Introduce yourself

[Tex]

Thanks - I understand about land cost and home "options" fancy high dollar stuff. I was just talking about the house as a whole as in move in livable turn key for $60K as example plus cost of land and extras. I have no doubt I can do the work as I am very mechanical in nature.

[John W]

Welcome, Tex. I'm in San Antonio, are you in Texas?

[dvb]

Thanks - I understand about land cost and home "options" fancy high dollar stuff. I was just talking about the house as a whole as in move in livable turn key for $60K as example plus cost of land and extras. I have no doubt I can do the work as I am very mechanical in nature.

Just remember the old adage, "You can do it fast, cheap or good, just pick two." If you build fast and cheap, you will lose quality, if you build cheap and good, it won't be fast and if you build fast and good, it won't be cheap.

We chose cheap and good and had a great 10 years getting it done!!

[Tex]

Im in the Austin area

[StressMan79]

Thanks - I understand about land cost and home "options" fancy high dollar stuff. I was just talking about the house as a whole as in move in livable turn key for $60K as example plus cost of land and extras. I have no doubt I can do the work as I am very mechanical in nature.

Mine would have been about that, except I hired a hand. Add $15000. 24x24.

Sent from my VS986 using Forum Runner

[Bgreene]

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this site and am excited to learn about building with logs. My husband and I have been living on our land in north central Washington for about 4 years in a smaller park model trailer and are about ready to build a house that is NOT pre-made out of plastic. The wild fires swept through our land this summer (right after we had paid it off) and as a result, we have some of our own standing fire dead ponderosa pines that must be cut soon and we figure there are about a quarter of a million acres of the same sort of timber in our county, that may be for sale.
What do you all think of building with fire killed logs, if the inner log is okay? Or are there hidden aspects of this that need to be evaluated?
Thanks for any advice.

[loghousenut]

Those Pines are worth next to nothing... Unless you turn them into a log home.

We are building ours with Ponderosa Pine. Fire killed would have only made them better. Don't sit around thinking about it too long or you will find yourself stuck with a bunch of punky firewood and buying house logs. You are at the right place here.

PS... What diameters are those logs?

[rocklock]

when yall say total cost or built for $xx,xxx

I have seen this question asked for the last 10 years. I have several clues...
If you are a minimalist then my best guess will be about 5 to 6 times the cost of your logs.
If your wife requires almost any thing (like a walk in tub) that will drive the costs up... maybe as much as 10 to 15 times as the cost of your logs...
If you take more than two years costs will go down. If you need to build it in less that one year it maybe impossible but certainly will increase the cost.
If you take more than 6 years cost will go up because stuff will change.
If you plan almost everything, use association plans, stick to the plan, have your wife agree with the plan, construct more than one model, have wood heat, simple kitchen and bath, and finish in less than two years, then you will be amazing... and will have the smallest possible cost.

[allen84]

If your wife requires almost any thing (like a walk in tub) that will drive the costs up... maybe as much as 10 to 15 times as the cost of your logs...
.

I'm thinking if you're married, especially with kids, this probably is a fact at minimum. I would NOT consider my wife high maintenance at all and she's a cheapskate compared to me but I also know her expectations...which don't quite add up right, but you get the idea I'm sure. I have about 900sq.ft. of storage that's almost over half filled of cheap or free finishings that suit the budget and her critiques. I've also been fortunate and waited quite a while for the right stuff.

[outdoorcountryboy]

Hi evryone. Im another newby to the list. My name is Philip (outdoorcountryboy). I hope to learn a lot here, because Im tired of the hipe from all the log kit companies. Im gona build my log house myself one way or another. I think this is where I should have started. Look forward to meeting new people and getting some education.

[outdoorcountryboy]

p.s. Im also new to posting on a forum. not sure I know what Im doing but please bare with me, Im a quick learner. any direct personal emails to help me will diffenantly be

[outdoorcountryboy]

appreciated. outdoorcountryboy@gmail.com

[loghousenut]

Welcome aboard newbie Philip. Here on the public side you might wanna not show your email. The spambots will have their way with you. If any of the members want to get ahold of you privately they can post a personal message though the forum.

If you are really done with every kit house peddler telling you how all the others do it wrong and only they have the true secret, then read on and see if you agree with me that LHBA has the real secret and everyone else has it all wrong.




Well maybe they are not ALL wrong, but if you want to build your own log home with your own hands, stick around. LHBA can get you going down a track that that leads toward success. You can be as lazy and dumb as I am and still figure out how to build a solid home that your Grandkids can leave to their heirs.





PS.... We are doing it without a mortgage. Try that with a kit house.

[RobandJamey]

Tried to use the "reply to thread" but it didn't work. My husband took the class in March of 2014 and we have been scouring the members forum ever since. We are finally ready to start posting but unsure how.

