Wouldn't it be easier to just build a normal house??

[aloneinthewilderness]

said a poor, ignorant man to me just yesterday...

Why, sure!! -- I said. The problem I have had getting the logs I need is MUCH too much trouble... I could have started the house on time & as planned & be alot further along in this project if I were building a conventional home... you are right!! -- I said. EVEN THOUGH, I would be in debt to my eyes for the next 20 or 30 years, die from the debt-stress before its paid for & never be able to realize the dreams come true from having stayed out of debt by having a little patience to acquire the right timber for the job so I could move in & enjoy it until the next one is finished too & then sell either & leave the J-O-B that keeps me in debt & keeps me from attaining such goals in a more realisitical fashion...

If you are willing to sign over all the profit margins to Lowe's & the likes by going & paying ungodly prices that eat away at your profit margins, then yeah you've got the right idea... I said. I know a man who has been to the class & has a a hard time getting his project off the ground like me, I said.. I have been there to see & meet & help. He went to the class about a yr. before me & is just now getting it dried in. He said he thought it would have went a lot quicker. His home is 1800 ft. sq., I said. Reckon how much he's got in it so far? About $10K... & that's for exterior, insulation, interior, floors, roof. He may not be as far along as he'd like to have been by now but by waiting, he has saved tens of thousands & will be able to quick sell his home for about $60 to $80/sq. ft. So, that's the same path I am on & all the other thousands of folks who have been there & done that already, I said... but you are probably right. At least I would do well to try & feel right about my situation if I had went along with the others to the slaughter in a 30 yr. -- NO HOPE mortgage situation.

Still, the poor sap just didn't get it & that's what I don't get but that is ok.

Congratulations to all of you who have done it... but even moreso to those of you who are currently DOING it... hang in there... life's too short to live like a fool. :)

[rreidnauer]

It's OK. There's more logs for those of us who do get it.

You wouldn't believe the ongoing discussion I have with a co-worker that believes carrying debt is a good thing, because you get a deduction at the end of the year. I simply question, "Do you really think at the end of the year, after all is said and done, that you have more money in your pocket, by carrying a loan?"

Her response was, "Well ye......uh...um...."

Granted, I don't really know how much the government pays out in deductions. I highly doubt it's 100% of the interest payed on the loan. If I'm guessing, it's probably more like, deduct the interest from your income and you don't get taxed on that amount. (a small percentage of the interest paid) I just never looked into it, since I decided long ago that I wasn't going to go that route.

[hawkiye]

Good post. It takes a certain type of person that this sort of thing appeals to. It's not for everybody but it can be frustrating when explaining the simple logic and it just goes right over some folks heads.

Blayne

[akemt]

We're planning to build and sell as well with dh quitting his job eventually, should things work out as planned (Oh PLEASE let it work out as planned!).

You know, we have this discussion with people alot, even about building our stick-built addition ourselves instead of paying someone else to do it. I think there are three things at play in this conversation for the most part:
1. People are fairly ignorant (and happy being so),
2. they're overly conformist, and
3. they're lazy

Does that sum it up fairly well? No disrespect to those working hard to pay off a 30 year mortgage (ourselves included); that is hard work...I just can't help but think a year or two of hard work to build yourself might be a worthwhile trade off!

[Steve Wolfe]

This is the first posting as I just registered. My wife and I are not building to sell, we....or I, want to build a log cabin. It's been in my mind for 20+ years and after we are gone it would be something special that can be passed to my son and grandkids. As I said, it is more my dream than my wife's. She is a "Why don't you stick build?" type but she is going along with the log cabin idea......for now. We purchased land in Susqehanna, PA in Aug, 2005 and have our old motor home on site in an acre and a half clearing. The only major purchases to get me going have been a used backhoe/loader and Stihl chainsaw. I started milling logs last month on a home built mill that will handle up to 24' x 28" logs. I've been lone rangering it based on the research I have done during the past year but the guess work is making me think hard and long about signing up for the course.

We're not thinking big, just a 24' x 20' one bedroom cabin and a loft. But there are so many questions, except whether to build from scratch or go with a kit. A kit....NO WAY! Everything I have read on this web site makes me think I would be crazy not to take Steve's class. I don't think it will be long before I am a member.

I'm looking forward to many discussions and keeping in touch with fellow builders of real log cabins.

