Log Home Articles - Mercedes Hayes Log Home Realtor

DESIGN YOUR LOG HOME FOR RESALE
Almost every log home owner who sells their home will tell you that when they built the house, they planned to live there forever. Because custom log homes are so personal, we sometimes design for aesthetics and forget about practicality. This isn't always a good thing! Life sometimes gets in the way, and the owners find themselves in a position where the house must be put on the market. The budgetarily-challenged log home owner will be willing to live without certain things for the sake of getting the project finished, but you will discover that the next owner will not be so forgiving. Here's a list of items that any Real Estate professional will recommend if you want to get your house sold for the most money: read more...

ROOF MATERIALS FOR YOUR LOG HOME
Your roof is a great opportunity to make a dramatic statement to the world. This colorful creation is going to sit atop a unique, custom home, and no matter what material you choose it's going to look awesome. There are more choices on the market today than ever before, and an extra investment will probably make a bigger impact here than elsewhere in your home. Even asphalt shingles have taken on a new personality. Here are some varieties modern technology has made available to us: read more...

MAINTENANCE ON YOUR LOG HOME
Like every other house exposed to the elements, Log Homes are neither maintenance free, nor are they absolute killers to take care of. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to state that the first couple of years demand significantly more work than your standard-issue house - unless, of course, you can afford to pay someone to do the work for you! Log preparation and the base coat of stain are critical to the long-term success of your wall protection. But once the initial work is done, the maintenance becomes routine, and I would venture to guess log homes are a little easier to care for than other wood houses. After all, you don't have to strip the stain off between coats. read more...

HOW MUCH DOES A LOG HOME COST?
"How Much Does a Log Home Cost?" is the single most asked question in the industry, and also the most difficult one to answer. The customers aren't the only ones who are frustrated; dealers and manufacturers are fully aware that not giving an easy answer could lose a sale. However, in reality the answer is "That Depends", and the sooner the homeowners accept this statement the sooner they can start looking in the right place. read more...

HEATING AND COOLING YOUR LOG HOME
Needless to say, our forefathers didn't worry too much about heating their log cabins. Big fireplaces had no problem warming up the one or two rooms they lived in. Of course now that log homes are family-sized, people often have the impression that there is something different about how they are heated, and the good news is that a standard system will work as well in a log home as a traditional structure. read more...

UNEXPECTED COSTS IN LOG HOME CONSTRUCTION
You won't go far without hearing horror stories about log home owners who went way over budget, ran out of money before the project was through, and generally had a terrible building experience. I'm sure there are as many tales as there are people, and I'm just as sure I haven't even heard most of them. Assuming that your initial construction budget is realistic, here are a few points that might make the unexpected a little easier to plan for. A good builder will have already taken care of many of these suggestions, but it couldn't hurt to be certain that the costs are covered in the original quote. read more...

PURCHASING LAND: WHAT TO LOOK FOR
It doesn't take long to realize that finding the right piece of property is the most important aspect of new home construction. In a development, restrictions and easements have already been sorted out, but if you are looking for a stand-alone piece of vacant land, you're on your own. When it comes to purchasing land, the old saying "Let the buyer beware" certainly comes to mind. If you do not thoroughly investigate your property with the township, civil engineers, or land use lawyers, no one else is going to protect you. A cooperative township office will give you access to the public records relating to your piece of land; if it's been perced in the past, those records become public. They may already have a file about your lot and block number, and a trip to the township office may enlighten you if there have been problems in the past. At the very least, you should have an idea what you can and cannot do with your land, before you make that big commitment. read more...

BUILDING PERMITS AND INSPECTIONS
Probably the most intimidating part of building your own house is the permit process. Not only do the the requirements vary from township to township, but at times the decisions made seem so subjective that we find ourselves seething in frustration. However, permits and inspections are a necessary step, and they are in place predominately for your protection. Ask any earthquake victim in Iran.

Once you start the process, you come to realize that the Construction Permit is the most important, the most sought-after, the most critical objective in your immediate scope. Without it, you cannot even break ground. Since everything ties together, the township wants to make sure you have your "ducks in a row" before they "permit" you to start. read more...

