How long has it taken you to build your home?

[Anna320]

If anyone doesn't mind sharing the information, could anyone please tell me how long it has taken to build your home? And, perhaps, how much it has cost, not including the land? I would very much like to get a general idea of the averages.

With much appreciation and admiration,

Anna

[Upers]

Estimates

Anna,

I am in the very early stages and wondering the same things...
These are my estimates
10 years to build - hopefullly (of those 10 I will probably take 6 years off when kids are in college in terms of spending $ to build)
approximate costs - $190,000 ($70,000 for land and $120,000 for 35 x 35)
-- biggest $ Foundation $20K and Roof $20K and Kitchen $15K

[panderson03]

hi there. welcome!
as far as cost, it varies greatly depending on how much planning you do and how much work you do yourself vs hiring out. as an example, I can go grocery shopping myself, coupons in hand and get by rather cheeply but if I choose not to use coupons or compare prices or even if I order on line and have my groceries delivered to my doorstep the price is much greater. building a log home follows the same concept. you can to it pretty cheeply if you take the class and learn how.
as far as time, we took the class May 2009, started with site clearing May 2010 and hope to be weathered in on both the garage and the cabin by snow fall 2011 (mid October or so).

I know this isn't the sort of answer you wanted. you were likely looking for details so you can make plans but so much depends on what you want to build, how long you have to do it, whether you want to be able to hire some of it/all of it out, whether or not you have time to look for deals on tools and materials that its just not possible to give you any concrete answers. sorry:(

[panderson03]

approximate costs - $190,000 ($70,000 for land and $120,000 for 35 x 35)
-- biggest $ Foundation $20K and Roof $20K and Kitchen $15K

OK Upers you show off:) now I have to go and give dear Anna some numbers as well.

foundations for garage and cabin including excavation (which we hired out) cement, AND ICF (including the walkout basement walls) all came to about $15,000. We're planning on ~$16,000 for roofs of both structures (materials only as we will be supplying the labor) and kitchen ~$4000 (including the cabinets that we've already purchased for $1800 and refinished)

[StressMan79]

if you want to get it done quickly, live on site. Mine is 7 hrs away, and I have to make a real trip to get anything done. course land inside of 3 hours would have cost 5x as much... Mine is much smaller, did block, filled with crete. Footer cost ~1000, block cost another 3k, and the crete to fill it was another 300. My floor will also be crete, I figure another 700, so total foundation will be 5k for a 24x24. Course that includes the first floor slab.

all the dimensional lumber and roofing was another 9k.

Tools (that I did not need them all) will run ~ 20k (include a telehandler)

my outbuildings cost me roughly 4k.

My camper cost me 1200, and my truck cost me 6k.

then there is logs, site clearing/excavation (another 7k)....

Gas back and forth costs me ~150 each trip.

I have my out buildings, camper, logs peeled, foundation in, and it has been 4.5 years since I started this and 2.5 since I started building. Main structure will be put up this summer.

-Peter

[rocklock]

The general rule of thumb is that one man can build in two years. Two men can build in one year. Three men may never get it finished...:)
Your progress is dependent on many decision and plans that you make. Are you going to build to sell and then build another, or is this little puppy the very last...
I am building about 6 months a year. I am also the king of double work... This next summer will be my sixth (2006 to 2011). We also only build what we can afford... So we go a little slower than others... I intend on getting very close to finished this year and having the final inspection early in 2012...

[WNYcabinplannin]

Perfect time to repeat the old saying. Cheap/fast/good: you get 2 of three at a time. I started wanting cheap and good- but realized that it wasn't for me with Upstate NY weather looming. My budget for the log walls went up 8k when I hired some pros and hired out a crane, but it was worth every penny. Time is $$, IMHO, and safety and quality went way up having the crane.
More power to people planning 5+years to build, and many that be a necessity- but if you live in a place with a serious winter...
well I didn't want to think about winterizing a partially built log shell. That and I don't think my marriage could survive a 5 year build.
While I'm at it, the LHBA technique of buying surplus windows (irregular sized, wrong color made,etc.) didn't end up making sense for me. All of the extra windows the manu.'s here had were vinyl and white. Any savings I would've had would've been short lived. Good thing Bill L.'s friend is a pro window installer, and is passing on his 40% discount.
So there's my ramble. I guess you just dig in and do what you can do, with your budget, your time requirements, your ability. Just be prepared to go 30k over with your life intact and then if you don't need it, pay it back or reinvest. :)

[dazedandconfused]

Stress you state you paid 20k for tools, what was the large costs here, it does not seem they all will fit in your trunk, thanks all for the numbers that helps, I wonder with the basment issues if a slab would be best for me

[StressMan79]

yeah... you don't need a 20,000 # telehandler. You may not need a generator or two.... you need some pulleys, rope, sledgehammers, regular hammers, peavies, etc... I have all of this, and the telehandler, two demo hammers, extra screw guns, etc.... I guess I am something of a collector.

