Our log homes should cost similarly to a custom conventionally built home when using like components in any given area of the country. It is not wise to use a package price multiplier in trying to estimate your costs especially since labor and other material costs vary by so much. It is always best to have a contractor estimate all costs for your specific project from engineered blueprints, a service we offer to all of our customers.
Milled packages and handcrafted packages are quite different. Surprisingly, however, a handcrafted log home does not necessarily cost more than a milled log home, and therefore, should not be used as the criteria to choose one over another. Rather, you should investigate which system is best and which aesthetic appeal serves your needs.
At Dovetail, we feel that the design is the single most important aspect of the project. From the bubble plan to final drawings and material specifications, so many issues arise with respect to liveability, costs, energy consumption, and maintenance with myriad other elements that substantially influence the success of a project.
Our homes are some of the most energy efficient homes available anywhere: we specify the use of ICF (insulated concrete forms) and insulated roof panels in our designs. This yields unsurpassed energy efficiency, some automatically meeting tough energystar compliance. We are also authorized dealers for these products and have been building this way since our inception. Please inquire about our partner links for more information.
The marriage of dissimilar materials is an age-old problem in construction and will always be a concern: drywall on wood studs; concrete on unstable soil; settling issues within a log wall framework, to name a few! We supply a detailed blueprint and construction manual to our customers, which outlines particular details including settling, plumbing, masonry, window and door installation, etc.
Actually, logs should never be sealed! Inappropriate materials such as lacquers, polyurethane and other non-breathables can cause the wood to rot from the inside out. A good quality water or oil based log stain needs to be used in order to assure the best protection possible without the potential for damage to the structure.
We have never experienced difficulty in getting financing or insurance for a client as long as they qualify and are not building in such remote locations that insurance simply is not available. It would be wise to investigate these issues prior to purchasing a piece of property.
We are custom homebuilders, and respectively treat each job individually. This means that we can supply a material only package, an erected shell, or a weather tight dry-in package anywhere in the country, dependent on the customers’ desire. We also offer turnkey soup to nuts buildings in a limited area.
Combined with our excellent reputation, 20+ years of experience building some of the finest log and timber frame homes in the country, Dovetail retains an unheard of zero-filed complaint record in an industry notorious for bad service…we do what we promise to do!