BUying 10 acres, and building a log home...Where to start and what to do...and can i do it?

[batwoman_98]

Okay,
so...
were, me my husband, have been looking into buying some land we found a great chunk of land liek 10 acres, out in Grovedale, its a little place near grande prairie, out in the middle of nowhere..and we love it... were curently signed into a contract with a house intow we've been renting for 6 months and have till july when it ends... We are so set on getting htis land or a peice like it and starting to build a log home... or so we think, now theres a toss up between a log house and the traditional, gay house lol... or mixing it up some how... like doing sidding or something we deff want the log house feel though, we jsut dont know whats best, and we dont have alot of money.. we also dont know where to start,,, and can we do the sidding? or does it look cheap... HELP!

[rreidnauer]

Well, you came to the right place, that's for certain!

The class teaches you the means to build the best log home, while being the least expensive. While LHBA does tell you how to do it, it will be up to you to follow through to your goals. What I mean by that is, folks who have taken the class have built places for a few $10K, and there are folks who spend several $100K. So much will be determined by your own determination.

You ask, "can I do it?" The short answer is yes! But, the whole process is demanding. It requires hard work and some sacrifice. If you read though some similar posts, you may see questions of how difficult it is to build a LHBA type home. Answers usually state it's not difficult, or it's fairly easy. That can be misleading. The process is not difficult, the the physical effort is demanding. The good news is, you can give up the gym membership, and put the savings into building your home.

So, where to start? First, sign up for the class. Second, prepare to open your mind to a different way of thinking. (especially from a financial perspective) And third, work on getting yourself out of debt by any means possible.

[Shark]

If you plan to build a house (any type really) taking the class will save you far more than the initial cost.

Not to mention you'll find out alot of great info about log homes. Best class I ever took.

[Basil]

I built mine by myself, after work and on weekends. I used all vacations on the house. I used all disposable income on the house for 4 full years. I did nothing fun it seems like. I gave the house everything I had. My family lived in a trailer and saw me very little. I broke my wrist and can't count my bruises and cuts. It's not easy. It can be done. I moved in last october and I'm still installing my trim, haven't landscaped yet, and have a number of "little things" to do. But the house I live in is ALL MINE and I hope within the next year to have the entire house and 70 acres paid for.

I built too big, against the LHBA advice, and that had a lot to do with how long it took me to build. Build as small as you can afford is great advice, whether building yourself or hiring others to build. Pictures show that trim is still missing but I'll post a couple anyway:

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/0211baz/DSC00399.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/0211baz/DSC00398.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e330/0211baz/DSC00412.jpg

So the answer is YES it can be done. Which then poses the next question. Will you make the kind of commitment that it takes, follow the class advice, work carefully, and build your own home?

I built a wrap around porch that took an entire year to build, deck, and roof. I even hand-dug the foundation for the porches. Total porch footage is about 3000. The living space inside is 2500 square feet. WAAAYYY too big for one person to build quickly.

[batwoman_98]

you wouldnt know if they had any classes like that up here in northern alberta, canada would you, we got a baby, and my husband works 3 weeks on and get like 1 week off, depending onthe time of year, so we dont really have the time to travel...

[Basil]

Nope. all classes are in Washington state, near Monroe.

[edkemper]

My wife and I just took the class on Feb 12. We drove a rented motorhome 2000 miles round trip to go to the class. It's never easy going to places far away but this is probably the best thing you could ever do if you want the freedom and luxury of living in a log home. I covered the cost of the rental and gas by noon on the first day of class.

If it's important enough, we find a way. You really need to meet and learn from Steve and Ellsworth. They are who you need. They are what bonds us all together.

edkemper