[panderson03]

we actually found having 2 demo hammers comes in really handy...:)

[joelkarr]

We're building a 33x33 log home in a very rural area off grid in the Colorado mountains (about 8000 ft). We started the summer of 2008. My wife and I have been building it ourselves with some help now and then. An exception was log peeling: we hired about 4 out of work guys. They peeled about 100 logs with me for around $2500.00. In addition to that, our costs so far have been: ($40K for the following) - Walk-out foundation with 8ft high 10in thick concrete walls, 3300g. cistern, 3000g. septic holding tank, excavation, pex in floor heating, and a four inch concrete pad. I shopped around for the best deal on logs I could find: $7000 delivered for all the logs I need to finish plus a wrap-around deck. We hope to have this home under roof by the end of June '11 depending when we can get up there. I think the roofing materials will cost at least $7000. These costs don't include the cost of tools. The biggest expense was a used 15 ton all-terrain crane that I hope to sell to someone for close to what I paid for it.

Hope this helps...

[dazedandconfused]

Ahh sweet Co , my wife and I lived in Crested Butte for a few years, where about is your property? Also, are you doing a metal roof for 7g?

[Basil]

It took me 3 years + with no help at all, other than the occasional two hours from a friend after work or someone from the class showing up for a weekend. I hired some of my jobs out, like plumbing, shingling, foundation, etc. I spent probably $120,000 total, and have a 2700 sq ft house with 3000 feet of porches and decks. I can't even imagine what I would have paid just to get someone else to build it, PLUS the materials cost. In that estimate, I paid $10000 for foundation, $4000 for septic/water, $15000 for electric, $6000 for plumbing, $10000 for logs and delivery of logs. I never calculated my raw materials costs, but I was building when Katrina hit so all my material costs were higher than they are now anyway.

[hemlock77]

We are building slowly as time and budget allows. Just hit the 4 year mark, so far we have around 40k into the project not including the land. Even if we pay retail from this point forward we should be in it for less than 100k.
Stu
http://s165.photobucket.com/albums/u64/hemlock77/

[BarstowRat]

So I have become a little worried when reading this thread, if I understand correctly, the LHBA ideal is that you can build a cabin mortgage free... but from what I see whether it be a mortgage or loan it still turns out to be an eternal debt. I know that not all pockets are vreated equal and everyone has different style tastes, but is it possible to build a log cabin without a lifetime of payments? And yes I know that the more you can do yourself the better, but just alittle concerned.

Joshua

[dazedandconfused]

your right 100k out of pocket is still debt unless you have that cash laying around, however from what I see most folks are taking their time building so they can purchase at the pace without loaning as much, I for one plan on building after taking the class but modest reasonable home, i am not sure I could do it for 20k but I think I can for about 60k, then say 40 for the land and you got an unbelievable home for 100k my mortgage is 240k now, so yes their will be costs, but the idea is to not pay as much over time. I too am worried thats natural, but ultimately you will save money, how much is based upon your tastes and how much you can do yourself, if you're not as patient, it may cost you a little more.

[loghousenut]

Don't worry, Be happy!!!

I think back 30 years or so and I remember thinking I was gonna grab a cheap piece of land for $5,000 and put up a log house with my own two mitts in 6 months and spend half my wages for that amount of time doing it. LHBA class (it was LHBANA back then) cost $35 at that time and that $5,000 land was possible in the right places. Of course I was dreaming of a place that would be worth $20,000 when I was ready to move on.

Times have changed but not as much as the dollars and the society has changed. I was thinking back then about a place in the WOODS with a dirt road access (gravel where it had to be), hand-split shakes for a roof, and salvaged galvanized pipe for plumbing. The foundation woulda been dug by hand and no deaper than I thought it oughta be. I bought my school bus soon after taking the class from Skip and lived a good part of that dream while living in it. I played with logs for a few outbuildings and built a nice cabin for a Grizzly Adams movie and suddenly had that $5,000 chunk of land (we paid $50,000), a family, a career, and building codes.

