How much will my log home cost to build?

Estimating the cost of a custom log home is always a bit of a challenge. Each and every home we build is unique in design and therefore has different associated costs. For example, with log work, the more complex the structure, the more expensive it will be. Size is a factor as well. When determining a construction budget it is important to be realistic and always keep the final budget in mind during the design process. Our designers will help to insure that the home design will fit within the proposed budget.

The costs of construction also vary depending on the job site location. In some areas it is simply more expensive to build than others. A remote building location will cost more than an accessible location.

The single most important part of predicting costs and establishing a realistic budget is a well developed set of plans.

Where does Summit ship their products?

Anywhere in the world.

How many homes does Summit produce a year?

Summit Handcrafted Log Homes is not a mass producer. We will usually build 15 to 25 homes a year. Our customers are looking for the finest log homes available. Handcrafted log homes are built by hand one log at a time. It will typically require 30 days per 1,000 s.f. to handcraft a log home.

Unlike other milled log home manufactures we pre-build your log home at our log yard to insure completeness and accuracy. This allows us to provide you with a milled log home that has many details normally only found in a handcrafted home. These include windows and doors cut to finished sizes with bevel cuts and drip sills, electrical chases, etc.

Are log homes as energy efficient as conventional homes?

Yes, as long as they are well built. The log crafter must maintain the highest building standards regarding log joinery and must completely and accurately provide the necessary settling allowances for the shrinkage of logs and the compression of the building. Otherwise, a log home that began weather-tight will, over time, develop gaps between logs and become drafty. Summit uses only proven notching methods and lateral gaskets to maintain weather tightness as the house settles. Our other standard features such as drip sills and drainage slopes ensure a tight fit around doors and windows.

To view a copy of The Energy Performance of Log Homes click the link below.

http://www.logbuilding.org/EnergyPerformanceLogHomes.pdf

What is chinking and is it necessary?

Chinking is a water-based, synthetic sealant that is textured like mortar and is applied to joints between logs. It is used on a “chink style” log home or any log home where the owners want the nostalgic look of old-fashioned, textured cement grout.

At Summit Handcrafted we use a concealed caulking or foam gasket material between the logs to achieve weather tightness in the log joints. This makes chinking unnecessary.

How do I get started on my new home project?  What are the necessary steps and in which order should I go about them?

1) Establish a realistic budget for your home by researching the turnkey pricing (the cost of a finished home) in the area that you are planning to build.

2) Do a pre-qualification with a mortgage lender that specializes in log homes to make sure the cost of what you want to build matches your borrowing abilities.

3) Have preliminary plans drawn by the log builder who will build your home.

4) Start shopping for a general contractor to build your home. At this point you can start to pull in estimated construction costs.

5) Have your final drawings completed and begin developing contracts to start construction on your new log home.

What species of logs are available?

We use primarily Spruce for our milled log homes, although Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar are also available.

Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar are the species we use for our handcrafted homes.

How much per square foot do you charge?

It is very difficult to price our homes by the square foot; it simply doesn't work well. For example, we have constructed 1000 square foot houses with only 4 log walls and corners. We have built other houses with the same square footage and as many as 8 log walls and corners. As you can imagine, the prices were quite different. When we price a house we look at the following:

• How many log corners does it have? — A lot of time and effort is spent notching the corners. This is typically the most costly part of the log shell.
• What is the log species? — Each wood species costs different amounts depending on its current market value and availability.
• How high are the walls? — Simply put, the higher the log wall height the more it will cost. The higher the walls, the more logs we need, which requires more labor and material.
• What diameter of log is requested? — We buy by the cubic meter, so larger diameter logs cost more.
• Are we supplying log staircases, log railings, log trusses, character posts, carvings, etc? All of these are available, but we must consider whether or not we are including these when we are quoting, and the cost will increase.
• What is the current exchange rate between the Canadian dollar and the client's currency? 

In VERY general terms, log shells cost $40 to $75 per square foot. Turnkey, handcrafted log homes are now costing anywhere from $150 to $275 per square foot, depending on the construction details.

Are changes possible to one of the designs that already exist on your web site?

Absolutely. All of our designs can be changed to suit your needs. Our designers/draftsmen will create drawings specifically for you.

Do you offer any guarantee or warranty?

Click here for a copy of the warranty.

What comes in my log package?

