UNEXPECTED COSTS IN LOG HOME CONSTRUCTION

You won't go far without hearing horror stories about log home owners who went way over budget, ran out of money before the project was through, and generally had a terrible building experience. I'm sure there are as many tales as there are people, and I'm just as sure I haven't even heard most of them. Assuming that your initial construction budget is realistic, here are a few points that might make the unexpected a little easier to plan for. A good builder will have already taken care of many of these suggestions, but it couldn't hurt to be certain that the costs are covered in the original quote. WEATHER: Weather delays are probably the biggest bugaboos. Time is money, and every week that your house sits in the rain and snow is another week you are paying interest on your construction loan (we won't even talk about exposure). Ideally, you should plan the log delivery so that, bare minimum, your roof is on and windows are installed before winter hits. Is waiting until Spring a good idea? Well, April showers create a sea of mud that could bog down the heavy equipment. The mud will be inevitable, but perhaps waiting for a dryer summer would speed things along? EASE OF ACCESS: Some of the more isolated properties can be inaccessible by a 55-foot truck. First of all, make sure your local bridges are designed to take the weight of a laden truck (and no, you can't divide the total weight in half because only one axle is on the bridge at a time). If the truck can't navigate the curves, incline, or surface of the road, you might have to offload the logs onto a smaller vehicle. This necessitates another forklift (one for the big truck, one for the little truck). In the worst case scenario, a helicopter comes into play. JOB SITE PREPARATION: You might be tempted to throw down a quick-and-dirty layer of gravel to accommodate the machinery, but in the end you may be creating even bigger problems. If the trucks get stuck on an inadequate surface, you may be the one to pay for towing... and again, you'll experience delays.