The Impending Affordability Crunch for Log Homes

The very idea of living in a log cabin conjures up all sorts of feelings and sentimental romance. The log cabin home is as ingrained in our culture as Apple Pie and baseball but is the viability of this mainstay of rural living on the verge of disappearing. Some may think that it is not, that the log home will always be an affordable and viable home choice for those looking to return to their roots; but I think that the log building industry is in for some rough road in the coming years.

One only has to look at the dramatic increase in the cost of building materials and the scarcity of skilled labour in the wake of recent events both natural and man-made to get a sense of the coming crunch in the log building industry as a whole. The cost of plywood, for example, has risen nearly twenty percent in the last year adding dramatically to the cost of a new home. General contractors and homeowners alike are getting caught in the squeeze as prices for materials skyrocket during the course of construction making it necessary for charge backs and change orders. This volatility in the building materials market directly influences the log home building industry as they must compete with the lumber producers for the same raw logs from which they build their log cabins with.

The typical log home producer must buy its logs on a project by project basis so as not to tie up scarce resources in carrying an inventory of logs. Given this, the producer must go to the market to purchase logs at market price and thus must compete with the large mills for the same high grade logs. Practically speaking, his means that the log builder must in fact pay a premium for its logs because their quantity of wood fiber purchased does not afford them the same economies of scale as the large mills. So in the end the log builder can pay as much as double for the same logs as the large mill. The log builder of course cannot absorb all this cost so it must pass this cost along to the consumer who ultimately will bear the brunt of this volatility.

If the premium for logs wasn't enough for the log builder to contemplate; add in the scarcity of skilled labour and it is clear to see why the price of log cabin construction is on the increase. There was a time when building a log cabin was simple because you were doing it your self probably and if you made a mistake then – oh well you could live with it. But today in our overly litigious society where every consumer expects nothing but the finest quality at all price points the pressure on the builder to do quality work is immense. A typical log builder will require four to five years of hands-on experience under the direction of a journeyman log smith to be able to work independently. During this training time the apprentice will be exposed to all sorts of different scenarios and situations and must develop his problem solving skills in order to achieve competency. The problem face by most log home companies is that the craft of log home building is not as glamorous as a University Degree or a Tradesman Qualification so they have a hard time attracting quality employees due to the stiff competition from the other trades and professions. The only way the log home producer can compete is to increase the wage scale in the hopes of retaining quality personnel

What does all this mean for the log home building industry? It means that their cost of raw materials is steadily increasing as they are getting squeezed out by the large mills and producers for the raw materials they need to build their homes. This coupled with the scarcity of skilled labour means that the log home producer must raise his prices to be able to stay profitable. This increase in prices then puts the affordability and feasibility of a log cabin out of reach of the average person and thus thins the market for the producer. Under these kinds of conditions the producer may at first lower his prices to close more sales but this is not a long term solution because the producer's profit margin is slowly eroded as the cost of materials and labour steadily rises but the price point does not. In the end if the consumer does not accept the higher prices but instead chooses a different style of construction the log home building industry will experience a sharp decline until the costs of inputs normalizes and the viability of the business is certain.

About The Author
Darwin Forcier
Log Home Builder for 15 years and owner of Coast Mountain Log Homes
www.coastmountainloghomes.com

Log Cabin Floor Plans - Finding Great Log Cabin Plans

Log cabin floor plans - how to find special log cabin floor plans that are just right for you? You can try and create brand new plans from the beginning. However, you will save considerably if you can find log cabin plans that have been built successfully already. That's important, because that means the plans will work. Even if you need to make changes to the plans, it will still be cheaper and faster for you.

Here are tips on finding log cabin planbs that may be just right for you:

• Buy Cabin Plans Books - whether online or in stores, you can find books of log cabin and log home plans. Look through the plans to see which ones you like. If you find one or more, you could order the log cabin plan you wanted by telephone or mail.

• Locate Log Cabin Manufacturers - you will find the manufacturers of log cabin homes in log home magazines. Contact several, get their brochures and review their log cabin floor plans. And at some point, you should visit the companies that have log cabin floor plans that interest you. Speak with the sales people - are they friendly, flexible and able to offer suggestions? Or are they high-pressure and full of claims about the superiority of their log cabin homes? You do want to be comfortable with any log cabin manufacturer that you may do business with.

• View Log Cabin Floor Plans Online - use the speed of the internet to find cabin plans online. Search online by putting quotation marks around your search terms so you will get the best results, like "log cabin plans" or "log cabin floor plans". See what criteria you can enter so you only get the plans that interest you. You should be able to search by cabin size, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms and so on. See what plans are shown. As you find log cabin floor plans that interest you, note the plans number in case you want to see it again. If you find a log cabin floor plan you really like, then examine the plans company, prices and so on. Here are the kinds of questions you should want answers to:

1. How long has the plans service company been in business?

2. Can the plans service company make changes to plans for you?

3. What are your choices in plan formats?

4. How long do your plans take to be done and arrive?

5. Are lists of materials needed to build available?

As you search online for a great log cabin plan, keep a notebook of the ideas you get when you see features and concepts in log cabin plans that you like. Finding the best log cabin floor plans for your project is so much faster and easier with the capabilities of the internet. Your great log cabin floor plans probably exist somewhere already, which means you just need to go and find them.

About The Author
David Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.yourdreamloghome.com - a popular website for log cabin and log home enthusiasts.
See quality log cabin floor plans at http://www.yourdreamloghome.com/log-cabin-plans.html and learn more about fireplace design, cabin rentals and creating that special log cabin home.

Extra Space Without Moving House

Come on, we all know that a little extra space in the house would be nice, but finding spare room is one tough job. Perhaps you've always fancied your own home gym or play room for the kids, or maybe you need space for a home office to do all that boring work stuff, and wouldn't your own games room be awesome.

Hang on - Before you start rushing off to the estate agents or calling the builders take a look at all the options available to you, and weigh up the possibilities of how to gain extra space in your home. You may not have considered an outdoor room before, but I recommend you find out why buying a Log Cabin makes so much sense.

House prices are continually on the rise, so most of us can rule out the option of moving. You can guarantee that when you do finally find the house that's right for you it will be so ridiculously expensive that you won't be able to afford it. As anyone who's ever moved house will tell you, moving day is the most stressful day in your life, an added stress that most of us could do without. It takes so long to redecorate and organise the chaos and settle in - and it would be just your luck to end up next door to the neighbours from hell. You may want to ask yourself, is moving house really worth all that hassle just to gain an extra room?

If you don't want to move house there's always the option of adding to what you already have by building an extension or loft conversion to add extra space or provide another room. But these types of projects take time and planning, not to mention money, and think about all that upheaval and mess, it'd feel more like you're living on a building site than in your own home.

By far, the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to extend a property and add extra space is by erecting a Log Cabin. Log Cabins are both attractive and practical, making them a brilliant and natural feature in the garden - They won't look out of place and they are great for so many different uses.

Life's complicated and stressful enough as it is, so why add unnecessary bother when you can gain that extra room almost instantly without any of the hassles of moving or upheaval and mess. A good Log Cabin Kit should be supplied with clear instructions and everything needed for construction, making it easy to assemble. Within a day you can extend your property for a lot cheaper than moving house or building an extension.

About The Author
Sara Felice works in Marketing for UK company Dunster House Ltd., suppliers of timber garden products, including log cabin kits and climbing frames.
Visit www.dhleisureandgarden.com for further information.
sara@dunsterhouse.co.uk