To those who have or are in the process of building....

[Thelognoob]

hi everyone

just trying to get some rrrrrrrreal basic figures....

to those of you on here who have built or in th eprocess of building....what were your costs for building..?

not worried abou the price of your land, but rather the actual costs of putting the house up...I feel soo inspired looking at the pics on this site and reading articles.

I live in vancouver but would obviously have to go outside of the city to build....but it is worth it to live mortgage free. Kinda bummed about no classes being offered, but hopefully I can learn somewhere

if anybody has any number the can throw at me to look at, id would be very grateful

[Klapton]

I wouldn't worry about the scary sounding "no more classes this year" message. I've suggested that they soften the wording of this a bit, but they keep putting the same message up when they don't have any classes scheduled. What it really means is that they do not have any scheduled, and aren't promising they will. But you should not take it to mean that there definitely WON'T be any more classes any time soon.

Like I said, they always put that message up, and I've seen it go up at various points between a flurry of five or six classes in a row over a fall-winter season. So, sign up for the email notification, and don't get discouraged. I'm sure there will be some classes offered this fall or winter.

[Thelognoob]

yeah for sure ill just stay paitient.

Untill then I'll just stay busy on this site and research and read articles posted.
I would love to have a house paid for in cash...man that would feel good. And the experience gained would be tremendous.
Could lead to a whole other business

Any recommendations where to just Start??

[rreidnauer]

For just a real broad scope, I'm shooting for spending something like $50~60K, not including the land. Keep in mind, I plan on doing 99% of it myself. (roofing, electric, plumbing, cabinets and countertops) About the only thing I won't do is bring in the concrete for the foundation.

If you don't mind going to bed tired and aching each night, because you did it yourself, and without renting heavy equipment, you can build a home for incredibly low costs without having to cut corners on quality. It really comes down to a matter of how bad you really want it.

My model pics (link in my signature line) will give you an idea of what I am planning.

[Thelognoob]

can i ask you how big suare footage your planning on building...your model looks fantastic...!!

Its real intimidating seeing these houses going up, im hoping i can grasp the technology and trade properly and make it happen! im really excited as i think i would learn soooo much

[chadfortman]

Look, listen and learn
Im Your Huckleberry

Hello,
I think if you take the class you will love it.
I am very cheep and picky and dont like spend money.
But the class was worth it to me.
i read so many log home books not in print and new ones.
The class taught me to build safe and strong.
I found that the books i read teach you to build something that will not last long.
The class will teach you to build it the right way and the best way.
And the class full of information and very interesting people.
enjoy the rest of the web site.

[Will Dye]

I've helped a couple of people now and WOW! Man unless you really watch it and stick to doing it exactly like Skip had it worked out you can in no time double your build time and double your expected cost...EASILY! I'm in Kentucky where you can get deals and you can probably pay the same as at any other Home Depot from New York to San Fransisco. The bargain hunter method is even more valuable today than it was just a few months ago due to the price of everything at Lowe's and Home Depot and every other place doubling and tripling for alot of materials. Another thing, you need to add about 1/3 to 1/2 more for your build if you try to build on a steep, sloping lot. It just slows down the flow of work and really increases the effort and time it takes to build. I don't know how much it adds on to your end value having that walk out basement and killer view, but it does not come for free. I'm no expert, but that's what I have experienced so far. I have a friend that moves houses and I showed him a piece of property I thought would be great to try a build on and he explained things to me and really opened my eyes and suggested that getting my building technique perfected on a flatter lot would be a much faster and cheaper build. Ellsworth and a few others with a bit more experience probably have better advice than I do.

[GENE13]

Hey Rod I noticed that on your log home model you are using purlins, I may be wrong but I was thinking E said they wasn't needed. Maybe E will see this and clarify. Sure would save you a lot of extra effort, unless you just like the look.................> :-)

[rreidnauer]

can i ask you how big suare footage your planning on building...your model looks fantastic...!!
The plan is an interior dimension of 35'x35', with only a half second floor. Total square footage: 1800


Hey Rod I noticed that on your log home model you are using purlins, I may be wrong but I was thinking E said they wasn't needed. Maybe E will see this and clarify. Sure would save you a lot of extra effort, unless you just like the look.................> :-)
Yes sir, there are purlins and log gables. Both unnecessary nor taught/recommended by the LHBA class. But as you guess, it is indeed for aesthetic reasons alone. (and maintains my massively overbuilt theme I follow so rigidly) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v328/titantornado/thumbs.gif But, neither cost me more than a bit more sweat if I can acquire my logs in the method I have planned.

There is some savings with the low wall logs, but the high roof pitch adds about 40% to it's cost, so there will be a bit of excessive spending there.

[GENE13]

I too really like that look as well. It seems more log-homish, rustic, and heavy duty to me. Your model is just out of this world, very thorough and well thought out. Great job!! .............................................> :-)

[WillandHelen]

I built my own timberframe house with sip panels for around 65 a square foot. I put some expensive extras in as well. Doing the work yourself and staying away from "unneccessary" expenses help alot. I imagine you could build a log home for much cheaper seeing as how the sip panels themselves added about 10 dollars a square foot.

[rgdula]

Where did you get your SIP panels from? I talked to the people in Louiville last Monday.

[WillandHelen]

I got mine from Sipsteamusa out of bainbridge GA. They did pretty good work and were the cheapest. Some people charge sales tax, some don't. That was a deciding factor for me because it can add 1000's.