Each package is customized to meet a customer’s particular requirements and preferences, but it typically consists of:

Handcrafted Log Work Includes:

• House logs stacked to wall heights as per plan. Wall log diameter depends on wood species and customer’s preference.
• All laterals cut using over-scribe method.
• All window and door openings cut to size, with key-ways and flared back.
• All log ends curled, sanded and chamfered.
• Electrical chases pre-drilled.
• Interior wall slots cut.
• Log floor joists for loft/second floor if applicable as per plan.
• All loft beams flattened on top to receive flooring.
• Interior & exterior log posts as per plan.
• Log ridge pole, purlins, log trusses and or rafters as per plan.
• All roof log members flattened on top to receive decking.
• Settling jacks as per plan.
• Through bolt hardware from the sub floor up as per plan.
• Foam gasket material for laterals and sheep’s wool for corner notches. This may vary depending on wood species and style.
• One man to supervise re-assembly.

 OPTIONS:

• Log railing for balconies, stairs and decks.
• Log staircases

Click here for a labeled isometric drawing that illustrates a typically handcrafted log shell.

Milled Packages

Click on the links below for a list of materials.

1. Pre-Cut
2. Pre-Stacked

How much will it cost to ship my log package?

The cost of shipment will be determined by a couple of factors:

• How far the home is being shipped
• How many trucks it will take to move the log materials to your site.

What other products does Summit offer?

We offer a number of different products that compliment our beautiful log homes.

Eagle Panel Systems Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) provide a method to create an extremely energy efficient roof system that can be applied much faster than standard framing methods. http://eaglepanelsystems.com/log-home.html

Timber Pro UV coatings are one of the most durable wood finishes on the market, as well as the easiest to maintain. http://www.timberprocoatings.com/loghomes.htm

Many of our customers order one of a kind hand carved doors for their log homes. Nothing makes more of a statement than the front door of your home. http://www.summithandcrafted.com/handcarveddoors.htm

Summit Handcrafted Log Homes is happy to offer our clients pre-finished solid pine interior doors by Home Technology International, Inc. These all natural knotty pine doors are made from the finest slow growth pine and come standard with solid brass hardware. There are several door and hardware styles to choose from allowing you to tailor them to your personal tastes. http://www.summithandcrafted.com/knottypinedoors.htm

Can we create and submit our own floor plans for an estimated cost?

Yes you can. Many of the log homes we design and build are based on the ideas of our clients. These ideas come from our plans or are a combination of plans that the customer would like to incorporate into their log home.

We can provide estimates based on your designs. However the estimate will only be as accurate as the information you provide for us.

How much do you charge for Design & Drafting services?

We charge $1.20/square foot (s.f.) for finished living areas, and .45 cents/s.f. for garages and basements to create a set of preliminary drawings. Before we start on finals we collect an amount equal to 10% of the estimated cost of the log package.

All the design money will be credited to the log package.

Will my plans need to have an engineer’s stamp on them?

The building permit agencies in the area you are going to build your log home will dictate whether you need your plans to be engineered. You can call the building department in your building area to ascertain this information.

What is the payment schedule?

For milled log homes we require a 50% deposit before we start production and the balance is due upon completion of the log home production.

Handcrafted homes require a 50% deposit before we start production. The balance is divided up into 3 payments. A payment is due when we reach the window sill height. Another payment is due when we reach the header height and the final payment is due when we have completed the home at our site.

We will email you progress photos of your log home as it is being built at our log yards.

Can Summit help me line up financing?

Yes we can. Since the draw schedule during the construction phase is different than it is in conventional construction, it is important to work with a lender that is set up to accommodate these differences.  

We (and our clients) have been very pleased with the service we have received from Chase Mortgage, http://homeloan.chase.com/paula.murtha. 

Do your log homes shrink or settle and how do I maintain it?

Yes, all log homes settle to some degree. Settling is the term that describes the loss of log wall height over the course of time. Typically 90% of the total settling will occur in the first two years and will be completely finished by the end of year five after construction.

The principal causes of settling are:

1) Shrinkage of log diameter as logs dry to an equilibrium moisture content with the environment.

2) Compression of wood fibers under the load/weight of the building.

Settling is not an issue as long as it is addressed properly by all of the parties involved. The log home designer or architect must design with settling in mind. The log builder must provide the necessary allowances and details. And the general contractor or ‘owner builder’ must adhere to the details in the construction plans regarding settling.

Will my contractor know how to build a log home?

There certainly is a learning curve, but any competent builder will be successful as long as the details of the plans are followed. In addition, Summit is always available to consult with the contractor/builder via a phone call or email should a question arise.

Furthermore, many of our dealers are experienced log home contractors or have the names of reputable log home builders in the area.

Are there special concerns interfacing the log work to conventional framing?

Yes. Connecting drywall and floor materials to log requires some care and skill. A Summit home however comes with standard features that make framing much easier. For example, anywhere a framed wall intersects a log post, the log post is flattened at that point to receive the framing.