Steve

[akemt]

Welcome Steve! My husband and I are taking the September class...less than a month away now and I'm SO excited! With everything I've read on this website, I can't see not taking the class myself, if even just to see if it is all true. LOL We had already started on the build (add on, actually) ourselves and sell method of getting away from a mortgage and land loan when we ran across this website. We may have to add a log home or two into our plans to build and sell, but at this point I'm thinking I want to wait and have the nice, big log home for myself... We'll see what we decide after the class!

Can't wait to be a member!

[The_Truth]

Hello and welcome,
I just took the class in June and I can tell you it is worth the money. Steve and Ellsworth could build log homes in their sleep! :lol: There is alot of information to digest, but it is not too "over your head" for guys like me who don't have alot of building experience. They have a great way to build a solid home, you are a member of the association for life - which means they help with any questions you might have, and they have this forum where others who have already built would be able to help. After leaving the class, you will be excited to go find land (if you don't already have it) and start the process. I think if you follow their procedures, you won't have too many problems. It is the best money I have spent so far! :)

Jeff
The_Truth

[aloneinthewilderness]

Welcome aboard, friend. I encourage you to take the class. I mulled over the price & all the commentaries for a year or 2 before I took it... sure wish I had taken it upon my discovery of its existence. This is the best opportunity around for most folks. Good luck & Lord bless!!

Mike.

[Steve Wolfe]

To each of you, thanks for the warm welcome. Just checking on flights today to make sure I can spend a few extra days visiting family and friends in Oregon either before or after the class.

It is amazing so many people do not realize there are few things in life as fulfilling as having a realistic goal and the desire and diligence to make it happen. About 99% of the people I know think I'm a bit off the wall for building a log home from scratch. On the same token the vast majority also say that at one time or another, they too had the same desire.

It's great to have a forum like this.

Have a good day,
Steve
Dreams are good for the soul, Bringing it to reality makes us whole

[mbailey]

Greetings Steve,

I strongly encourage you to take the class. I took the class in April of this year and enjoyed it very much. The things I learned from those 2 days were things that I had never heard before but they made such sense. I too have people who think that I am nuts, but thats ok. I can't wait to have them over when we are done. A fellow LHBA member who just finished his first cabin told me that I should expect that some will tell me that I "can't do it like that". I am preparing to forge ahead and not let the critics discourage me. Take care and God bless.

Mark

[Steve Wolfe]

Hello Mark,

I signed up for the Sept. 9-10 class, booked my flight from Phila, and reserved a car. I've been researching log homes for about a year now. Once I leared about the classes is was just a matter of rearranging some things to make time for it. I have high expectations regarding the knowledge I will walk away with. To date I have been limited to what I have read and what yours truly believes to be common sense. LOL there eh. I'm really looking forward to it.

Take care,
Steve

[pdthct]

Enlightenment.

[grateful2b]

Keep me posted on your progress. Hope to come help. I lost your Ph. #
so give me a ring sometime.

Have you tried the mill at Menifee. I don't have any solid info but you might drop by and see what they say. Someone in Conway told me an acquaintance of theirs got logs there.

Stay patient and it will pay off.

[txn]

You wouldn't believe the ongoing discussion I have with a co-worker that believes carrying debt is a good thing, because you get a deduction at the end of the year. I simply question, "Do you really think at the end of the year, after all is said and done, that you have more money in your pocket, by carrying a loan?"
Well I wondered just the same thing recently. If they use some tax software to do their taxes they can figure it out easy. In the software I used last year (can't remember which) it shows my refund/payment in the top right. Entered everything, including my ~$10K in interest, and it showed my number. Went to the detailed list and deleted the interest item and guess what, my refund went up less than $1K. Tried a few other numbers and it appeared a 10:1 to 7:1 ratio for the average house payment is probably accurate, well accurate enough for office conversations. The thing I didn't play with was a different income bracket so your mileage may vary.

After that called an accounting buddy of mine (he is the head of their accounting dept.) for a medium sized company. He reinforced my findings and said that 'everyone' knew that....guess I'm the idiot of the bunch.

[rreidnauer]

. . . . . . Tried a few other numbers and it appeared a 10:1 to 7:1 ratio for the average house payment is probably accurate, well accurate enough for office conversations.

So if I'm reading you right, you're saying the Government physically rebates back 1/10th to 1/7th of your annual interest paid out, correct? That's about what I would have expected. Actually, I thought maybe it would be a bit more than that, say 1/5th? You're saying even worse. Wow!

