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| What Do Log Home Buyers Really Want |
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| By Jim Cooper |
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Last year, in an effort to better understand the log home buying
public, I distributed a questionnaire to more than 150 potential log
home owners at log home seminars around the United States. These
were not casual lookers, but individuals or couples with a serious
commitment to learning about log homes and a definite interest in
purchasing one.
The questionnaire attempted to identify major concerns and why
people felt they were important. The results were a fascinating
glimpse into the workings of the log home buyer's mind. Here are the
results, along with some of my observations based on several years
of selling and building log homes.
What type of wood do log home buyers prefer in their log homes?
Offered a choice of 12 wood species, they favored red cedar most
frequently, followed by white pine, then white cedar. Oak tied with
lodgepole pine for fourth place. While the question asked people to
include all the woods they were considering, one-third had strong
opinions, checking only one species. Among these opinionated folks,
red cedar was also the favorite, followed by white cedar, then white
pine, lodgepole pine and oak. Fewer than one-fourth of the people
surveyed had no wood species preference.
Wood species can be a hot topic when log home enthusiasts gather.
Each species has its share of loyal supporters. Since I've been
working with log homes, I've had opportunities to visit with people
using a variety of woods.
I've heard stories from log home owners about specific problems that
they felt would have been avoided had they chosen another wood. The
trouble is, I've heard the stories about virtually every wood. Often
the problem traces back not to the wood, but to the construction
methods or maintenance methods used for the particular log home.
Based on my own experience, the criteria by which wood species are
so hotly contested are not nearly as critical as some manufacturers
would have buyers believe. In the end, virtually any wood used in a
log home is capable of producing a quality product, which, when
properly built and maintained, will serve well beyond the time the
owner need be concerned. When asked whether the product I sell
"will last," I think of the number of log houses in my
vicinity, made from the same wood, that are going into their second
or third century.
Likewise, log home companies spend a lot of effort and money touting
various corner systems. What do log home shoppers want in a corner
system? The one most frequently selected was a saddle-notched
corner, followed by a butt-and-pass corner. Least chosen was a
squared dovetail. Regional differences no doubt determined
preferences. There was more interest in a squared dovetail, for
instance, in the eastern United States, which is historically
associated with this type of construction.
Corners are another aspect of log homes that generate an emotional
response. To listen to some opinionated shoppers, usually armed with
the sales pitch from the last dealer they visited, some corner
systems won't stand a high wind. After hearing them out, I almost
expect to find accounts of collapsed log homes in the morning
newspaper with failure attributed to one comer system or another.
There isn't a corner system out there that won't last the lifetime
of a young log home buyer and beyond, when properly built and
maintained. My concerns about corner systems are with the method of
sealing them against weather and their ease of construction. Some
systems, requiring more elaborate or precise sealing procedures, may
fare better with more reliable carpenters. I often wonder how many
leaky corners can be traced back to a carpentry crew that decided to
save time by taking shortcuts on corner construction.
Before falling head over heels for a specific corner system, find
out how long it has been in use and the materials used in it. Log
homes tend to react more slowly to their environment, so any company
saying that its system is best, based on a track record of five
years, is speaking hastily.
The vast majority of shoppers surveyed preferred their log home to
be precut and assembled on the job site. Few were interested in the
potential for modular-type, off-site assembly. Almost a fourth of
the respondents included handcrafted homes in their shopping.
While the low interest in modular-type construction was not
surprising (I suspect it goes against the anti-mass production
technology attitudes of many log home buyers), the overwhelming
support for pre-cut systems did surprise me. It was particularly
surprising because most people surveyed were not planning on
erecting the shell themselves. After visiting with a number of log
home buyers, I think I can see several explanations for this.
There seems to be a feeling that a pre-cut kit will be simpler,
faster and cheaper to erect. Some people feel there will be less
chance for errors. Depending on the circumstance, there is some
validity to these ideas, but I don't believe it's as clear-cut as
many believe.
