If money were no object, which posh amenities would be on your wish list? These are some of the things that Jim and I have always talked about including in our dream home. They would definitely be on our list: Radiant heat flooring - Jim scoffs at the idea and says, "Who needs it? It's too expensive." (In the winter, he'll thank me for it!) Dog-friendly bath space - I've always longed for a dog tub & shower system for large dogs. Ideally, it would have low steps or a ramp for … [Read more...]
I told myself that I wasn't going to be negative -- especially about any one company -- when it came to talking about all the hoops we've had to jump through in order to get our log home financed. But let me just say this: We've had a change of heart about a couple of banks recently. Some of the details are mentioned here... Log Home Financing Isn't Easy These Days It's funny how things change with banks when it comes right down to the wire. During the last 2 weeks … [Read more...]
There are a number of factors which can ultimately increase (or decrease) the costs associated with building a new home. Many of those are things that you, personally, can choose to include (or not include) when designing and constructing your new log home. Here are some things to keep in mind that will ultimately affect the cost to build a log home... Square or rectangular homes are less expensive to build than irregularly shaped homes, or rooms with lots of angles and areas … [Read more...]
Did you know that you can actually build a log home without having to spend a lot of money? One man built a log home for under $11,000! Yes, you read that correctly -- he built a log home for his family for under $11,000. Of course, he had to take his time with the project, and it took quite a bit of work. His story is amazing, and it just may inspire you to try building a log home of your own the same way he did. … [Read more...]
Financing a log home is not the same as financing a traditional stick house. Log homes are still a novel concept -- whether they're placed in a neighborhood setting or in the rural countryside. For that reason, it's difficult for a lender to determine the relative value of a new log home. Specifically, there are fewer comps (or log homes of similar square footage that have recently been sold in the same area) from which to make value comparisons. Not to mention the fact that the value … [Read more...]
One of the biggest hang-ups in the process of finding a bank to finance our log home was the "draw schedule". The draw schedule is that unique timeline that spells out exactly when the logs themselves will be paid for, when the next installment of payments will be doled out by the bank, etc. For us, it sometimes became difficult getting the bank and the log home company to agree on when the actual money would exchange hands. At one point, it became apparent that we were going to have to … [Read more...]
For those who have been following along with our quest to obtain financing to build a log home... We've pulled the plug. At least for a year. We have spent the last 2 years in ongoing communication with banks (about a dozen, 4 of which we jumped through their hoops and met all of their contingencies). I can't even begin to tell you how time-consuming and overwhelming it has been to repeatedly gather paper, scan & fax documents, and talk finances day in and day out -- only to end up … [Read more...]
It was quite a journey and learning process to having our log home become a reality. Now that we are living our log home dream, I have had time to reflect on what we would have done differently. Make no mistake, we love our log home and believe we did more things right than wrong. But you can always fine tune something – whether it was with the design, something we should’ve added, extra costs that we incurred or something we should’ve splurged on in … [Read more...]
You've always dreamt of a log home. You've attended the log home shows, read the log home magazines, picked out your floor plan design and you're doing things to save money. Now all you need is the log home financing. Should be simple, right? Well, considering today's mortgage crisis... wrong! Below, I summarize our personal experience with log home financing, as well as provide information and tips that will hopefully help you finance your log home. … [Read more...]
Looking for a great way to add extra space to your log home, while still staying within your budget? If so, then I would recommend considering a walk-out basement. Here’s how we decided to add a basement to our log home floor plan... … [Read more...]
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