Does anyone here own a loghome? (Cookeville, Spencer: rent, homes, to buy)

[JMT]

Originally Posted by MOVIN-n-012

Hi, There is good and bad that have to be considered in building a log home. Firstly, unless you go with 10 inch wide logs, You will find the 8" are not as energy efficient as a well insulated 2x6" stud wall. I have the heating bills to prove it. Be ready to apply finish to ALL of the exterior every few years. And if I had my choise of finishes I would go oil base on the exterior Not the polyurathan based stuff as we did. The poly looks nice and shiny but in time you will find it soaks in with poor coverage in open grain and will flake with time on the tight smooth grain parts wher it builds quickly. Oil is a dull look but soaks in deeper with less sealing of the surface and you do not want a sealed surface or you run the risk of roting the logs on the inside. Logs must breath. 2 foot overhangs and hi off the ground skirt logs are a must in your lay out. Be sure you do not have off the deck rain splash on your base logs. We personaly like the clear Danish oil interior finish. Never buy or build a cabin with spiked logs. 3/8th lag bolts are the standard today.
Thats a short list off the top of my head but I must say a log home creates a very soothing mood inside to owner and visitors alike.
We'v been in our log home for 8 years now and when we move to TN, I will not have a log cabin high on my list of gotta haves due to the up keep involved. Id rather be fishing than srcapeing / pressure washing and finishing logs every few years. Im getting too old for this kinda thing. Vynal siding here we come. good luck in your decission

I wonder if it depends on the kind of wood or the kind of sealant you use. My friends in Cookeville built their log home in 1982, and they haven't had to do jack squat to it since then. I asked them about scraping or pressure washing or refinishing the logs every few years, and they stared at me as if I was speaking a foreign language.

[dreamofmonterey]

The one thing I remember a realtor mentioning about borer bees- they are atracted to the wood and very hard to get rid of. Some beautiful log cabins on Roan Mtn.

sunny

[mbmouse]

Another thing to consider with log homes is financing them. They are not treated as a standard constructed home and there are only a few lenders that will mortgage them and only under stick conditions. You will be very hard pressed to get a mortgage on one at low conforming rates.
Just my sectors 2 cents worth.
That being said I too LOVE log homes! If it were up to me, no wood would ever be painted, just varnished.

[pineywoods]

Hello! We purchased land in Piney Flats, just north of Johnson City, and will be building a log home once we save up enough money to get started. We're planning on next spring getting started. Someone mentioned that a really nice moderate sized log home can be built for around 80,000 to $90,000. Can anyone recommend the best and most reasonably priced builder to accomplish the task at that price or something like it?

Bonnie

[DonThomas423]

I would highly recommend Wayne Foister Home:423.753.4871, Cell 423.741.3178. He built a new spec home for us in Johnson City which is currently for sale and will be open this week end. This is an expensive one which you can see on the web at owners.com/AWP5137. He is an excellent builder and can build in the lower price ranges. He is just finishing one of those for the Water Park for the town of Jonesborough which they will use as Campground Headquarters. We plan to use him to build more log spec homes in Johnson City.

Don Thomas

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by pineywoods

Hello! We purchased land in Piney Flats, just north of Johnson City, and will be building a log home once we save up enough money to get started. We're planning on next spring getting started. Someone mentioned that a really nice moderate sized log home can be built for around 80,000 to $90,000. Can anyone recommend the best and most reasonably priced builder to accomplish the task at that price or something like it?

Bonnie

That's pretty cheap for a log home to be built. Maybe the shell at that price but ready to live in? My husband and I have been doing quite a bit of research on log home as we hope to build one as well in TN at least 1500 sq ft. What we found through books, magazines and another Forum was that the package deals are good if you have place to store all your stuff. One home builder i spoke to said the company he used delivered ALL the package supplies in the beginning and left it up to them to store it. They ended up having some of their windows, doors and other supplies stolen because they had no place to keep it. Not to mention the logs just sitting there on the ground unprotected. Also the cheaper the package, we've found you get the cheaper the products. We've notice many packages come with Pine logs which is the cheapest log and also has high maintenance. We've found the cost of $70,000 - $80,000 will get your shell built only with the best quality of products not including your foundation. If you haven't subscribed to one of those Log Home magazines, we've really got a lot of useful info from them. We'll be attending the Log Home show here in Tampa next month to hopefully learn some more. Just do as much research as you can both internet, people and magazines before you build. there is so much info out there both pros and cons on doing a package deal or just buying supplies as you need them and everyone wants your business so they will try hard to sell to you. But really it's up to you to decide.

[rubytue]

My folks have had owned their log home since the mid-90s, but it was built in the early 80s. They have never sealed it or pressure washed it. The do have problems with carpenter bees on their front porch.

[MOVIN-n-012]

Gee, I guess TN doesent have grey sun bleaching of the logs or black mold growth on the shady north side. My neigbor lives in a 1940's LC and it has a black tar finish on it and they'v never done a thing to it! I guess its all just a matter of tast. Right now Im hoping to see 460-500K for mine when the time comes. Visual impact is very important when you want to impress city folk

[rubytue]

Oh, my Dad's place is gray, I guess he just sees it as a natural thing rather than something to be fixed.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by rubytue

Oh, my Dad's place is gray, I guess he just sees it as a natural thing rather than something to be fixed.

Yeah that's how our place is. We stained it a natural gray as recommended by the log home builder, that way as the wood ages the color doesn't change. I love the look.