cost to build a house

I am not sure I adequately answered the question "How much will building a new home cost me", but hopefully you have a better understanding of the things that attract cost and some ideas about how to go about selecting a builder.

how much does it cost to build a house, Cost of Home Building Materials - A Big Chunk of Money But a Fraction of the Cost to Build a Home, How Much Does A Log Home Cost?"How Much Does a Log Home Cost?" is the single most asked question in the industry, and also the most difficult one to answer. The customers aren't the only ones who are frustrated; dealers and manufacturers are fully aware that not giving an easy answer could lose a sale. However, in reality the answer is "That Depends", and the sooner the homeowners accept this statement the sooner they can start looking in the right place.

WHAT DO I MEAN BY THE RIGHT PLACE? Like everyone else, my husband and I started our search by oohing and aahing at the majestic, multi-faceted homes with numerous peaks in the roof, giant trusses, huge windows, and big logs. What we didn't realize right away is that every one of our favorite log homes were hand-crafted, and so far out of our price range that we might as well have been shopping for a castle.

The first thing you need to do is distinguish between a handcrafted log home and a milled log home. Handcrafted log homes will cost anywhere from 2-4 times as much per square foot as a milled log home, when you take into consideration the size of the logs and the intense labor required from the first day the logs are selected. If the logs are not evenly sized, you know right away you are looking at a handcrafted home.

MILLED LOG HOMES: If you select a handcrafted log home, you don't need to be reading this article! For the rest of us, there are other basic factors to consider if you are looking at price: log diameter, log species, and log corners. The first two factors speak for themselves. The corner system, however, can make a big difference. For instance, think about how the logs are stacked. If you remember your Lincoln Log toy, you had to find the half-log to start the first course. This is the way a Saddle-Notched corner system is constructed. The courses are staggered and logs are notched to fit snugly together, and when you look at the corner you will see each log end lying on top of the one below it, creating a continuous unbroken stretch from top to bottom. The notches require another run through the mill, and will add to the eventual cost.

When you look at a Butt-and-Pass log home you will see a gap between each log past the corner. This is because all the logs are laid on the same plane; the first course is started with a full log and it butts up against the other wall log which runs past it. The next course reverses the process. There is no notch to hold them together, hence a less time in the mill. If you compare a butt-and-pass house to a saddle-notched house, dollar for dollar the butt-and-pass house should be less expensive. This is where aesthetics kicks in.