Anyone built new with log home kit or modular in rural WA? (Olympia: flat fee)

[ctr88]

Curious if anyone has built a new home on a parcel that was a log home kit or modular? Something rural or semi-rural. Curious what you spent on everything (minus the land). Looking for a cost per sf range for everything out the door except the land. When I say everything I mean every little tiny last thing... well, septic, driveway, power, landscape, grading, foundation, building permits, other permits etc...and then of course the physical house.

[StealthRabbit]

You know that these individual costs vary a lot with each location (especially if you have to blast for foundation and utilities.) Counties and PUD's are all over the map on how they charge for permits and installations, and what you can do yourself vs them vs contractor vs THEIR contractors. example... one PUD will NOT allow me to trench in my power and charges a flat fee for THEIR crummy contractor to do something I could whip out in 4 hrs. Another PUD allowed me to self install 800' of underground power. (under $2,000 vs $12,000 for contractor 'fixed rate' it's all in the fine print). One County may have $50,000 in impact fees (pre-permit fees), next county has none.

wells within 1 mile of my home vary from 80' to 800 ft.
Septics from $3000 - $30,000

better to use a spreadsheet and add the variables / multipliers for your favorite choices of places.

I helped several friends build log homes in the 1970's. We got the 'mill ends' (cut-offs) very cheap and built the whole structure and came back with a chainsaw and cut in the windows and doors where we wanted, / to size we could get from dealer 'mis-ordered' new certified windows (i.e. cheap!)

Log and cedar homes are a total PITA to maintain, very time consuming to build, and out-of-sight expensive to have built. yet very CHEAP to buy used. (thus be careful)

Think about that! (and plan / act / do accordingly)

Elderly Guests last week just sold their log home of 37 yrs in Olympia, they were distressed about having sold and left their 'dream' home. They really enjoyed it. has to be a passion.

BTDT, not enough time / energy remaining in this life to repeat

[Gabbythecat]

We built a log home in Granite Falls (small town). We used Lazarus Log Homes - they supply the materials, we supplied the builder. Good company, btw. We built this ourselves - served as General Contractors - and fairly recently, not decades ago. It took about 6 months to build, from ground breaking to occupancy. Not a bad time frame, and the building wasn't terribly expensive. About comparable to a regular house.

Log houses do take specialized building skills, so you need someone with those skills and equipment to put it together for you. And there are little things to think about - putting electrical outlets and plumbing into the log walls is difficult, so you generally bring those things up through the floors or down from the ceiling...and if you have log walls on the inside (dividing the rooms), that's nice, but it adds to the cost and difficulty building the house.

I agree that the costs are too variable. For instance, permitting can be easy and straightforward, or it can be horrendous and expensive. There is the design of the house - 1 story (and larger/expensive foundation), or the same square footage on several levels (smaller foundation, less expensive). And - if you have a complicated log home design, that adds costs in so many ways. Did you know, for instance, that adding square footage is less expensive if you add it in a straight run than if you add more corners? The corners (notches in the logs) add expense to your logs....you just have to start putting numbers together to see if it's financially doable.

I don't agree that maintenance on a log house is horrible. Sure, it takes more exterior work, and it's harder if you are only there on a seasonal basis. But if you are there permanently, it's easier to handle. This is our only house, and we love it...

Let me know if you have questions or whatever...

[Gabbythecat]

Where are you thinking of building, OP? There are several decent sized parcels of land for sale in my neighborhood - they are 5+ acres each, and in a good area...

[ctr88]

Coventry Log Homes | Our Log Home Designs | Price & Compare Models

Costs to build a home in rural VT?

Since I have a large piece of acreage in VT, was also considering building there (although I live in WA and considering here too), so I also posted the question on the VT CD forum as well. Above is a link to Coventry Log Homes out of New Hampshire (has prices, designs, whats included in the kit), and the VT thread. Coventry sells log home kits, some as low as $55k that come with most everything. Then you can hire someone to build it. Someone posted on the VT thread their son bought a log home kit from Coventry and was out the door $185k for everything for putting it on a raw land parcel (this $185k included everything from the house, well, septic, grading, foundation, land clearing, bring power in, building a driveway, landscaping, etc...). I think that log home company Coventry has been around a long time. Anyway interesting. I know someone in VT that bought a log home kit and had someone build it on 50 acres 20 yrs ago and still likes his home, I've been in it, they are very nice.

Anyway...I'm not sure where in WA I would build yet. Just curious to try to get a range of what it would cost per sf to do something like this in WA. Because there are so many costs involved to putting a home on raw land above just the house construction (well, septic, power, driveway, etc...). Or what it cost someone who did it recently. I would hire everything out as I don't have any building skills. Are you up near Granite Falls Gabbythecat? What's the price on the 5 acre parcels?

I agree Stealth that it's almost always much cheaper to buy and existing house (from a motivated seller!) and rehab it. Unless in the case you have a really sweet piece of land and it would be very difficult to replicate the view or location buying existing vs. building.

[Gabbythecat]

There is a nice piece of property down the street from me going for $175,000. Water at the street, approved septic design, gated community. It's level, except where it slopes down to the creek, very few neighbors (next to a large protected area). This is a HOA neighborhood, but the CCRs aren't terrible, and they do keep home values up (ok, HOAs are controversial and a whole 'nother can of worms. :-P )...Other 5 acre parcels are going for $99,000 - same neighborhood.

[ctr88]

Originally Posted by Gabbythecat

There is a nice piece of property down the street from me going for $175,000. Water at the street, approved septic design, gated community. It's level, except where it slopes down to the creek, very few neighbors (next to a large protected area). This is a HOA neighborhood, but the CCRs aren't terrible, and they do keep home values up (ok, HOAs are controversial and a whole 'nother can of worms. :-P )...Other 5 acre parcels are going for $99,000 - same neighborhood.

Water at street and septic already approved are great. I might PM you to get more details.

[Gabbythecat]

Originally Posted by ctr88

Water at street and septic already approved are great. I might PM you to get more details.

Now that I think about it, there is also a 16+ acre place available for $184,950. It has 2 small cabins/storage buildings on it, nature trails, etc. The septic design has probably expired, but I don't suppose it would be difficult to get it renewed? This is another gorgeous piece of property. Same community. Permitting here isn't bad, especially compared to King County!