First, consider the type of log home. To site-build a dovetail or
saddle-notched corner-style house requires a carpenter with the
skills of a handcrafter. These are not always available in every
area. Precutting may eliminate the need for a handcrafter on the job
site and place this style of construction within the scope of a less
specialized carpentry crew. If large timbers are involved, work can
be speeded up because most of the preparation of the timbers takes
place at the manufacturer's plant. On the other hand, a milled-type
log with a butt-and-pass corner does not require the same level of
specialized skill. It requires a large saw and a carpenter who can
read a tape measure.
I should mention a prejudice here, because I work primarily with a
butt-and-pass, milled-log system. Once when weather delayed
finishing a foundation and I found logs on my job site before I had
a foundation to put them on, I decided to try an experiment. I made
up a cut-sheet for the logs. While the masons were finishing the
foundation, we pre-cut the house. When the shell was complete and
the sawdust cleared, I found that the total time required was about
the same as not pre-cutting. The only difference was, I worried
until the shell was up whether my cut sheet was correct.
Continuing with the questionnaire, virtually everyone was shopping
for a primary residence, most often of 1,500 to 2,000 square feet.
Over half planned to be their own general contractor. A third
planned to hire a builder or contractor. The balance planned to
build themselves. In all cases, log home shoppers indicated they
planned to contribute some labor to the building of their own home.
These results came as no surprise. The trend toward primary
residences has been going on for a long time in the log home
industry. The desire to act as general contractor is also
widespread. The only caution I have here is that a sizable number of
people planning to be their own general contractor lack an
understanding of the time commitment and skills required. This is an
area where budgets and quality control can seriously compromise the
finished log home. I tell people who are planning to act as their
own general contractor that they should be spending far more time
researching the construction process and less time worrying about
what kind of wood will last longer or which corner system will hold
up better.
Over half of the respondents said they would not consider a log home
package from a dealer or company that did not offer construction
services. Most of the remainder considered construction services by
the manufacturer or sales rep a very important part of their
selection criteria.
This makes sense as it adds a measure of security and expertise to
the construction process. There are a number of log home reps whose
sole building experience was watching the construction of their own
log home. Their experience with potential construction problems and
solutions will probably be narrower than a company-based
construction department or a dealer who is also a builder.
But, check the track record of the company or dealer for follow-up
on problems. I wouldn't put as much weight on a written warranty as
on the word of a home owner who has actually experienced favorable
(or unfavorable) customer service. Most warranties are worded so as
to leave plenty of room for legal wrangling should there be any
problems that arise. Integrity, on the other hand, speaks for
itself.
The money department also showed some interesting results. Over half
of those surveyed expected to spend less than $100,000 (excluding
land and site preparation). When comparing costs with house size and
style, reality often took a holiday. I ran my own subjective
"reality check," comparing preferred house features with
expected cost. Based on my own experiences and information, I
concluded that almost two-thirds of the log home shoppers surveyed
were unrealistic in their expectations. They would have to either
dig deeper into their pockets (providing there is more pocket to dig
into) or scale back their expectations.
This is a source of irritation to me and I suspect to other dealers,
because I see plenty of evidence that the industry is trying to
avoid misconceptions about the cost of their homes. In log home
publications, I see repeated reference to the fact that log homes do
not represent low-cost housing. They are custom homes, period.
Examining local real estate magazines and talking with local
Realtors and builders, as well as recognizing that log homes are not
going to be substantially cheaper than high-quality custom homes,
will give a realistic outlook on the cost home.
At this point, you may have noticed, that while I may not have
supported the general opinions of log home buyers, I haven't
replaced them with clear-cut answers, either. This is deliberate.
While I have sold and built a particular type of log home, I do not
believe it is right to pronounce it or any other the best,
regardless of circumstance.
There are too many variables to declare any log home package
"best." I counsel my customers to decide on a style of log
home, examine several manufacturer's offerings in that style and
base their decision on the wood most attractive to them, and which
system and manufacturer feels best to them. To reduce home selection
to charts and graphs is to ignore the fact that log home living is
an emotional experience. Most people I know would prefer not just to
accept the home they live in, but also to enjoy it. |
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