If there’s one thing we’ve learned about building & financing a log home… it’s the fact that it gets a little scary when you start to consider all of the “unknowns”.
Yeah, you can get some guesstimates from people who’ve “been there, done that”. And you can talk to a few contractors who can give you some ideas. And you can go around pricing appliances, furnishings, and home building supplies til your eyes are bloodshot.
But it’s still IMPOSSIBLE to come up with an accurate figure of how much it is really going to cost you to build your new home.
There are just too many little details and “unknowns” that don’t reveal themselves until something else impacts them, or until later in the process when you realize that you need (or want) to add something else into the mix.
This is just something you have to know when you’re building a new home — any new home — log or not!
How To Determine How Much Everything Will Cost
We obtained a simple planning worksheet from our log home builder. It was nowhere near an inclusive list, but it was somewhere to begin.
However, the truth is in the details. That’s where you start getting into trouble. The often-overlooked details along the way can really add up!
So for the most part, Jim wasn’t even willing to take that list seriously. He didn’t see the point in jotting down random figures & quotes on a budgeting sheet that had already fallen short of our expectations.
Why?
His words to me were: “As soon as they make an Excel-version, I’ll do it.”
Geesh!
Truth is, he’s much more of a computer person than a pencil & paper (…and eraser!) person, and he will only spend time with things that are computer-based these days.
[I’m afraid my influencing him to “try out computers” in the early days of our marriage may have gotten a bit out of hand, because now Jim is completely DRIVEN by computers …and the Internet …and all that they have to offer to make our lives easier!]
*smile*
Luckily, I found the perfect FREE Excel spreadsheet for homebuilders who are budgeting for the cost of their new home!
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.