Now here we are, part way into the 21st century, and I really am finally building that house in the woods. LHBA class now costs $795 and is worth every penny. Land costs have risen dramatically as have wages and every other cost. It is tough for an old rascal like me to figure out if we are really worse off financially now than we were 30 years ago, but we have no choice but to live our lives as it hits us. We have to carve out our share of the dream as best we can even if it means we have to buy steel roofing for our house... and new plumbing fixtures at $90 a shot... and gravel for a proper roadbed... and a telehandler... and all that stuff that The Code, or modern society, demands.

For all of you folks who are at the edge of class, or just out, and wondering if it will all work... It will work out however you make it work out. No different than the rest of life!

My Wife, Son, and I are currently in the middle of building our cabin in the woods. We are using good-sized logs that my Son and I cut down and it'll be roughly 2,000 square feet inside. We have owned the land for years now. The roof is on, so the house can take as long to finish as we want it to. The roof is not hand-split shakes, but rather green steel that cost us some cash and a cool 1963 Olds convertible. The driveway will be paved some day. Plumbing will come from a plumbing supply house. We will have to buy new toilets that pass code. We could easily sacrifice more and work harder and have it done faster. We don't want to work harder or sacrifice more. We could easily take out a loan and hire more help. We want to own it free and clear. We WILL own it free and clear and our marriage, and our relationship with our Son, will continue to grow stronger.

Some of you guys will remember that first car that you picked up for next to nothing. You thought you were gonna spend a few dollars at the wrecking yard and a weekend or two sanding Bondo and then, maybe by Prom night, be driving something off the pages of Hot Rod magazine. Some of you were able to make it work out but it was harder than you thought it was gonna be. Building your own house using the methods you learn in class is not only possible but can be enjoyable and profitable. It will be work and sacrifice and worth it. You won't like peeling logs but you will LOVE it when the building inspector stands there with his mouth agape and can't say much but "COOOOL!!".

Take the class and let the change in your life happen. You went into this thing thinking "I can do the work and sweat any amount of sweat if it means ending up with a free house". Well keep thinking that and you will end up with a free house that you EARNED with your own two hands (and the hands of the time clock). You may get done before I do but that's OK. Mine is working out right on schedule and we won't owe a dime to anyone but the Governor when we are through.

One thing I have learned for certain. Every time I have wavered from the teaching of the class it has cost me time or dollars.

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t55/loghousenut/Wow/Rafters9-2010442.jpg

[Anna320]

I too am a little worried reading this thread. I see it has taken most people well over 2 years to build, and more than 40k. However, the information, fqa, etc. on the site seemed to suggest something else? I understand a lot of this depends on the size, time available, materials available and personal preference.... I was kind of hoping perhaps my husband and I could build the house, (we were thinking maybe 30x30 or so?) in 1 or 2 years- working on it full time. Our budget would be very tight, about 35k, or less. We don't really want anything fancy- would be happy with a roof and a floor... We expect hard work and are driven by the thought that maybe, just maybe, we can keep the product of our labor, and not hand it over-- I wonder if anyone gets me when I say that? Reading the posts, I think you do.
We do have land already. My family has left us 75+ heavily wooded acres in pa. There's already a very small cabin(stick built) on the land, which already has utilities. I am hoping we could live there until the house is finished. I am also hoping to use trees from the land-- although most of them are various types of oak and maple and am not sure how well they will work. We have decided to go ahead and take the class and then see if we can use what we have. I guess I'm curious if my hopes are reasonable, from someone who has already been down the building road.

One thing that does inspire me that I thought I'd share... my family came to the this country in 1729 and built a small log cabin in pa. It is still there, and in pretty sound, although probably not inhabitable condition, and it has been mostly neglected for at least the past 100 years.

[panderson03]

Anna and all. I totally understand your wanting to know specifics about how much $$ it takes to build. only you can say with any accuracy how much $$ you will spend on your build. the class will tell you what you need to know to do it as cheep as possible. many of us choose not to follow their recommendations and that increases the cost. hiring things out in order to build faster is one way we do this. we chose to add to our bottom line by building a walkout basement; would have been way cheeper not to. your decisions will affect your costs. your location (cost of permits; well; septic) will also affect the cost of your build.
it is not accurate to take other's experiences and assume yours will be identical. I read that Skip often said 'build as small as you can afford'. In my opinion that is the key to keeping costs down.

