Gastineau Log Homes University

How much does it cost to build a log home?– Video Transcription

One of the hardest questions to answer is, “What does it cost to build a log home?” One reason it is difficult to answer that question is because we don’t know the design and style you are planning to build. As a general response, you can expect the cost to be similar to building a custom frame home in your area. There are many factors that contribute to the cost of construction, such as location, design, and finishes. For example, the cost of building a home in Missouri will be very different from building one on the side of a mountain in Colorado. We can ask you a lot of questions to gather information and provide you with a ballpark estimate of the cost. However, until we have the answers to those questions, we are essentially making a guess. So, please give us a call and we can discuss your specific plans and provide you with an estimate of the cost.

Gastineau Log Homes Lay a Way Plan – Video Transcription

Hi, it’s Lynn Gastineau again, and I’m here to talk about our lay a way plan. We developed a lay a way plan several years ago because people came to us with plans to build their log home in three years or so. We wanted to help them get started on their journey towards their log home lifestyle.

With our program, customers can lock in today’s prices, as building prices tend to increase every year. They can then take delivery of their home within three years. During that time what they do is put down a 10% deposit and make 1% per month payment of the package price. For example, if your package is worth $100,000, you would put down $10,000 today and make monthly payments of $1,000.

And then, say in 36 months, you’re ready to build your home. At that point, you would only pay the difference between today’s package price (which may be lower) and the amount you have already paid. So, if you have already paid $46,000 towards your $100,000, you would only pay the difference. All your pricing is based on the lower, earlier pricing.

The other advantage of this plan is that during the three-year period, you have plenty of time to plan and design your home. There’s no rush in the design process, and we can ensure your home is fully finished and ready to go.

So, it has multiple benefits. Please speak to one of our salespeople to see if this lay a way plan would be suitable for you.

Storm Protection – Video Transcription

Hi, Lynn Gastineau here. Being in the Midwest, we’re all aware of tornadoes and the damage they can do to homes. One advantage that I believe log home construction has the ability to withstand tornadoes. I know it may sound funny, but it’s really true. We had a home in Western Kansas that was hit by an EF5 tornado with 250 mile per hour winds. All it did was pull the porch off the roof. The engineer who examined the home literally told me that if the people had been sitting in their living room, all they would have gotten is wet.

We had another situation where a customer had a direct hit by a tornado in Eldon, Missouri. In this particular situation, the customer was sitting in his living room. His home was built on a crawl space, so he had no place to go. Again, all it did was tear his porch off, but the frame garage that was next to his home was completely gone, as well as the 30 by 60 shed building that was built next to his house. They were completely destroyed, nothing but the slab. The gentleman told me that if he had been in a frame home, he would be dead. He would not have lived through it.

These are direct situations where our customers have felt that the log home performed much better in a tornado than a typical frame construction.

What are the Pros & Advantages of Living in a Log Home? – Video Transcription

One of the questions I get is, “Why would you want to live in a log home? What are the pros of living in a log home?”.

Personally, I can’t help but wonder, “Why wouldn’t you want to live in a log home?” Because there are so many advantages. The biggest reason people give for being in a log home is the beauty. Nothing feels as strong, nothing is as beautiful as the natural beauty of the wood walls that surround you in your home.

But, in addition to that, there are a lot of other benefits. One that I find extremely important is safety. Our log homes have been proven to withstand the forces of tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, and even fires.

We have had multiple times where the fact that someone lived in one of our log homes that actually saved their life, where they could have died in a fire if they were living in a frame construction. These aspects are not why people typically build a log home, but they are something that you will truly appreciate after moving into one. You understand the strength of the product that is surrounding you, and how much safer you feel living there, and how much safer you feel for your family.

Ceiling Options – Video Transcription

Hi, this is Lynn Gastineau, and I wanted to show you some of the differences and choices that you have for ceiling materials that you can build into your log home. Most people want a wood ceiling, at least in a great room area. Although some people do choose to use drywall.

At Gastineau, we have a couple of choices for you, and I just wanted to show them to you in this video. So, this is our 1×6 tongue and groove oak, which obviously matches your oak logs if that’s what you were going to build with. The other option we sell is southern yellow pine, which we have right around the corner in our model home center. We show the southern yellow pine built onto the ceiling. The yellow pine I feel has a better connection and grain patterns with the oak, yellow pine compared to white pine has more grain. I think that it matches the oak logs much better. You have the choice of using oak or yellow pine. The oak is obviously a bit more expensive; it is up to you what you want.

Of course, you can do drywall. We have quite a few people who choose to do that as well. A lot of times they will mix their ceiling materials, in other words, they may put wood in the great room area and drywall in other areas. It’s up to you! Remember, these are custom homes, and you can build them any way you want.

Do I need an architect? – Video Transcription

Hi, Lynn Gastineau here. Another question we get all the time is, “Should I hire an architect to design my home?” The answer to that is “no”, because we have all the design capabilities here at Gastineau to help you design the home that will meet your needs and fit your property.

One thing that we have developed over the years is a program where you can literally walk through your home and see how it will be finished before it’s built. It really makes the decisions a lot easier because you can actually see what the finished home is going to look like.

A lot of our customers do know, have a good opinion, or feeling for what they want in their home. However, if you don’t, we can guide you through the design steps.

The other thing is an architect is not typically trained in the proper methods of building a log home. They may design something that is not a good idea to build in that way. We can prevent those kinds of issues.

The only time an architect can come in handy or be worthwhile is if you have very site-specific situations. Where the location is very difficult to build on, or you’re trying to incorporate passive solar, and you need to thoroughly investigate the orientation of the home. So, in those situations, an architect may be useful.

Generally, I would say “no” and we can provide you all the design services that you need here at Gastineau Log Homes.

How did you get into the log home business? – Video Transcription

Hi, my name is Lynn Gastineau, and I’m the owner and founder of Gastineau Log Homes. In 1977, Gastineau Log Homes went into business in New Bloomfield, Missouri. One of the things people always ask is, “How did a woman get into the log home industry?”, as a woman, got into the log home industry. Well, I grew up in the sawmill business. My dad had a sawmill from before I was even born. So, I spent a lot of my time in the woods, and at the sawmill, and climbing on sawdust piles. Then, when I grew up, I worked in the sawmill, running the Debarker, and other various jobs in the mill.

But I really wanted to be an architect, I thought that housing was very fascinating, and I loved it. But back in that point in time a lot of women were not in the construction industry. So, I decided to manufacture clothing instead. After college, I moved to New York City, and during that time, in the middle 70s the log home industry really took off in the United States. At that time, people were asking my parents, who had the sawmill, asking them to cut logs for log homes. My parents had always been wholesale, had never done retail business. They knew I loved construction, and they thought it was a viable business. And so, they encouraged me to move home and start a log home company.

I left all my friends in New York, took a sabbatical, said I’ll be back in a year. And here it is, I’m still in the log home business over 45 years later. It has been a wonderful industry to be a part of, growing rapidly throughout the years. It is something I am really proud of. One thing I am especially proud of is that we create homes for people that fulfill their dreams. Ever since we started this business, people have come to us and said their dream is to have a log home. To have that ability to meet that dream and make that dream come true for people is extremely rewarding. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would do it exactly the same.