More Tips for Building a Great Log Home for Your Budget

Last year around this time, we wrote a post on three ways to plan a Real Log Home that maximized the amount of home you got for the dollar. While following these tips (keeping a rectangular design, choosing the right log profile, and matching your design to the lot) are certainly important, there are many more ways in which to build a budget-friendly log home. If you’re thinking about designing a log home this spring, here are a few more ways to get the best bang for the buck.

Use an Existing Plan

Since Real Log Homes has been designing and building homes for over fifty years, we have a vast portfolio of existing home plans. If you use an existing plan, you not only save on design costs but are also choosing a plan that has been built before. This means the stock plans are both less expensive to build and often come together faster than a comparable custom plan. If you like a plan but want to make a few changes, this is typically cheaper than designing from scratch. However, as we mentioned in last year’s article, knowing your site is the most important piece to consider before choosing your plan.  Finding the “perfect plan” that already exists is not always possible which is why we have our own in-house design department, who is sure to come up with a plan and design that works for you!

Use Few Cathedral Ceilings

Cathedral Ceilings are very popular these days, and are a great fit in the log home. The downside is that a cathedral ceiling room takes up two floors without providing additional utility. If you want a cathedral ceiling room, the great room is likely the best choice. Other rooms, like kitchens and bedrooms, can look just as magnificent with an eight-foot ceiling, freeing the space above for additional rooms.

Consolidate Plumbing

Plumbing is one of the largest expenses when building a home, but with smart planning you can keep costs in check. The key idea is to keep plumbed rooms near to one another. If you have bathrooms on adjacent floors, placing one “stacked” above the other means they can share sewer lines and supply line routing. Placing a laundry room’s hookups on a wall opposite the kitchen sink is another way to consolidate the plumbing. This approach greatly decreases the labor costs in plumbing the house.

Plan for Cost-Effective Upgrades

One way to save money is to use low-cost but easily replaceable furnishings and fixtures. For example, your house’s structure, plumbing, and electrical wiring are all expensive and hard to change so you want to do them right the first time. However, you can use less expensive light fixtures or faucets and replace them at a later date without much hassle. Also, it might be nice to move into your new house with new furniture, but keeping your current set means you can afford to spend more on your dream log home.

If you’re looking to design and build a log home this year,  call Real Log Homes today or fill out the form below for more information. Our talented team will use these ideas, and many more, to design and build the perfect log home on a budget that works for you.