“Before making a final decision on purchasing your land, have your surveyor determine if your home can be situated so that your sewer or septic system will have a gravity flow and not require a lift station or pump. He will most likely have to call in either city sanitation engineers or health officials or engineers (for specific system location), but let him handle it. Avoiding lift stations is wise. They are expensive, and if they break down or the power goes out, you’ll have a problem.
Log home companies are very competitive in their pricing. In comparing costs, keep in mind the following: different kinds of woods, size of the logs (thickness), manner of construction, charges for plans, cost of freight to your job site, and what is included in the kit or package. This last item is, in my estimation, the most important.”
Veteran building contractor and mortgage consultant Carl Heldmann explains how to avoid a down payment, lower the amount of your mortgage, get more home for your money, and save 25 percent off the construction and site-preparation costs on a log home.
Heldmann's book is primarily for those interested in being their own general contractor, selecting and guiding the subcontractors who do the constuction. Much of the "25 percent" savings boasted by the book are earned in this way.
"You and you alone will guide the construction project toward your final dream," Heldmann points out. "You will be more assured of getting exactly what you want and at a price you can afford. You will control quality and cost."
Not everyone who wants a log home will be able or willing to act as their own builder on a project, but for those who do the cost savings can be significant.
This book includes a directory of log home manufacturers, sample forms and contracts, and 16 pages of enticing photos of log home styles.