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MV Log Home Kit Prices – 3 Tips When You Buy Log Home Kits

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Log home kit prices for a variety of kits can easily be found online. Generally, to buy log home kits will be cheaper than to build a ‘handcrafted’ log home where the logs will be shaped one at a time using special hand tools.

However, before you buy log home kits, be sure you understand three main ways you can control the log home kit prices and the final built cost. One of your goals should be to arrive at a budgeted amount that includes everything – log home kit costs,…

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Log home kit prices for a variety of kits can easily be found online. Generally, to buy log home kits will be cheaper than to build a ‘handcrafted’ log home where the logs will be shaped one at a time using special hand tools.

1. Log Home Kit Size – whether you’re estimating your log home kit prices by number of rooms or by square foot, in general, larger log homes cost more to build. And remember, when you buy log home kits, a larger log home will also cost more to furnish, to heat and cool, to maintain and to clean. If property taxes are an issue, the amount to pay each year may be related to the completed size of your log home. If you want to reduce the cost, reducing the square footage of your log home is one of the main options you will have.

2. Log Home Kit Special Factors – to know in advance how much your log home will cost when you buy log home kits, you and your builder need to accurately estimate special conditions that your project has that will add to the final cost. For example, is your site difficult to access by tractor and trailer that will deliver your log home kit? Can a crane that will be used to erect your log home kit easily reach the site? Are utilities accessible to your property or will you need to dig a well, install a septic tank and bring electricity to your site from elsewhere?

These are examples of log home kit prices and special factors that can add labor and/or equipment costs. Work hard to define and accurately estimate any and all special situations that you’ll encounter when you buy log home kits. You’ll want to be building your new log home without any surprises.

3. Log Home Kit Design – the more complicated the design of your log home, the more it will cost to build. Cathedral ceilings are beautiful but more expensive to build. Dormers on roofs, lots of windows, hips and valleys and additional wall corners are examples of log home designs that cost more to build than a four-walled rectangular log home with a simple roof.

Building with a larger single-story log home kit will cost more than the same square footage built as a two-story log home. The reason is that ‘building outward’ or horizontally requires additional below-ground excavation as well as additional roof. And the heating/cooling expense will be higher for a single-story log home than for a two-story structure of the same square footage.

As you go about deciding which log home kit prices and design you want, pay attention to the concepts described above if controlling costs when you buy log home kits is a concern. As you may know, it’s not only about the kit and construction cost, it’s also about maintenance cost year after year. Simpler designs for the roof will be less costly to build and to maintain.

MV Log Home Automation? Excuse Me?

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On first hearing the term “home automation”, most log home owners will say something like… I didn’t build a rustic log home to turn it into a high-tech, silicon powered “smart building”.

I couldn’t agree more, the ever-changing technology of our fast-paced, hyper get-ahead world is one of the things most of us were trying to leave behind. But don’t let misinformation (or misunderstanding) keep you from achieving your original goal of simplifying your life.

Most of us …

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MV Log Cabin Kit Homes – How To Find Log Cabin Building Kits

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Log cabin kit homes – what are they? Log cabin building kits are logs that have been cut, milled, dried and shaped into ‘packages’ called log cabin kit homes. These cabin kits can be as simple as the logs and fasteners only, or the kits can include nearly all of the exterior components of the cabin. The other main kind of log cabin home would be a ‘handcrafted home’, one where the logs are shaped by hand using special tools.

The major advantages of log cabin building kits …

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Log cabin kit homes – what are they? Log cabin building kits are logs that have been cut, milled, dried and shaped into ‘packages’ called log cabin kit homes. These cabin kits can be as simple as the logs and fasteners only, or the kits can include nearly all of the exterior components of the cabin. The other main kind of log cabin home would be a ‘handcrafted home’, one where the logs are shaped by hand using special tools.

The major advantages of log cabin building kits are generally lower costs, simplified estimating and construction methods and faster construction of the cabin home. Created in the controlled environment of the manufacturer, the logs will be more uniform in shape than handcrafted logs.

The logs can be trucked in and assembled on your building site relatively quickly by knowledgable builders. Log cabin kit homes can be purchased in nearly complete exterior systems that include the logs, fasteners, roof system, windows and doors, porches and more.

The logs are available in a variety of shapes – round, square, rectangular, beveled and ‘D-shaped’ logs are common examples. Milled logs will have the outer sapwood planed off before the logs are shaped. Most log cabin kit homes manufacturers cut the logs in such a way as to create a tongue or groove so each log will interlock with the log above and below it in the wall. This interlocking system will likely be enhanced by the use of other materials that will help keep air and water from penetrating the log wall.

How do you find log cabin building kits that may be right for you?

The fastest way is to go online and visit various log cabin kit homes manufacturers websites. You’ll want to be looking for the log cabin building kits that have an appearance you enjoy. See what you prefer – large diameter versus smaller diameter logs, color of the log wood, shapes of logs available and how the corner treatment looks to you.

As you find cabin kits you like, see how long the company has been in business. You’ll want to know they have been around a number of years which is one important factor to consider. Review the kit choices – what is included, what is not included. See if you can narrow your choices down to 3-4 companies that you may be most interested in.

At this point, you would be ready to visit the companies and talk with their staff. How do you find them – are they pleasant, courteous, really interested in answering your questions and even offer suggestions for your situation? Or are they high-pressure and inflexible? If they cannot provide something you want, are they truthful and up-front that they cannot do it that way?

You’ll want to pay attention to your intuition and gut feel. Maybe you’ll further narrow the list to, say, two manufacturers. Then you can contact 2-3 log cabin home builders with experience in building with these manufacturer’s logs and fastener systems. Obtain estimates for building your log cabin kit home on your property.

You can also learn a lot about log cabin kit homes by viewing cabin plans that have been successfully built somewhere. Every plan that you see can give you design ideas that you had not thought of. You can make a scrapbook of the things you may want in your log home design. Organize a project notebook where you’ll keep the builder estimates, schedules and so on.