DESIGNING YOUR LOG HOME: Tips to keep you out of trouble
Nearly every log home is a custom design, whether you are altering a stock plan or starting from scratch. By their very nature, custom floor plans open up a large number of untested challenges - especially if you are trying to design the house yourself. With almost all log home manufacturers, an in-house architect will take your design and turn it into a set of drawings that conform to their building system. Your home will be structurally sound. However, don't necessary expect them to point out every inconvenience or snafu in your design. This is a hands-on business, and in the end, your house design is on you... and you'll have to live with it. Here are a few pointers I can suggest to make your design more efficient. read more...

BREAKING DOWN THE BUDGET OF YOUR LOG HOME
If you've read my first article, BUDGETING YOUR LOG HOME: Where do you start?, you've got a very basic overview of the process. However, there are still a number of questions I'd like to address. Again, many of these questions will come up if you build any custom home, but I'd venture to guess the log home owners find themselves deeper in the decision-making process than someone dealing with a custom builder. After all, the differences become apparent immediately as the owners have to find their own manufacturer.

Unless you have a pocket full of cash, you're going to have to follow the construction loan mindset throughout the budgeting process. I plan to devote a whole article to the construction loan, but this pursuit will serve as a preliminary step before going to the bank. read more...

BUDGETING YOUR LOG HOME: Where do you start?
The Log home industry has matured these last many years, but there is still a lot of confusion about how much a log home costs. Naturally, everyone wants to know the cost of the log package; however, the budgeting only starts here. If you are shopping for a milled log package (as opposed to hand-crafted, which is a totally different category), the difference between one manufacturer's price and another is minimal when compared to the total cost of the structure.

From our experience, the price of the Logs only constituted approximately 1/5 of the total price of the finished structure. As for the rest... it's a high-end custom home, and like any custom home, your cost is limited by your imagination - and your budget. You decide whether to use hardwood floors or carpet, marble counters or formica, a metal roof or asphalt shingles. No log home company will offer these products to you. Unlike a Development contractor who offers you a limited selection, you choose everything yourself, from doorknobs to toilets. Once you start factoring in all these items, you will discover that there isn't a whole lot of difference between a log home any another home - except for the exterior walls. read more...

LOG WALL CHARACTERISTICS
Looking at all the beautiful full-color glossy photos of log home in magazines gives us an idealized vision of the perfect wooden house. Like a supermodel, we can't imagine wrinkles and imperfections, but like any natural product, log walls are full of traits that are an integral part of their character.

Every log home is unique, and each has its own personality. It's amazing how many different construction systems are available to create homes out of logs, and every style has its own characteristics. But overall, no matter what your log home looks like, the cozy warmth of logs cannot be duplicated in any other kind of house. read more...

LOG HOME BASICS
As we start to research log homes, it quickly becomes apparent that there is much more variety than one would ever think. Not only do log homes come in all shapes and sizes, but the logs themselves come in as many variations as you can imagine. Once you decide on the look you want, you can start eliminating manufacturers that don't provide your system. There are two categories of log homes: handcrafted and milled log homes.

Initially, you may not realize what you are looking at, but there are some basic guidelines that will clarify the differences. read more...

DESIGNING YOUR LOG HOME: The Third Dimension
Every Log Home magazine has a section dedicated to floor plans, where the aspiring owners start their search for the perfect dream home. I did it too, and dutifully ordered piles of plan books, while starting my comparison shopping based on the beauty of the photos. Little did I realize – until later – that what was really drawing my attention was the third dimension: the roof lines, the porches, and the soaring great rooms. At the beginning, we think we need to choose a manufacturer based on their floor plans, but once we realize that we can design our own custom home with any company, things start getting interesting. After all, interior wall partitions can be moved at will, and the log home company really doesn't care where you put the bathroom. How many different ways can you configure an open floor plan? read more...

LOG HOMES vs. INSECTS: What to look for
One of the first questions people ask about log homes is How Much Termite Damage Do They Get? Well, rest assured: log homes are no more susceptible to termites than a traditional framed house. In some ways, it would be easier to spot possible infestation: in a stick-framed house, you could have an problem for years without even knowing it. The termites would be hidden behind your sheetrock, happily gnawing away at structural members, and would attack your walls from the inside-out. With a log, they would most likely start on the outside and work their way in, leaving an obvious trail of sawdust or mud foraging tubes. read more...

CONSTRUCTION LOAN BASICS
It might not be too big of an exaggeration to say that the construction loan is one of the more daunting aspects of building your custom home. Before we started our project, I had nightmares about trying to pay two full mortgages at the same time (our existing mortgage and the construction loan), and I didn't see how it was at all possible. However, the reality ended up much more reasonable than I dared hope. read more...