Houstonians Log Cabins Experience (Spring, Howe: rental, insurance, vacation home)

[ethanw]

Do any of you Houstonians own a log cabin in the mountains? Can you share your experience, the good and the ugly, the unpredicted?

I fell in love with this winter spot and I have an itch to build a small log cabin (2 or 3 bedrooms) in Steamboat Springs Colorado. It will be be for summer vacations (hiking, ranches visits, horse riding, fishing, lakes, canoe, etc, etc) and also winter vacation (ski, snowboard, snowmobile, etc, etc). I am thinking about using it for 4 or 5 times a year plus some of my family will use it as well for few times a year. I don't plan to rent it out.

Should I do it? Is this a bad idea, good idea? Am I getting into something that is way over my head? Can any of you speak from direct or indirect personal experience?

Thanks again

[JasonAndJulie]

Are you planning on building it yourself either from your own materials or having the materials delivered? Or are you going to hire a log cabin builder?

[ethanw]

Hire someone, some company specialized in this sort of work. I see a lot of log cabin builders using pre-build modular kits / materials. I have zero experience on this subject so I need to aggressively educate myself:-)

Originally Posted by JasonAndJulie

Are you planning on building it yourself either from your own materials or having the materials delivered? Or are you going to hire a log cabin builder?

[lhafer]

Did you ask this question in the Colorado forum?

I'll be interested to know the answer, since we are considering the same thing - except in Utah. We are going there for a month this summer to check it out.

[PedroMartinez]

Are you looking at this as an investment as well?

I can't see buying the land and having a cabin built to use 4 or 5 times a year. I'd think you'd be much better off financially renting a place each time you went.

Now, if you believe the land will gain significant value and you see it also as an investment, sure, I can see that.

[lhafer]

Originally Posted by PedroMartinez

Are you looking at this as an investment as well?

I can't see buying the land and having a cabin built to use 4 or 5 times a year. I'd think you'd be much better off financially renting a place each time you went.

Now, if you believe the land will gain significant value and you see it also as an investment, sure, I can see that.

I can't speak for Ethan, but having thought about this A LOT lately - I can see your point. But at the same time, there's nothing like the feeling I can go to a place whenever I wanted on short notice, without having to find a place to rent, or that can accommodate my family (or pets, or kids, or whatever).

Having said that - we plan on renting around different locations for long periods of time to see where we fit best. And when it comes time to possibly buy in a place where we love - then we will decide whether buying or perpetually renting is better. For us, with me being able to be a stay at home parent, I am able to take the kids for long stretches, and my spouse flies back and forth. It can get very expensive to rent for weeks/months at a time.

That's why I'm interested in what Ethan finds out!

[mingna]

My in-laws own a rustic lakeside cabin in the Adirondacks which they used several times a year prior to retirement, otherwise it sits empty or is sometimes used for a few days at a time by other family members.

My husband and I ended up taking care of the place for a couple of years when they moved far away, and I can tell you routine maintenance required a lot of our time and energy. The cabin needed to be "closed" and "opened" each year, meaning pipes flushed, water line hooked/unhooked, gas, utilities, critter control, snow/rain/wind damage needed repairing, etc., etc. If you plan on using it only a few times a year, a vacation rental may be a better option. However, if you can spare large chunks of vacation time or are near retiring, so you can enjoy it more frequently, then it would be more worthwhile.

[EasilyAmused]

I own a Satterwhite log home here in Tx.3 bedroom, 2 bath at about 2200 sf. i love it. However, its about 3500 every five years to re-stain and seal the logs...no big deal and cerainly cheaper than urban house upkeep and painting. Taking care of the pipes and septic are much more time consuming.

Our house at higher elevations,however,we chose lodge style with birch siding. Another low maintanence choice.

[mingna]

Yep, pipes and the septic are a pain - nothing worse than having burst pipes due to improper winterization, or a deep freeze. Also, we had to haul in, and put out the dock (and any boats) every season due to the lake freezing over - something to consider if you are looking for lakefront property. (The dock needed hauling in/out due to varying water levels from a lake created by a dammed river).

Not sure of the bear/critter situation where you're looking to build, but we had to store all trash in a locked bear-proof shed and haul it to the town dumper as needed. If the property is surrounded by large mature trees, there is also a risk of damage from fallen trees/limbs. We spent a significant portion of time and $ (well, the in-laws') repairing roof and screened porch damage from fallen tree limbs after a particularly strong wind+snow storm one year.

But ahh, to be able to enjoy a hot cup of tea on the dock while watching the sunrise/sunset, calling loons and jumping fish - well, it almost makes it all worthwhile...almost.

[imback]

A few more items to consider. Obviously, many people own second homes and manage these issues (all it takes to address them is enough $$$$ thrown at them) - but only you can decide if the pros outweigh the cons of building/owning versus renting.

1. Besides all the other maintenance issues mentioned by previous posters, there's a couple more that may or may not be pertinent depending on how "rural" you plan to be - bush-hogging brush and upkeep of (often lengthy) private gravel or dirt roads and driveways. But by far the most important is the WELL. If the well goes dry, or is contaminated, then your property is essentially worthless for human habitation. Be very, very, sure about the reliability and quality of the well before you buy any property without public water and sewer....

2. Also remember that the insurance on any non-continuously occupied home will be at "second home", "vacation home" or "vacancy" rates, which are higher (sometimes a lot higher) than rates for primary residences. Have no idea how the insurance market operates in Colorado - but you may want to factor this into calcuating maintenance costs.

3. Here's something that I bet you haven't considered: out-of-state real property ownership, estate, and probate issues. I wish you a long and healthy life, but let's face it -any of us could be run over by a bus any day. As these things go, the Texas probate code is actually fairly sane and straightforward, but the codes of other states can be
Kafkaesque horrors (I don't know where on the scale Colordao falls). You may want to check this out, and adjust your estate planning to minimize the stress (and expense) your grieving heirs may face dealing with a nightmarish out-of-state "ancillary probate on top of the "domicilary" probate in Texas.