BUTTERS asked: My wife and I are looking into building a cabin in CO and we are not sure on which is cheaper to build.
Ashley
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on Thursday, September 6th, 2007 at 8:07 am and is filed under siding.
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September 7th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Log home. It will also be cheaper to demolish, just burn the thing down.
September 9th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
i would assume a framed house with log siding. thats what my neighbors got and they arent the richest people in the world.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:09 am
A log home is probably cheaper.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
Logs ONLY they are cheaper and it’s a magnificent structure “0″ upkeep!!
September 16th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
I would think a framed house with log siding would be cheaper, but that’s just a hunch. Consult with a builder or with a company that deals with the sale of log home kits.
September 19th, 2007 at 1:33 am
I was told that log siding was cheaper (that’s in Texas).
You will also need to check on insurance rates–log homes (and probably log siding homes as well) cost more to insure per square foot or valuation than brick or stone because of fire hazard I guess.
The other concerns would be termites and treating the wood for long-term maintenance. I think it is also more of a challenge to do wiring and such with log homes because there is no way to run wires behind the walls.
I do love the look of log homes, though and think that sounds perfect for a cabin in the mountains! We have an older home here in the East Texas woods that we are in the process of remodeling and my dream is to add a large great room on the front either timber framed or log.
Good luck!
September 21st, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Frame house with log siding is cheaper. Here is the reason why. If you build a log home, you have to finish the interior. Most times, that means you have frame walls to hide wiring, plumbing and ducts. So unless you are really roughing it, you are building the frame inside log house anyway and at a higher cost.
September 22nd, 2007 at 5:29 am
Definitely a framed house with log siding. Timbers can cost $6-$10 per linear foot, depending on the circumference of the log. Log siding costs around $3-$5 per linear foot (framing factored in). In the long run that’s a lot of money. I would suggest the siding. Besides, in twenty years, you can change it to stone or whatever else you want instead. I think a frame house with siding is more diverse as far as future options go. Good Luck with the build!
September 23rd, 2007 at 6:32 am
My husband and I just watched a program on the Travel Channel or on HGTV and it was a couple in Georgia who had a log home vacation home. However, it was a prefab log home! You could not tell at all that the home was a prefab. I cannot remember what they spent but I think it was around 140K. The prefab home was built in South or North Carolina. You may want to check into a pre-fab log home. YES they use REAL logs in the prefab log homes too! Maybe save some money and use it towards making the prefab home more unique or upgrading the fixtures. Good Luck. Log homes are so beautiful!
September 24th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
A great question and one that is asked all the time.
The real battle is finding a company that can custom design a home for you. There are many different designs options available when it comes to building log & timber frame homes. You can have a handcrafted log home, milled log home, timber frame, a hybrid log & timber home, or a stick frame home that incorporates log & timber accents.
Combining stick frame construction with log elements is actually a very common way of reducing construction costs. The other benefit is that you can get the look and feel of a log and timber home without going with a full log structure.
So, first and foremost, look for a company that offers custom design services & high quality floor plan options. Find out if that company offers different product lines so that there is more flexibility when it comes to actually designing your home.
Some other factors that greatly affect the cost of your home include: the size of the home you want to build (this is the biggest cost variable), the complexity of the home (referring to rooflines and valleys), your build site (the steeper, the greater the cost), the level of finishes you wish to include in your home, and the density of log and timber you are looking to have.
Good luck in your adventure.