Log Cabin Kit work???

[Keith Ratliff]

Well starting fall of this year I am going to stop selling logs and start producing log cabin kits and log pay houses out of Eastern Red Cedar. I did a test run this weekend and got 117 8inx6inx8ft logs squared and ready to run thru the shaper just using two helpers. I would guess this would be enough to build a 24x24 hunting or vacation cabin like the cheap pine ones but rot & insects will run from it. I see pricing for the log kits only for these running anywhere from $15000 to $35000 in pine so I think if I asked $22500 fo wall log kits I should be ok. The next and final step to make them ready to use is to run them thru a 4 head shaper I pickup at a auction cutting a D-profile and a set of tongue and grooves to make them self stacking and completely self sealing. Anyone know ways I could make this a faster deal without having to invest more (a lot of)money? Also where in the heck do you start to market these logs? Also I see most logs are 6x6x8's only the highest dollar ones are the 6x8x8's like I cut should I offer both sizes? And would prebuilt log out buildings be a big business or a waste of time?

Help me I am lost and tired of sening logs out of country to make any money.

[Chris Barton]

Hi Keith,


Sounds like a great idea. I have always liked log cabins but, I will tell you that insurers and realtors don't, and I am not sure why. I live in TN and have often wondered why this ubiquitious tree is not used more often in construction...

Chris

[Todd Burch]

Keith, whatever you do, I hope your situation works out so that you can continue to do what you love.

I have a few questions.

First, you mentioned the logs you are selling are primarily being exported. To what country(ies)? What are they doing with the logs? Are they adding value to your logs and reselling them in another flavor? (Hopefully not back to us!)

About a year ago, I really considered making small houses that were destined to be moved to the client's property. In Texas, there is a strong tradition of what's called a Sunday House. The concept is that farmers and ranchers lived way out of town, but they would come to town on Sundays for church. So, they would build a small functional house in town and that was their "Sunday House". The style and coziness caught on, and today they serve an opposite purpose - people who live in the cities want a place to stay out on their country property, and don't want to pay $100,000 for a house to be built or manage the 6 month process, order a Sunday House and have it delivered, complete, ready to move into, about 3 months later.

You can do a search for "sunday house" and find all kinds of hits on them.

So, where I'm going with this is, have you considered building the log house yourself and having it trucked to the client's site? No one knows more than you about these logs and how they should go together, so why not?

Todd

[Richard Wolf]

Keith, I have always loved log homes and spent some time reseraching building one a few years ago. I think a concern you may have is how does your price of $22,500 stand up to conventional building. While I realize the log home has advantages over stick framing, sometimes a hunting cabin is a limited budget item with price being the deal breaker.
Its great that you are exploring new avenues to make a living in the lumber industry and I wish you good luck.

Richard

[thomas prevost]

Kieth,

Log homes are a very very competive business in NYS state. There are over 100 producers in the state. They range from wholesale milled logs that sell to the major log home retailers, to small outfitters that retail locally, to the large retailers such as Lincoln Logs.

Pine nothern white cedar and Ingleman Spruce are used mainly due to cost. The mills use the cants after the saw logs are removed. Cost for cants is less than $250 tbf. Readily available, continious supply.

How are you going to dry the logs? If green they must be used within days to prevent bowing and twisting. Are you set up to operate on demand? Will you be supplying plans and sufficient logs to build or a precut package? Stick wood for roofing and interior walls? window and door bucking? windows and doors?

Who will do assembly? Joe home owner will need much hand holding. Who will provide that?

Marketing?????? Engineered plans to meet building codes?? Insurance???

This can be a fun and rewarding business. But, before you get too committed visit some of the various mills. Pretend to be Joe home owner and see what level of service has to offer. If up in this area, we have Lincoln, and three others within in a few hours drive. There are three small outfits within an hours drive. They will all let you or any CREEKERS tour their mills.


COSTS
Joe homeowner costs are about 2X stick built home. resell value about same.
Maintenance higher for loghome- settling and dry shrinking of logs. wood needs routine staining sealing. Not as energy efficient as stick built. Insurance in NYs generally is one getting market value vs replacement. Almost no company will give replacement vaue due to no good way to estimate this. Building codes can be tricky unless signed off by a licensed arch/engineer in the state being built.

But if you like the real wood look inside and out as I do there is nothing like a log home. I live in my second one.

Let me know if you would like to visit some mills up here or have any additional questions i.e. ways to improve productivity..

[Matt King]

Well, I'm just now finishing up helping a neighbor build his first cabin. It's 24x32, and made from white pine. It is the 6" D log that you mention, with the tongue and groove on the logs. His kit was 100% pre-cut and included dang near EVERYTHING (every door, window (double pane insulated MW brand), rafter, joist, decking, and stud, even felt and shingles!) except for fasteners, slab/crawlspace blockwork and mechanical systems. It cost him just under 38k delivered with a 10% discount for the second one that he plans to order later this year.

There are many schools of thought, from what I understand, on the type of wood that is "most desirable" for a log home. Companies that use cedar say pine is junk and companies that use pine tell you that you shouldn't use cedar if someone gives it to you.

The building code issue is very real - even with engineer certified blueprints and structural data, code inspections were an exercise in patience. Some things in the blueprints didn't meet code here in Georgia, and some things were just plain DIFFERENT (lots of holes to drill for electrical work as you stack the logs, for example) so the inspectors had to ponder them. They were very friendly, still, and were helpful at every chance they had, but cabins just aren't very common in most places.

Building loans and mortgages are MUCH harder to obtain for log homes, as well as insurance. Zoning, banks, insurance companies and the like are quite skeptical, it seems, especially when the owner is going to build it himself. Some of them told my neighbor flatout "NO" even with the very reputable company he was dealing with and all of their experience, certifications, insurance, structual engineering, wind/snow load data and such, so I would think that going without all of the above would be a bad plan.

Please don't view this as pessimism - I wish you nothing but good luck with your venture! :cool:

Take care,

Matt