[rocklock]

Im gona build my log house myself one way or another. I think this is where I should have started. Look forward to meeting new people and getting some education.

Philip you are exactly the kind of person that this forum is meant to attract. You have a lot of reading to do and I would sign up for the Feb class ASAP.

But first you need to understand one thing. Our method of building is for those that are unskilled. I have built my log home and you can see the pictures and several videos below. If I had to cut a notch even now, I would be in big trouble. I can measure, drill a hole in a log and beat the cr@p out of a re-bar to secure the log.... I am not finished with my log home but I have enjoyed the experience.

If you look back at page one of the topic, I asked a question about how to clear my land... That was over 10 years ago... Hard to believe, but I am still having fun and the wife still is changing stuff...

Not to drive anyone crazy, but I only work on my log home about 3 or 4 months a year...

[outdoorcountryboy]

Hi loghouse nut and rocklock. Im all signed up for the 2nd feb class.

[outdoorcountryboy]

Im wanting to build my house with yellow pine logs. Opinions, be easy on me. lol

[rocklock]

One of the things that will be taught in class is you build with what you have with few exceptions... I know nothing about yellow pine but if that's what you have so be it...
I am a west coast person hence I know about firs and other stuff...

Good luck

[soonerfan85]

Been reading the forum for a while and dreaming about building with logs. Something about building a home that will be there for generations appeals to me. I've been very blessed over the years to have a close knit family and a good job so I don't worry too much about finances. My build is less about building a mortgage free home than it is about a desire to leave something tangible to my kids and grandkids. Land, timber and a log home that family can live in for generations should fill the bill.

I'm preparing to make an offer on 29 acres of an 80 acre tract that's for sale here in South Arkansas about 10 minutes from town. This will be a recreational property at first, but we plan to retire on it after we sell our home in town. The timber on the property was well managed but there's still enough 50 to 60 foot Loblolly (yellow) pines that need to be thinned to use in a small build without touching the money trees. Would like to have taken the Feb. class but work got in the way. My hope is to take the class next year and then begin working on building site for a small weekend fishing cabin around 14x14 with a nice porch and deck overlooking the 3 acre pond that's on the property. If my wife and I survive that build we'll look at clearing a couple of acres and building a proper log home closer to the highway, and use the cabin as a guest house.

I do have one question, how many plans are available to members once you've completed the class? I'm hoping there are some plans for smaller cabins and not just larger homes. Looking forward to learning more about the B&P style of building.

As Larry Culpepper says, Just Keep On Believin !

[rocklock]

I do have one question, how many plans are available to members once you've completed the class?

It has been awhile but with my 35 by35 I received a small cabin plan. I don't know how they are packaging them now but what you want may be available with the full sized plans...

[loghousenut]

The link to the plans packages is not working right now so I can't view it. Personally I think class prepares you to build a 12x12 or 14x14 cabin with no plans so long as there is no building department to please.

We'll talk you through any problems on the member's side.

[loghousenut]

OK, I found the plans but they are on the members side and can't send a link. The 35x35 and the 40x40 plans include a garage and a cute little 14.5x14.5 "shed" with a porch. They are full plans that would satisfy anyone but Bo's building inspector (inside joke).

[soonerfan85]

Thanks guys. I'm sure we'll change our mind a time or two, upsizing and downsizing. Hopefully a small cabin will come together pretty quickly and give us the confidence needed to tackle a 35x35 down the road.

As I understand it, being outside the city limits we're not required to obtain a building permit, just meet the state building guidelines. The guy at Farm Credit seemed pretty interested in the idea of building a log cabin on the property. You see plenty of log cabins up in the mountains of North Arkansas, but rarely in this part of the state.

[rckclmbr428]

Welcome! I just left a build near there in Alabama. Pretty country!

[Louisiana]

Just wanted to say hello. My first post apparently got deleted. Not sure why but I think it may be because I linked a website that I thought might be a blatant rip off of this one. Anyway am hopefully going to be signing up for the class shortly for Vegas in February. Oh and if this post gets deleted please let me know what I am doing wrong. I am really interested in doing this and just trying to get started.

Thanks

[loghousenut]

Welcome aboard Louis!

I think you are doing everything right. If LHBA class changes your life like it changed mine, congratulations on finding it. I look forward to pestering you on the member's side.



PS.... Where are you from, Louis?

[Louisiana]

Name is not Louis, just from Louisiana... name is Joey!! Thanks for the welcome, you folks seem to be really helpful here and that tells me most of what I need to know about this Association and the class without even going yet!

[rreidnauer]

Yes Joey. Linking that pirated website definitely got your post deleted. (it's why I didn't even bother responding, because I knew it was going to get the axe) You're doing just fine now though! :-)