%.
You can be your own contractor
If you have the desire, skills, and time, you
can act as your own project manager and contractor.
This can be a very challenging job for anyone
who has not done it before. A good general contractor
must wear many hats, be very details-oriented,
be a good people manager, a wise money manager,
and a skilled problem solver. Not to mention that
he must have plenty of time to do the job. Although
money can be saved by doing the job yourself,
it is advised that you carefully consider your
decision.
Hire a manager
You can be your own contractor but hire out parts
of your job, especially those that require time
that you don't have available. If you can't be
on the job site to monitor sub-contractors and
inspect work, you can hire a supervisor to do
it for you. You might be able to find a retired
builder who can do the job. Just make sure the
person you hire is a good communicator as well
as a good manager.
You can do parts of it yourself
Even if you choose to have a general contractor
manage the overall project, you might choose to
do some parts of the construction work yourself.
This can be not only be very satisfying, but can
save some money. Depending on your skills and
time, you might install trim, install a roof,
build a garage, do landscaping, finish a basement,
finish interior walls, build a fireplace, install
lighting, or stain exterior walls.
It often happens, however, that enthusiastic
part-time owner-builders can get in the way of
other workers and upset schedules, thereby increasing
costs instead of reducing costs.
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