[loghousenut]

I too am a little worried reading this thread. I see it has taken most people well over 2 years to build, and more than 40k. However, the information, fqa, etc. on the site seemed to suggest something else? I understand a lot of this depends on the size, time available, materials available and personal preference.... I was kind of hoping perhaps my husband and I could build the house, (we were thinking maybe 30x30 or so?) in 1 or 2 years- working on it full time. Our budget would be very tight, about 35k, or less. We don't really want anything fancy- would be happy with a roof and a floor... We expect hard work and are driven by the thought that maybe, just maybe, we can keep the product of our labor, and not hand it over-- I wonder if anyone gets me when I say that? Reading the posts, I think you do.
We do have land already. My family has left us 75+ heavily wooded acres in pa. There's already a very small cabin(stick built) on the land, which already has utilities. I am hoping we could live there until the house is finished. I am also hoping to use trees from the land-- although most of them are various types of oak and maple and am not sure how well they will work. We have decided to go ahead and take the class and then see if we can use what we have. I guess I'm curious if my hopes are reasonable, from someone who has already been down the building road.

One thing that does inspire me that I thought I'd share... my family came to the this country in 1729 and built a small log cabin in pa. It is still there, and in pretty sound, although probably not inhabitable condition, and it has been mostly neglected for at least the past 100 years.

Anna, I am 56 years old, work 40 hours per week, and too darned fat. My Son is 19 and going to college. He and I could easily build a modest 30x30 with a loft, following LHBA plans, in less than two years, for $35,000. If there are useable trees on the property it would shorten the build time and allow a little extra in the budget for niceties. You would love to live in the house when it was completed. PERIOD.

If I were a bachelor and in my 30's I could do it smaller and for less money. The problem arises when we take a spouse and start wanting grander and grander things out of life. Logs get larger. Building footprints get larger. Walk-in closets become a necessity instead of a luxury. More and more bathrooms and larger kitchens. You start off with the simplest of plans and a piece at a time you grow it into something that requires more time and money to build.

What the class teaches is the truth. Your dreams as stated here are totally attainable using LHBA methods. Perhaps LHBA offers the ONLY way to attain your stated goals and expectations. I chose to spend an extra $20,000 or so on excavation and foundation. I chose to spend months paying for my logs by thinning a 50 acre parcel that was 3-1/2 hours away. I choose to build slowly while we live in relative comfort in the same house we have lived in for the last 18 years. I chose to work on the house only when we enjoy it. I chose to purchase equipment to irritate my Wife. If I/we wanted to build a modest, but still fairly "WOW" 30x30 in a year or so, we could do it just fine. We could do it on your budget. To be completely honest, your plans are precisely in alignment with LHBA teachings. It is I who has wandered and I am still tickled to be doing it.

Don't be scared off by what you are reading. I'm fairly certain that all of us are happy to be where we are and there are $ numbers all over the board. I think the vast majority of us still do it the old fashioned way without a loan for the building.

[panderson03]

LHN, well said.

[rocklock]

How about that!!!
Starting from the beginning for a 30 by 30. This does not account for a well and septic tanks which can be done depending on the location and distance from the house... I would also suggest really big logs... tops at least 14 inches... And a complete plan with no changes.... no changes.

1. Clearing and cutting the home pad... 1 Week then another week for cleanup and burning the stumps and tops.
2. Footer - one week
3. ICF basement - one week.
4. Cement floor and thermal heating - one week. Maybe a little more...
5. Let the cement cure three weeks - getting logs - creating an index and peeling them, power wash, all at the same time... 12 high plus
6. Using a crane stack the logs - two weeks... including lift the rafters...
7. T&G roof - one week.
8 Hire some one to do the roof and gutters one week. Start on the floors...
9. Do floors and under layment one week
10. Cut windows and install 4 by 10 bucks - no windows.
11. Chinking - two weeks with Rods' nail gun.
12. Framing - two weeks - also start the plumbing and electrical.
13. Finish rough plumbing and electrical. two weeks. Hire much of the rough stuff...

This is 20 weeks. You can actually start living in a house that has lights and a toilet... I would estimate that the house is about 60% finished...

Much of the rest can be done in almost any order...

[dazedandconfused]

Anna where is Pa are you guys, I am in Sinking Spring,Pa about 5 miles out of Reading, or about 50 from Philly. Hope to see you guys in May, are you both signed up?

[Mosseyme]

LHN, great info, I agree with all except, I LIKE PEELING LOGS. Lot of time to think and plan.

