LOG HOMES
Are you thinking about building a log structure? Whether it is log homes, log cabins, log commercial buildings or any other type of log building, you have come to the right place. Summit Log Products has experienced personal that are knowledgeable about log homes, log cabins, commercial buildings and log construction in general. A Summit Log Products Log Homes Consultant can assist you in making your vision become a reality.
Our Log Homes Consultants are trained to listen to your needs and ideas, consider your building location and realize the budget you have to work with to design your log home project. Our Log Homes Consultants are professionals in designing log homes that will serve your needs, capture your personality, be aesthetically pleasing to your area and meet the building codes of your local jurisdiction. The key to planning log homes is careful consideration of the budget you present to the Log Homes Consultant.
The log homes planning starts with your vision, your choice of location and the sharing of that information with a Log Homes Consultant. Summit Log Products can guide and assist you from the bare land to the final walk through of your new log home project. Throughout our website we have tried to give an overview of several key aspects of making your log project develop smoothly. From Log Homes Financing to log homes log species, from log homes roof design options to finding or being your own log home general contractor.
Summit Log Products’ website has provided you with outlines for financing and what to expect. We offer a worksheet to keep track of log home related bids and proposals which is also a checklist for things you need to be thinking about to complete the log home. Another section is designated solely to log home roof designs to give you an idea of how different methods can affect the structure and aesthetics of the log home.
Please go through our house log section to find out how to determine you are getting quality logs for your log home. You may also find our log accessories page interesting. That’s the fun part … enhancing the looks of the log home with unique log accessories. We also offer a high quality log siding that will match your log home walls. It’s great for daylight basements, dormers, gable ends, garages or the whole house. And don’t forget to look through our log home stairs and railings section! A log home isn’t a log home without log home stairs and log home railings.
GETTING STARTED ON THE LOG HOME PROJECT
FINANCING AND BUDGET
You are ready to embark on the adventure of building your log home. Now is the time to talk to a lender to get preapproved for the log home project. Knowing your budget is often the deciding factor for the size and location of the land, the log home design and the amenities you plan to put in the log home.
Most log home companies require a partial payment prior to starting the processing of logs for your log home as is true with other special order products such as windows and doors, cabinets, floor coverings etc. Make sure your lender is willing to disburse these funds as needed to prevent time delays and generally make the log home project run smoothly. Some lenders require the product to be installed in the log home prior to disbursement of funds, therefore requiring you to finance these upfront costs out of pocket.
LAND
Now that you know your budget, you can secure the parcel of land on which you plan to place your log home. While making this selection, you need to keep in mind the cost to develop the log home property. Will you need a well and septic system? How far away is the power source? What are the covenants?
LOG HOME DESIGN
Now that you know your log home budget and have found a parcel of land where you plan to place the log home, you need to decide what type of log home will fill your needs and be aesthetically pleasing and sensible for your log home parcel. What size log home will satisfy your living needs? Will the land accommodate a ranch style home? Will you need a daylight basement? Will a crawlspace foundation work for the log home? Where is the view? Where will the morning sun hit the log home? What design will my budget realistically allow for?
LOG HOME COMPANY
You now have a basic idea of what you are looking for in a log home and can share the information with a reputable log home company. A competent log home representative will be able to help you develop your ideas into a log home plan that will work for your log home budget and your log home living needs. Don’t be afraid to share your budget information with your log home representative. The representative should know how much of the budget can be spent on the log package and still allow you to finish the project. This prevents the log home company from designing and estimating a log home that is over your budget, which in turn creates disappointment for you. The whole process of building any home can be stressful. Work with someone you trust that is knowledgeable about log homes and log home construction.
LOG HOME BUILDER
Your log homes consultant should be able to explain to you the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a log home General Contractor or taking on the log home project as your own general. Once you decide this, you can start getting preliminary quotes for the building of the log home.
At the same time, your log home company should be working on getting an engineered plan done for you. Whether it happens in house or is sent out to a professional architect, you need this completed to get written proposals from the various subcontractors that will be needed to build the log home. The formal log home plan is usually required by the building department for permitting and by the lender prior to any log home funds being released.
TIME ELEMENT
How long does it take to complete a log home project? This is a question you should ask several months prior to expecting to move in to the log home. You may get a preapproval within minutes of loan application, but there is a lot more to it as you go along. There are several things that can happen relatively fast or take more time than we would like. The lender agrees to loan a certain amount, but this is not without stipulations. Aside from all the gathering of information that you are responsible for, the lender will hire someone to get an appraised value of the entire project.
Contractors may get right back to you, or they may be so busy they have a hard time sitting down to formulate a quote for you. They may be able to get started when you need them, or you may have to wait in line while they complete other projects.
The log home company may need several weeks to process your logs, depending on how busy they are when you are able to consummate the purchase.
Do they have in stock the log species and size of house logs that you desire for your log home project?
What will the weather be when you have everything ready to start the log home project?
How busy is your log home General Contractor?
If you choose to act as your own log home General Contractor, do you have the time to devote to putting all this together in a timely manner?
Our best advice to you is simple. Be realistic about your budget and the time element. Let a Summit Log Products Log Homes Consultant assist you throughout the entire process for a gratifying experience with your log home project. And don’t forget to have some fun!
Summit Log Products
2480 Sawmill Road
Dillon, MT 59725
Toll Free: (888) 486-7981
Local: (406) 683-9332
Fax: (406) 683-4394