But some folks now-a-days just love to convince themselves that their monster debt somehow has a silver lining. Convinced that the government is somehow returning ALL the interest money to everyone who paid it. Wow, can you imagine if that were the case? It's just been ingrained into their minds that it's got to be the right thing to do because "everyone" else is doing it.

I'm still having that discussion with that co-worker to this day. I think the message is starting to get through, though, perhaps she's just entertaining me with an act of agreeance, as if she were to find me correct, she would not feel so good about her current situation. Ignoring reality is sometimes easier for those in such circumstances. Somewhere, I'm sure there are loopholes and such when you're really getting up there in numbers, that start working in your favor, but I'll never see such numbers unless I hit the lottery or something, and therefore not too concerned about it.


. . . . . and deleted the interest item . . . . my refund went up less than $1K.

Is this a typo? I would have thought deleting the interest, (and thereby the deduction) that the rebate would have went down, not?

BTW, the only case I've seen of actually getting all your interest back on a loan, was through a 401k. (but being a loan against your own money, it would only make sense)

[txn]

So if I'm reading you right, you're saying the Government physically rebates back 1/10th to 1/7th of your annual interest paid out, correct?

Correct



But some folks now-a-days just love to convince themselves that their monster debt somehow has a silver lining. Convinced that the government is somehow returning ALL the interest money to everyone who paid it. Wow, can you imagine if that were the case? It's just been ingrained into their minds that it's got to be the right thing to do because "everyone" else is doing it.

Just like many things there is very little critical analysis of what is being said so people settle on the "I'm getting money back" mindset so they perform financial gluttony w/out much guilt.



Is this a typo? I would have thought deleting the interest, (and thereby the deduction) that the rebate would have went down, not?

Typo no, the Zero-Cell lobe of my brain was typing that. Yes you're analysis is correct, I meant $1K lower not higher. I'd like the stress the less than portion of my statement as it might have been much lower but since I can't recall exactly I rounded up so that people that reuse that number will be fairly safe.

On a side note I like your signature line, especially the liquidating the assets and looking for land. We're in the pre-looking for land phase as we sold our house this last summer. Once we're down to 4 months left on our lease we'll be picking out a piece of property.

Thanks to everyone on this board that contributes the time and energy to educate those of us that are log building deficient.

[Cbear429]

A lot of interesting discussion on this topic. My wife and I have been thinking of a log home for a while. Being physically unable to build ourselves, we decided to hire an architect as a sub contractor. Retaining all info on this site is very helpful. Our problem is finding a builder for our home in Maryland. Now my wife was having second thoughts. (A Stick Home). Many of them offering deals such as no payments until you move in, land included. So you can see how easy it can be to lose a dream.

We sat down and went through Skip???s website together again. We gotta take this class we said. We decided to continue our dream. Now most of you won???t agree with this: We are getting a mortgage for land and our log home construction. But here???s the thought. We are pre-approved (loan) and will be taking the class prior to building. We will hire a contractor and using the methods taught by the class, as many of you are very confident of, following our architect???s plans we can keep the costs down dramatically.

Then by paying extra each month to the mortgage, as we do on our current home in NY, our new home will be paid off in 11 to 15 years. (Ex: Current monthly payments divided by 12 and add that plus and additional $50). We are working with the lender to re-figure the loan amount and payment start date when our home is completed. As you can see we put a lot of thinking into this decision. We???ll keep you informed.

Keeping Faith in our Lord,

Cecil
:)

[JeffandSara]

Hi, Cecil--

Not everyone here is building mortgage-free. It's a great goal, but not practical or feasible for everyone. There's lots to be gained from a Skip-style home, with or without a mortgage when you're done. :wink: Best wishes to you and your wife!!!!

Sara

[dvb]

Hi Cecil,

Another thought may be to find a contractor you are comfortable with and bring him/her to the class with you. If he/she is open minded, he/she will learn a new way of doing things and you should save money on your house. It would be a win win situation.
Just a thought. Whichever way you go, good luck!

[Cbear429]

Thank you Jeff & Sara for the inspiration. Every time I come to this site I learn something new. It???s reassuring to know that we are not going to be alone in this project. Thank you Dean, We will definitely have the contractor come with us. Great Idea. :)