[Anna320]

I was reading over the posts tonight and I feel so much better. Thank you all for your honest and thoughtful answers to my questions. I have such a respect for both what you are doing and how open and helpful you all are with it... Dazedandconfused- We are in Collegeville, not sure distance but, depending on traffic... about 45 minutes North and West of Philadelphia. The land is about 40 miles West of Harrisburg. Actually, I guess you're right in the middle? :) We haven't signed up yet. Hope to do so tomorrow.

[loghousenut]

I was reading over the posts tonight and I feel so much better. Thank you all for your honest and thoughtful answers to my questions. I have such a respect for both what you are doing and how open and helpful you all are with it... Dazedandconfused- We are in Collegeville, not sure distance but, depending on traffic... about 45 minutes North and West of Philadelphia. The land is about 40 miles West of Harrisburg. Actually, I guess you're right in the middle? :) We haven't signed up yet. Hope to do so tomorrow.

We will welcome you. Can't wait to read what you will be posting in two years.

PS... I don't know how much you know about this organization. Ten of us who are in various stages of planning, building o living in our log homes have responded to your original post. All ten of us are students and have NO monetary involvement in LHBA in any way. We are only doing what you will be doing as you progress out of your cocoon. Enjoy the ride and after you have been to class you will get to see what is on the "members only" side of this forum. That's where the action really is.

[Nabil23]

Anna,
something else that I don't think anyone mentioned is what you can get done if you are really flexible and take your time. Sure you can buy brand new toilets and fixtures for your bathroom and everything else and build a really expensive log home, or you can spend some time before you build accumulating everything you need for free or for really cheap by going to garage sales, estate sales, or looking online. If you look hard enough you can get a lot of your tools and materials for really cheap. This is something they show you how to do during the class and something my wife and I are planning on doing.

My wife and I just took the class in January, we are going to spend the next 6 months getting everything we need and looking for land. This way when we find our land we don't have to rush out and buy things at full retail because it is holding up our build.

[jimirwin]

I echo Nabil23 and others above; the KEY to the less expensive build is to have enough TIME between the class and the start of the build. I took the class in Jan this year and have already put together my X-mas and B-day lists for the next 2 years! As you may guess, my lists consist of specific tools and materials such as carriage bolts and rebar of all things! My brother-in-law loves going to auctions, flea markets and garage sales; I have supplied him a list of items to look for and he doesn't mind at all. I log into Craigslist once or twice a week with a few specific searches for tools and materials. If you are looking to get cheap or free logs, the process may take a few years from start to finish, but then you have free house logs. If you haven't acquired the land, you can take your time and find a better deal. So, the more time you have to prep and plan prior to breaking ground, the more likely to save some money.

[Cruiser]

Ditto the comments above. My wife and I took the class in Jan also (sat behind Nabil23 - hey guys!). The key to saving money is get your plans nailed down & don't get in a hurry. Enjoy the search and find those deals! Best wishes!

[ChainsawGrandpa]

LHN is right...it's what you make of it. My guest house is a show place, and all the extravagance has caused the cost to soar above $30/ft. I don't need super insulation, waterfall, curved glass block walls, heated floors, custom cabinetry, soap stone sink and counters, or any of the other fancy non-essentials, but even with these things, the cost is low. I could have knocked 40% off the cost and still had a very nice (but not as fancy) place. It's almost finished, and right now I'm wasting my time just walking around and dreaming of what it will soon ("soon" is a very relative term) look like. Oh man, is it ever getting comfortable! I never need to go on vacation, when I'm there I'm on vacation! The guest house is a show place, but totally unnecessary.

Another member is almost finished with his beautiful house, and he's projecting $14,000.

I found a very nice piece of land with some room to stretch out and relax. My quick calculations for an 1,800' house, land, well, septic, & driveway is $52,000. That house also is too fancy.

I calculate the finished cost of my current place at $205,000, but that includes a lot of land, well, solar, long driveway, and almost 7,500' under roof. My garage has 10' tall custom cabinets, and a fireplace. I've gone way over the top. It could have been very comfortable, and perfectly serviceable at 1/2 the cost. At $205,000 the property will still cost 30 cents on the dollar of retail.

Also, not having a bank breathing down your neck brings the cost waaaaay down. bureaucrats and bankers are very expensive. It's best to (legally of course) avoid them.

You house will cost as much, or as little as you want it to. Your attitude may be the biggest factor in what it will cost.

G'pa