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Log Home Kits Versus Designing Your Own
You want to build a log home or cabin and have a decision to make. Should I purchase a log home kit and attempt to do most of the work myself or should I hire a contractor to build a log siding home? You should carefully consider the issues other people have faced with log kits.
What Is A Log Home Kit?
A log home kit is a pre-designed, pre-cut package of materials for constructing a log home or cabin. It typically includes logs, framing, windows, doors, flooring, roofing, insulation, and other necessary components delivered to a chosen location for assembly.
Log home kits can range from simple cabins to larger, more complex homes in various styles and materials. You can get full log homes with logs exposed on both sides of walls and partial log homes which display logs on the exterior sides only. The interior walls may consist of wood paneling, drywall, or a combination of the two.
Log home kits sound very affordable; however, some materials, services, and labor are not included with the kit. These additional costs can be prohibitive, and that’s why you should consider building a home from scratch with pine log siding.
Log Home Kit Issues: The Entire Process
The initial disadvantage of building with a kit is the entire process if you don’t have any construction experience. If you run into any problems, you will face challenges unfamiliar to you, and they can range from frustrating to extremely frustrating to deal with them.
Many stories have surfaced where people assembling a log home kit make wrong cuts, install the wrong pieces, or find some pieces damaged during shipping or lying on the ground. They may spend days or weeks buying replacement materials, fixing their mistakes, and spending extra money for materials or labor to correct the problems.
If you can’t do the work yourself or with the help of family or friends, you must find a builder. Buying from a kit company means your relationship typically ends when the material arrives on site.
“You should carefully consider the issues other people have faced with log home kits.”
Log Home Kit Issues: The House Is Not Finished
Another challenge with building from a kit is the house is not finished because it is lying on the ground. You have a long way to go without a contractor to guide the project. Kits sound cheap because they don’t include some necessary services, features, and labor including:
- Installing the flooring, electrical materials, plumbing, walls, roofing, etc. may cost more than your original budget will allow.
- If you run over budget, you may need to do more work yourself or use family or friends rather than hiring a contractor or carpenter. You may end up taking damaging shortcuts.
- You must pay extra for excavating the lot and pouring the foundation.
- The HVAC system and labor is not included in the kit and runs up the cost.
Log Home Kit Issues: Design And Layout Limitations
Purchasing a log home kit can limit the design and customization of your home. Many companies have limited options with set floor plans and home styles from which to choose. They don’t allow for some customization in their kit packages. Without fully researching the purchase, you might not be happy with what you bought. When your logs or log siding are cut at the factory, your choice is final.
Other Log Home Kit Considerations
There are other issues you will encounter when buying a log home kit. They can be daunting and include these common ones:
- The Materials Are Marked Up: These companies tend to make 100% of their profit on selling the kit materials, and their markup is huge.
- You Pay For The Shipping Costs: Everything in the kit gets shipped twice – once to them from their suppliers and once from them to you. These costs are passed on to you.
- Materials Can Get Damaged On The Job Site: You get a massive shipment of materials delivered to your job site. The materials may be on the ground exposed to the elements for weeks to months before the construction is finished. In the meantime, some materials may get damaged or even ruined before your home is completed.
- You Now Have A Second Job: You must spend time arranging for the balance of materials, services, and labor to complete the home project. You essentially take on the work of a general contractor that can be very time-consuming and conflict with your job, family, and personal time.
- Some Kit Homes Don’t Get Finished: You hear stories that some kit homes take years to complete and a few are not completed according to the original plans. Some homeowners end up hiring a general contractor to take over the job for them.
Build Your Own Design With Pine Log Siding
A safe route to take when building an affordable log home is taking enough time to plan it just the way you want it. After all, you may be living in the house or cabin for a long time. Hire a contractor to build a conventionally framed home and install pine log siding on the exterior and interior of the walls. You get the full log look without the full log price, avoid unnecessary issues and headaches, and everyone is happy. Think about installing beautiful knotty pine flooring and ceilings to complement the log walls.
