Have you bought your Log Home Living issue for March 2015?? If you have take a look at page 68 and see if you see something you recognize from our website!

We would like to thank Log Home Living for choosing this photo of our Montana Plan while under construction.

The accompanying article focuses on limiting the stress during building. The best home builds we have been involved with where those that were the most carefully planned out and not pushed to the every edge of the budget.

#1 When we build a home for someone the main things we specifically ask the owners to do are to:

• a. walk the property with us and stake out where they want the home to go,
• b. take the time to carefully think through and plan their preliminary floor plans, and
• c. choose their finish materials of things like cabinets, counter tops, paint, stain, flooring, etc.

Montana Plan Completed

2 Staying calm also involves choosing a builder that is going to do a good job in a timely manner, so don’t over look the builder. Just because someone is the least expensive does not mean they are suitable to build your new log home. The wrong builder is LOTS of stress.

#3 Yes! It is very important to make Mom happy. If she doesn’t like something be sure to explore that area with us and focus on making her satisfied.

Montana- Putting It All Together

#4 This is a very good point at following the chain of command on the job site. If you see a subcontractor that is concerning you, speak to the general contractor. If you are acting as your own general contractor be sure to check with the owner of the company, not just the workers that are on your job site.

#5 Unsuitable behavior of workers– if you see something of concern occurring on the job site don’t let it go. Be sure to carefully approach the GC about it.

Montana with Subcontractors On Site

#6 Every one is much happier and willing to work when they get paid on regular intervals. Don’t expect your builder do to work on a handshake. Be sure that you have the funds allocated to pay him or her for change orders before you start to deviate from the original budget. We have known very good log home builders that trusted owners and spent excessive amounts of their own funds on the project and then the owners did not pay. Oh, what a mess that can be…

#7 Keep track. Get a smart phone with a smart program designed for tracking costs. Records in the form of photos are also valuable to show a problem. Sometimes there are areas which might concern you that will be forever covered with drywall, so keep track and take photos whenever you have a chance. We usually photograph job sites weekly throughout a build.

#8 Yes, the subcontractors depend on having their materials on site when they need them– not 2 weeks later.

Montana Before Log Railing Installed

#9 We are all human, even your spouse and your GC, so be patient and approach things with a workable attitude.

#10 Have your group who are helping you build your new log home and be sure to allow the General Contractor to act as the general. Don’t take the reins out of his hands when you are paying him to do it. When owners overstep their role sometimes the build begins to spiral and ends up looking like it was built by a committee, instead of with a strong leader at the helm to coordinate everything.

Log Homes for Families

#11 And an emphatic YES to the last point! YOU the owners dictate the final turnkey cost more than you realize. The size of the house, the finish materials, etc are all in your hands to make the decision.

How Big Are Your Log Home Dreams?

And one to grow on– I would like to add one more thing– please, if you are given a budgetary number to provide a ballpark of what a home will cost, believe that number. Don’t think that you can build the same log home for $150,000 less than your log home company, builder, and banker are telling you.

Cowboy Log Homes