Calculating Costs For Post and Beam Homes Part 2

Sue | June 21st, 2012 - 8:40 am

In Part One of Calculating Costs For Post and Beam Homes we took the a 2,950 square foot plan and did a cost projection for a dryin contract in the Round Post and Beam Style.  A Dry-in Contract is where a contractor comes and erects the log shell and installs all of the materials necessary to keep the weather out of the home. At times this is called a “Dry-in Contract”, “Lock Up Contract”, or “Weather Tight Contract”.

Click Here To View Calculating Costs For Post and Beam Homes Part 1

By the end of Part 1 we had the following total estimates we were working with:

Foundation: $35,000
Post and Beam Shell: $149,000 + Delivery
Other Materials For Dry-in: $115,000
Dry-in Labor: $115,000

The Foundation estimate is based on an average cost of $19 per square foot times the first floor square footage of 1,800 square feet. The is a full unfinished basement with poured walls. Other foundation options include a crawl space or cement slab. Both are more cost effective but they do not offer the possibility of more finished square footage for the home. A full basement could be finished into another 1,800 square feet of living space. During construction extra windows could be added to the basement walls also part of the basement could be dug out for a daylight basement.

The Post and Beam shell cost of $149,000 includes all the log work fully pre-cut. Once the logs leave the yard there is no cutting on the job site. A crane does need to be on site for the off loading of the shell and erection. **Note: Crane costs are included in the Dry-in Labor costs.
In our Other Materials for Dry-in category things such as first floor subfloor, decking, upper subfloor, roofing, exterior doors, windows, framing for outside and inside walls, roof framing, soffit and fascia, exterior siding, and exterior door and window trim. Included in the $115,000 is a roofing allowance of $11,000. This allows the owners to choose which type and color of shingles or metal they would prefer. Also there is an allowance of about $25,000 for windows and exterior doors. The curved topped windows are lovely but they do increase the cost. The rounded could be left out or narrowed to just the front windows. Also windows and doors can be obtained from which ever manufacturer the owner’s prefer. And finally, within the Other Materials Category is an allowance of $12,000. One type of wood siding is a 1×6 pine tongue and groove for a cost of $5,000. Another type of siding is Hardiboard plank siding for a cost of $6,800 to $7,500. And Cedar siding is a cost of $10,000 to $12,000. If all the funds in an allowance are not spent then it is credited back to the homeowner at the end.
And finally the Dry-in Labor is the labor needed for erecting the log shell and installing all of the materials above. The only material installation not included is the installation of the 1×6 pine tongue and groove for the soffits and ceilings. This is considered a finish cost. The tongue and groove cannot be installed until after the electrician installs the wiring.
The cost projects are based on current building costs in the Summer of 2012 in the Montana area. These are information costs only. Cost projections are estimated and not guaranteed. For a formal quote based on your home and job site location please give us a call. Post and Beam Homes are involved to construct and having solid cost projections to work from are important to keeping your project on track!
Cowboy Log Homes
Any projected costs, cost estimates, material costs, and estimated construction/ building costs, are only the opinion of Cowboy Log Homes and are drawn from our experience. Every home is custom tailored to meet our individual client's wants and desires. The construction of a log or timber home is based on two primary costs: material provided by the log home company and construction costs contracted with Cowboy Log Homes as the builder or another builder of the customer's choice. Final costs are obtained and contracted with each respectively. Cowboy Log Homes is simply the "glue" that helps bring these two together to provide a final culmination of a customer's project. * Please note photos and elevations may differ some from accompanying floor plans.
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