Want to build new Log Home

[Andy]

Hi, I live in Columbus Ohio and already have some land. I am looking to have a Home built. As this is my first search any info would be great !


Thanks,


Andy

[GammaRae]

Oh Andy, Andy, Andy... First thing first... JOIN THE ASSOCIATION, fly out to Seattle and take the two day course at the ranch.

Next available class (http://www.loghomebuilders.org/02-23-05.asp)

[mcdonis]

Andy you didnt really say wheither or not you want to build your own home but I will just asssume you do.

(by the way I too am in Columbus, I live on the west side in Grove City)


Depending on your location it might be hard for you to build your own home yourself. Building codes and regulations can be strict (or rigged) so that its better\financially feaseable\ect to have someone else do it. If you are far enough outside Columbus this is not much of a problem. I plan on building in Chillicothe and driving to OSU every day. The location I am thinking of has little to no building codes and requlations, so that doesnt get in my way.

So the first thing you really need to do is research the building codes and community regulations before you go anyfurther. Then you can get a better idea of what you are dealing with. If you are interested in building a log home (which I assume you are) then this community is one of the best places I have seen to get info for the "do it yourself" folks. Everone I have contacted here are always happy to answer questions. (that can be rare)

If you do decide to build your own log house I would be possibly interested in helping. In the next couple of years I am going to start my home and it would be great to network with someone. A lot of folks here will help on other peoples projects before they start building their home as to get experience.

Good luck on your research!
Shawn

[Andy]

Sorry, I am looking to have one built. I am not sure if I want a "turn key" or just the basic shell. I could do all the interior myself if I had to. So I guess I am looking for a good builder.




Andy

[mcdonis]

There are several good resources to look at if you want to go with someone building the shell. I will post those at the end of my message. However you might want to read the main site's information about kit log homes. Its very easy to get into problems and difficuilities since there are a lot of people out there who only want to take your money or who provide poor or low quality stuff. Some of that has to do with the engineering behind the kit home and some of the problems lie in the actual construction of the home.

Depending on the Kit buildier some will do the "turn key" operation but from my studies most will provide only a certain amount of service. Some will just provide the kit no more no less, others provide the kit and will "oversee" the constuction done by someone you hire. And others will offer full constuction of the shell as long as you are in the radious of their main operations. (Tennessee Log homes is an example)

On my links below is a site that gives homeowners a chance to rate the log products and companies directly. Its a good place to read all the love and horror stories that a lot of people have experienced with building a kit home. Most of the problem stories revolve around the fact that the homeowner didnt do a lot of research in the begining and thus was unable to watchdog the process. So when contractors totaly screwed up the build or the kit company screwed up the order the homeowner didnt know and thus was left with in some cases a home that was structually unsound. In most of these cases the homeowner had to fight in court because the company or contractor didnt stand behind their work. The point is that if you do plan on going with a kit then make sure you do a ton of research into the process and the company. You need to know exactly what the builder is doing and exactly what it should look like when its done correctly. That way if you visit the site everyday you can hopefully catch most of the errors.

Dont get me wrong I love log homes (and plan on building one) its just with all the terrible stories from homeowners about kits and contractors that I would rather trust myself and go learn what I need to learn than pay a huge amount of money and have them build something that may or may not be structually sound.

Frankly if you are going to do all the finishing work yourself, there isnt any reason (in my mind at least) why you cant do the shell as well.

Good Luck with your project!

http://www.loghomebuilders.org/ (this is this forum's main site)
http://www.loghomereports.com/ (this is the story site)
http://www.lhoti.com/board/ (another forum with mostly kit people)
http://www.countrytyme.com/ (company that sells rural land in ohio)

[mcdonis]

Sorry, I am looking to have one built. I am not sure if I want a "turn key" or just the basic shell. I could do all the interior myself if I had to. So I guess I am looking for a good builder.




Andy


Oh and by the way

As for who builds in our area I know that Kuhns Brothers is the primary builder of Log Homes. However I think Stonemill and a couple of smaller time builders are also working in and around the area.


Here is a link to Kuhns Brs http://www.kuhnsbros.com/ but let me say that I am not recomending them I just know they do a lot of homes in the area. I have no idea if they are any good.