Building a log home can be the ultimate DIY dream — if you’ve got what it takes.
Sure, we thought about building our log home ourselves.
…for about a minute!
See why we chose to have a G.C. oversee the building of our new log home, rather than doing it ourselves.
What Skills Do You Have?
Whether you are considering building your log home yourself from the ground-up, logs and all (…the part that many log home companies will typically do for you).
Or, you’re simply thinking of doing all of the finishing work (…the type of work that typically requires dedicated tradesmen who are contracted by you or a GC).
One thing’s for sure: You need to possess some relevant skills of the DIY and/or construction kind! That, and a whole lot of patience… and time.
If you don’t already have some sort of related skills (like woodworking, electrical, plumbing, concrete, construction, etc.) then you may want to think long and hard about building your log home yourself.
I say that because you need to have a good idea of “the right way” and “the wrong way” to do things — generally speaking. Not to mention all of the intricate details pertaining to “codes” issues.
I can’t tell you how many horror stories I’ve heard where the homeowner attempted to build their own home. I’ve personally spoken to many of them. Some even had applicable skills for the project at hand. But the fact of the matter is… GC’s build homes on a daily basis. And for the most part, they really know what they’re doing — from start to finish.
Sure, a novice’s first attempt at building their own log home would in many ways be similar to that of a licensed G.C’s very first attempt to build a log home. Except that GCs usually have a long personal history in the building & construction industry, plus some serious skills in a particular trade — or two.
That said, I don’t know that I would necessarily want my log home to be a GC’s “first” project either.
And remember… Even if you have some firsthand experience with general carpentry or construction projects, some things are just different when they’re applied to building a log home. So at the very least, you would want to consult with someone who’s built log homes before — for their wisdom & guidance, and to be able to tap into their expertise throughout the project.
Why We’re Using A G.C.
In our case, our personal skill sets are more in line with writers, computer technicians, website developers, public relations, and marketing. Those aren’t exactly the most transferable skills for building a log home, so we will (happily) be relying on the expertise of a General Contractor.
Our sights are set on finding a General Contractor who’s been at this for awhile. Hopefully, in their many years of experience building log homes, they’ve managed to work out most of the “bugs” — things that would set the novice homebuilder back a few weeks, or even months.
We’ve gone through the entire process of designing and planning every single detail of our dream log home! We have the blueprints… and the land… and the contractor… and the goal for our log cabin home to be our retirement home. Before you build (or buy) a log home, I have a slew of helpful tips for you — to plan, design, build, decorate, and maintain your very own rustic modern log home. When I’m not fine-tuning the log home of my dreams, you’ll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites). To date, I’ve written nearly 300 articles for current and future log home owners on this site! Many of them have over 50K shares.
