FAQs
Below you will find some of the most commonly-asked questions from Maple Hill Log Homes’ customers and our responses to them. If you can’t find the answer to your question, simply contact us.
- What kind of technical assistance can I expect from Maple Hill Log Homes?
- What is the average cost per square foot to build a log home? And is it more expensive than building a traditional home?
- What are the deposit requirements and how does the payment process work?
- Is homeowner's insurance, in particular fire protection, more expensive for log homes?
- There are a lot of log home companies and all of them tell me about their quality. Why should I buy from you?
- Will I have any problem building one of your log homes myself?
- Why Kiln-Dried logs?
What kind of technical assistance can I expect from Maple Hill Log Homes?
I have knowledge of building codes, IRC 2003 & local codes, new designs, and features for your log home. I will work with you and New York licensed contractors to construct your log home. Construction seminars are taught each month, covering topics like purchasing land, home plans and design, foundation, floor trusses, attaching the sill plate and sub floor, starter logs, electrical, log rows, installation of windows and doors, second floor systems, and roof structure--whether Beam and Purlin w/gusset plates, 2 X 12 rafter systems, Pre-Fab Trusses, Chord Trusses, and more. Our corporate office offers a full two-day construction workshop free with the purchase of your Kuhns Bros. Log Home.
What is the average cost per square foot to build a log home? And is it more expensive than building a traditional home?
Typically more labor and material is involved in a log home. In most conventional stick-built homes, you are using 2X framing with insulation, sheathing, house wrap and vinyl siding. In log construction, you are using solid logs stacked horizontally, with caulking and lag screws. Each row has to be carefully set, level and square. Rows have to be pre-drilled for electrical outlets, as once the wall is constructed it is very hard, if not impossible, to go back for electrical runs. Typically, I tend to see items that would be upgrades in conventional homes are considered standard in log homes. These include hardwood or tile flooring, custom cabinets, counters such as granite or siltstone, 6-panel solid core interior doors, and high performance, low-E windows. Even interior walls and ceilings are usually tongue and groove with beams and limited sheet-rock, instead of complete sheetrock walls in conventional stick-built homes. Most designs have cathedral/vaulted ceilings in some part of the home, reverse gables, roof pitches of 10/12 or more, porches, sun rooms, etc. Because of the weight of our homes, most footings are required to be deeper and wider than in a stick-built home. An average log home construction price in our area can range from $130 per sq foot to $175 and up, depending on material upgrades.
What are the deposit requirements and how does the payment process work?
A $3,000 deposit will guarantee a one-year Price Freeze and activate your dream home’s preliminary plans. These plans can be used to obtain necessary bids from contractors, plumbers, electricians, etc. A 20% deposit is required when you sign off on your preliminary plans and go to full construction blueprints. At this time, you would also select your date for your log home package to deliver. Final payment is due when your log home package is delivered. Most areas will require two sets of construction blueprints/heat/loss calcs/septic designs for the permit.
Is homeowner's insurance, in particular fire protection, more expensive for log homes?
As in the case of most things, education is the key. The more insurers and lenders know about the log home end product, the better it is. I have not found my insurance costs or my clients to be any higher for a log home than a conventional home priced the same. Log homes had made history by surviving heavy storms, tornados, and even Hurricane Katrina, with very little or no damage.
There are a lot of log home companies and all of them tell me about their quality. Why should I buy from you?
As log homes have become more popular each year, more log home companies have come into the market, supplying green logs, air-dried logs, and kiln-dried logs. Some companies offer just the log and timber portion of your home package, while others offer weather tight packages--adding to the log and timber; trusses, sub floors, roofing, windows, doors, insulation, and joinery material like butylog and lag screws. Still other companies offer finish packages with materials such as soffits, fascia, interior and exterior trim, interior walls and ceilings, decks and porches, etc. Sound just a little confusing? At Maple Hill Log Homes I want to offer you the best in overall product, service and support.
First, let’s look at product. Maple Hill Log Homes represents Kuhns Bros., which first started a sawmill in 1946, expanded by adding a lumber company in 1962, and added a log home division in 1982. From their huge kilns to milling to drafting, material take off and shipping departments, Kuhns Bros. is here to help supply you with the most complete package in the industry.
Next we want to look at service and support. I have the experience of selecting, building, and living in a Kuhns Bros. log home for over 10 years. I also have several years of experience working with customers, helping to design their new homes and select all the components and décor of their new home. I offer complete support, from the beginning of the planning process through the new construction and beyond. I’ll work with the builder and can supply knowledge regarding IRC 2003 and local codes. I can recommend a number of quality lenders and New York licensed contractors.
Will I have any problem building one of your log homes myself?
If you have home construction knowledge and experience, then, given the time and a hand or two, you could build one of our homes. Kuhns Bros also offers construction seminars each month, with tons of information, handouts, etc. The Kuhns Bros. corporate office in Lewisburg, PA offers a full, two-day construction workshop, free with the purchase of your Kuhns Bros. Log Home.
The process of kiln-drying controls the amount of moisture in the wood products used to build your home. The wood must be conditioned to the moisture content it will assume in the months and years after construction—otherwise. it will tend to shrink and twist. Our logs, beams and purlins are kiln-dried to an average moisture content of less than 19 percent graded by certified inspectors to meet or exceed Log Home Council standards and backed by a Lifetime Warranty.