The budget for your log home plays a vital role in building this lucrative investment. There are different quality log homes prices to choose from. The good news is that you can find a wide range of prices that cater for different budgets, from shoestring to the most expensive. It is also imperative to calculate and estimate the cost of building so that you have a good basis for your intended project. Do not make the common mistake of delving into overpriced log structures and overshooting your project to failure.
Log Cabin Prices and Costs
The cost of building a cabin is usually broken down into various segments such as the groundwork and foundation to the doors and windows, roofing, flooring, and insulation. There are professional log home companies that can offer assistance to enable you to have your dream log home. They give consultation expertise to a gallery of their previous log home projects with corresponding log cabin prices. Before exploring the different log homes available on the market, we recommended you get to know the basic cost of building your log cabin from scratch.
Site Foundation and Preparation
Location is one of the top components to look into when planning a log home project. Where is the best place to build your log home? There are garden log cabins that are strategically located just in your back garden. This site has a significant difference compared to those in other locations such as in the mountains, woods, and forests. Log homes prices vary greatly based on the venue where they are built.
Once you have chosen the plot and site for the log cabin, it is time to start the preparation of the plot. Site preparation is vital in order to ensure the quality foundation of the log structure. This stage may also affect various log cabin prices. For instance, it is quite difficult to prepare the plot and foundation of the log home if it is up in the mountains compared to those in strategically closer locations.
The cost of building your log cabin at the preparation stage may depend on the following:
- Rock and vegetation clearance activity
- Turf and topsoil removal
- Site levelling and staking the perimeter of the cabin
According to log house sources online, the average cost for the site clearance starts from £3 per square foot. The actual site preparation and foundation cost for the entire site is approximately £2,000, including contractor fees.
Utilities and Services (Water, Drainage, Gas, and Electricity)
Cabin construction cost and log homes prices are never complete without considering the cost of your utility systems. The installation of services and utilities influences the actual total finished cost of the log home. It would also depend on whether the log cabin preference is either on-grid or off-grid. For log cabins that are basically off the grid, the cost would be on the battery banks where you can store power. Although this type of log home is self-sustainable in terms of power supply, you still need reliable storage equipment. You also need to consider the cost of installing solar panels and wind turbines.
The cabin utility and service costs may also include various segments such as water, plumbing, and electricity. Most log house prices that are at the higher end usually offer ready to use utilities. However, if you are building your cabin from scratch, you need to initially shell out a few thousand pounds for these important utilities.
Timber and Logs
One of the most important components of a log home which affects the log cabin’s price is the price of timber on the market. Logs and timbers are in fact the most expensive and vital parts of the log home. Unless you have a natural supply of timber, purchasing the materials should be on top of your priority list. You can buy timbers and logs from a local sawmill but you also need to transport them to your location, haul back the materials, cut them to size, and prepare the logs for the construction.
The actual cost of timbers and logs would highly depend on the type or species you purchase. For instance, there are quite expensive Scandinavian softwoods and other varieties of hardwood that influence higher log homes prices. Based on estimated costs of typical log homes, the cost of timber may reach up to £6,000, including the purchase, preparation, cutting, and construction of logs.
Insulation
Log homes prices reflect the functionality and quality of the log home. This means that the log cabin is ready and convenient to use. One of the methods used to make your cabin ready for occupancy all year round is insulation. The timber that you use strongly influences the kind of insulation your log home is equipped with. Thick timbers are good insulators, nevertheless, it is also important to invest in insulation methods such as the application of insulators in between the logs.
Insulation keeps your cabin cool in the summers and warm in the harsh winters. Well-insulated log homes also have higher wooden cabin prices. The actual approximate cost for insulators such as waterproof membrane could reach up to £1,000 or more.
Interiors, Fixings, Windows, and Doors
The various components of log cabins also have their respective costs and price tags. Log cabin prices mainly depend on the quality and value of the fixings, doors, windows, and other interior features that you use. Top quality doors and windows with superior R-Values and U-Values for insulation cost more compared to those that are lower values.
Complete Log Cabin Prices
If you have more cash to spend on your log home investment, there are also complete and ready to use cabins available. The location of the log cabin mainly determines how much the log structure is worth on the market. Log cabin prices may range from £25,000 to more whopping rates like £200,000 and higher.
Log home investment is a wise and profitable one. Make your project successful through carefully analyzing today’s log homes prices. Arrange a consultation with a log home specialist for expert help.
