
Buying or building a home is always an exciting yet complex process to go through. Whether it be a traditional home or a log home, there are so many glitches that could occur along the way, inevitably impacting your experience as a homeowner.
As a potential log-home owner, it is in your best interest to eliminate an overwhelming sense of uncertainty by getting answers to some of the following questions from your chosen log-home provider.
- How Long Have You Been in the Business
Experience is gold when it comes to log-home providers. You don’t want to hire someone who has just entered the industry. Rather, it is always safe to gather information about the provider’s past experiences, longevity, and reputation in the log-home building niche.
- Can You Help Me Find a Qualified Builder?
Unfortunately, virtually no log home company offers turnkey construction across the U.S. So, it will be your job to ask whether or not the provider has a list of qualified, trained builders that he or she can refer you to.
- Do You Have a Blueprint Service That Will Allow Me to Get My Design Done Prior to Ordering my Home? What is the cost? Is this done by the company or contracted to someone else?
There is no doubt that numerous log home buyers have custom or highly modified designs that will require 3D drawing prior to ordering the home. Your provider should be able to draw those preliminary designs for you at a reasonable cost before infusing the fee within the price of the home you’re considering purchasing.
- What Product Do You Use to Seal Between Your Logs? Does the Package provide Caulk for the Exterior Joint? What is the seal warranty?
Naturally, log-home buyers are going to want quality above everything else. It is always a good thing to ask about the sturdiness and longevity of the products that’ll be used to build your home. Will they hold up to any weather, rain or shine? Will the seal be waterproof in case of raining days during construction? These are all valid questions and concerns that you will want to clarify with a potential provider.
- Do You Provide A Construction Manual? How Detailed Is It? Who Wrote It?
A detailed construction manual linked to your design blueprints has the power to answer virtually any and every question you may have, especially if it’s well-written and composed by the log home builders themselves.
- Do You Allow for Settling of the Log walls? Do you provide the items needed in your package?
All log homes settle. It’s inevitable. So, you need to be aware of the company’s setting policy given that different businesses provide different packages.
- How do you handle mistakes and/or shortages? Do they guarantee you will have enough materials to build the home?
Building a home, especially a log-home is very complex with lots of moving parts throughout the process. You need to be crystal clear on how the provider handles any issues or mistakes so as to avoid any hassle down the road.
- What Kind of Service Is There After the Sale/Shipment?
You’ll want to inquire about whether the provider has any maintenance or inspection services after the fact. You don’t want to end up in a situation whereby you’re left high and dry after the sale of the log-home has already been made.
- Are there any chemicals on the logs when I receive them? Will I need to apply any preservatives to the outside of the logs after construction?
Pre-treatment of the logs is an important part of the building process, so you will want to know which steps to take in order to avoid any supply issues with wood, insects, and more.
- How Much Help Can You Provide in Obtaining a Building Permit?
Sometimes, it can be tedious and quite difficult to obtain a building permit for your site. So, you’ll want to know if the provider can assist you with this process and whether or not any glitches have occurred with this before.
Your Next Steps
The value of being prepared with questions is enormous, especially with complex processes like home buying and building.
Gastineau Log Homes has been dedicated to providing top notch log homes since 1977. For more information about our services, feel free to take a look at our model homes or contact us today!