What is My Log Home Going To Cost
Me? How Can I Save Money?
There are many variables that affect the cost of a
log home. Design complexity, wood species, log style,
building location, home size, number of rooms, interior
wall materials, roof structure, and finish materials
are just a few. There are no "typical" cost
values for log homes.
Generally, what is wanted is "turn-key" cost.
By "turn-key" we mean that the house is ready
to be moved in to. This cost would include built-in
appliances, fixtures, heating and air, floor coverings,
fireplace, septic, driveway, and land. However, most
cost estimation methods do not account for land, driveways,
or landscaping. These are variables that must be independently
determined.
Cost of log kit is not everything
What is sometimes deceiving to people who are in the
early stages of planning a log home is that the cost
of the log kit makes the home look much more affordable
than it really is. A kit that costs $75,000 only pays
for the log walls and possibly some other parts of the
structure.
If the kit does not contain windows, doors, floor covering,
interior walls, stairs, fireplace, chimney, second-story
framing, finished basement, these would create additional
costs. Delivery, taxes, and design services may not
be included. Also not included are labor, contracting
fees, appliances, landscaping, driveways, fixtures,
foundation, just to name a few.
Estimating cost using the cost-area
method
The quickest and easiest — but least accurate
— method of estimating turn-key cost, not including
land cost, is by the "cost-area" method. Using
this method, you simply multiply area of living space
by a cost-per-square-foot factor.
The factor most often used for log homes is $100 to
$125 per square foot. Therefore, a home that has 2000
sq. ft. of total living space would cost $200,000 to
$250,000 to build, using this estimation technique.
This method ignores important details that can effect
cost. Costs will be higher for handcrafted homes and
homes in high cost-of-living areas. Therefore this estimation
technique should be used cautiously until additional
cost details are known.
Estimating cost using the kit-cost-multiplier
method
As a method of obtaining a "ballpark" kind
of cost estimate, some people use the "kit cost
multiplier" technique. This method says that finished
cost of the home will be between two and three times
the cost of the log dry-in kit from their log home company.
This does not include the cost of land.
Therefore, for a log home kit (dry-in components)
that costs $75,000, final cost of the home will be in
the range of $150,000 to $225,000. Be cautioned that
this a rough method of estimating costs and that your
actual costs could be much different.
If you live in a low cost-of-living area, and you include
only standard features in your home, and you do some
of the work yourself, your home cost could actually
be less than twice the kit price. On the other hand,
if you live in a high cost-of-living area and opt for
premium features in your home, you could easily exceed
three times the cost of your log kit.
Estimating cost using our calculator Another
method is to use a cost estimation calculator that accounts
for many of the major factors that affect total cost.
Our Log
Home Cost Estimator is an example of such
a calculator. This provides a somewhat more refined
estimate than the "kit cost multiplier" technique
above. Again, it does not include the cost of land.
As an example, we used the calculator to estimate the
turn-key cost of a 2000 sq. ft. milled-log home in North
Carolina, with unfinished basement, cathedral ceiling,
no garage, a small deck, zero-clearance fireplace, wood
floors, sheetrock interior walls, standard cabinets
and appliances. The cost is estimated by the calculator
to be $212,075.
Cost of kit is not everything - again
It should be apparent after using any cost estimation
technique that the cost of your log package does not
affect your total turn-key cost as much as you might
have thought. It's only a part of the cost. Therefore,
spending a lot of time comparing small differences in
kit prices from various manufacturers for the same general
house plan may not be the best use of your time.
Location is a big factor
One of the biggest factors that affect building cost
is location. Although the cost of a particular log kit
from a particular company will be the same, regardless
of where you build (ignoring shipping cost and taxes),
construction labor and material costs vary considerably
across the country. A log home in Aspen, Colorado, for
example, can cost two or three times as much as the
same home in Blue Ridge, Georgia — even when the
log kit price is the same for both homes.
States with lowest cost
The states in which log homes cost the least to build
(outside large metro areas and resort areas) are: Alabama,
Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
States with highest cost
The states in which log home building costs are greatest
are: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
How to keep costs down
There will always be trade-offs that you can make to
keep your log home building costs within budget. Here
are some examples:
- Keep your design as simple as possible. A 4-corner
structure is much more cost effective than a complex
multi-corner structure. In general, corners are wasted
space, wasted logs, and extra labor. The roof for
a complex design is also more expensive.
- Don't build more house than you need. Jim Cooper,
a well-known writer and log home book author, reminds
us that we pay for unnecessary space in a log home
in four ways: we pay to build it, we pay to furnish
it, we pay to heat and cool it, and we pay to maintain
it. Wise use of minimum space is a log home owner's
challenge.
- Use standard plans, or slightly modified versions
of standard plans. Often, but not always, you will
pay extra for a log home company to create highly
customized plans. Furthermore, your custom plans may
not be as easy, or inexpensive, to build.
- Use standard building materials, cabinets, fixtures,
appliances, roofing, and flooring. Carpet costs less
than solid wood floors. Painted drywall costs less
than tongue-and-groove wood. Sears Kenmore kitchen
stoves cost less than Aga. Asphalt shingles cost less
than metal roofs. Cultured stone costs less than real
stone.
- Eliminate full-masonry fireplaces. Zero-clearance
fireplaces with a cultured stone hearth and chimney
are much less expensive. Wood stoves or gas stoves
may also offer a less expensive, and more energy efficient,
alternative.
- Use standard windows and doors. Non-standard or
custom-built sizes can be very costly. Spend time
learning about window technology and the many options
that are available. Often, moderately priced windows
from a lesser known manufacturer can be just as good
as the more costly name brands.
- Use log siding with conventional wall framing instead
of full log walls. The log siding can be used on inside
walls too. It's much less expensive and looks the
same as full logs. Use log siding on gables and dormers
— everything above the first floor. Use log
siding on garages.
- For your logs, select common wood species in your
area. Western Cedar shipped to a log home company
in your area will cost you extra if Eastern White
Pine is more readily available.
- Use a standard roof system. Cathedral roofs with
exposed timbers are beautiful but costly. You can
achieve the same effects with scissor trusses or standard
roof framing, wood or drywall decking, and real but
non-functional exposed timbers — at lower cost.
- Put your garage in your basement to eliminate the
cost of a separate structure. A "drive-under"
garage effectively uses basement space that may otherwise
go unused.