Determining The Turnkey Cost of Your Custom-Built Home
In general, log cabin homes and timber frame homes are typically niche areas of construction and tend to cost somewhat more (generally 10% and up) than a comparable, high quality, custom “stick-built” home with the same level of finishes, amenities, and design complexities. Many variables can affect the finished, move-in-ready cost of your home, including the location of your home, the contractor you choose, finish levels, design complexity, local building codes, appliances, quality of materials, etc… The cost of Beaver Mountain’s home package is only a portion of the finished expenses, and determining a ballpark estimate requires an in-depth conversation about your project and vision.
Finished “turnkey” costs, not to be confused with “kit” pricing, include all the labor and materials to complete the construction of your new log home, timber frame home, or hybrid home – ready to move in – excluding variable costs such as land and land specific site work including utilities, excavating, well, septic, landscaping, etc.
Square foot pricing to determine a turnkey estimate can be very misleading as there are numerous ways to calculate the square footage of a home. Amenity and option selections range from builder grade to high-end finishes, so always ask what is included! We’ve found that the best way to calculate the estimated costs is to work one-on-one with clients to learn how they envision finishing their home. Do you want a gourmet chef’s kitchen? Custom cabinetry throughout? How about your flooring and window choices? Floor-to-ceiling wood-burning fireplace with natural stone? Walkout basement? Turnkey costs vary based on your decisions on all those options, so a broad approach to pricing (such as 3 times the package cost or a flat square footage cost) is typically not very accurate.
The Details Make a Difference in Budgeting For Your Home
Before you can confidently estimate your custom-built home’s move-in-ready cost, many decisions must be made. Beaver Mountain Log & Timber Homes creates personalized designer log homes and timber homes for your specific building site. Our homes are not predetermined “kits,” and we do not have a price list. We believe your home should be as unique as you and your lifestyle. No cookie-cutter plans off the shelf here!
With over 40 years of experience, and after working with thousands of homeowners, our professional Building Consultants and Architectural Designers will assist you with planning, design, and material selection to create a custom-built home to meet your lifestyle, needs, and budget.
Let’s Talk About Your Custom-Built Home!
Here at Beaver Mountain, we are very proud of the quality of materials, the craftsmanship, and the level of customer service we provide.
Our goal is to work alongside clients to create a personalized design and build the best one-of-a-kind homes that reflect their personality and style. We are not in the market to mass-produce cookie-cutter homes. There will always be cheaper alternatives, but the price is often a reflection of the quality and services delivered. We pride ourselves on providing a high-end product with a high-quality level of service and expertise.
We understand you’re busy! For your convenience and to save time in your busy schedule, we can conduct most of your design & planning via conference calls and virtual meetings. Call us at 607-467-2700 for a feasibility consultation to discuss your questions and review your lifestyle, ideas, plans, budget & timeline with one of our professional Building Consultants. Prefer email? Send us a message at info@beavermtn.com or submit via our contact page.
Building Variables That Affect the Turnkey Cost of Your Custom-Built Home
Finished home costs are affected by many different variables, including where you are building, home style and design complexity, and materials chosen for interior and exterior finishes. After the feasibility consultation, where we learn more about your vision for these details, we’ll be able to give you a ballpark estimate for your unique project.
The Geographical Location of Where You Intend to Build
- Labor rates for contractors and sub-contractors vary significantly between locations.
- Each building site has its own characteristics that may affect excavation, driveway length, the engineered sewage system, well depth, utilities, and foundation type (to name a few). These can influence costs.
- Construction, energy and engineering codes, permits, and local variances differ.
House Style and Design Complexity
- Roof lines, roof pitch, valleys, dormers, and gables
- Footprint of the house, simple lines or angles, jogs, and bump-outs
- Window and door configurations, amounts, and sizes
- Cathedral ceilings or full second-floor area
- Walkout basement, full underground basement, crawl space, or slab
- Covered porch and deck areas
- Quantity and design of bathrooms
- Kitchen design and size
Materials Used in the Home’s Exterior
- Exterior finish (solid log, log siding, cedar, composite, brick, stone, vinyl)
- Roofing materials (shingles, slate, wood shake, tile, metal)
- Overhang length, gable style, dormer quantity, style, and size
- Timber Frame construction, accents, and size
- Railing styles, decking, posts, etc.
- Trim work, facia, and soffit finish materials and style
- Many other details that are not visible, such as insulation, but affect the construction cost.
Materials Used on the Interior (Finishes)
- Type of flooring covering and wall coverings, etc.
- Grade of cabinets, countertops, and appliances
- Plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, etc.
- Type of heating systems used – forced hot air, radiant floor, baseboard hot water, geothermal
- Air conditioning – single wall units, central air, separate system for heat, air exchanger/ purifier, solar, geothermal, or wind power
- Amenities like fireplaces, portico, soaking tubs, saunas, wet bars, etc.
We’d love to chat with you about your home project! After we learn more about your building site, finish choices, timbers, etc… we can estimate your turnkey (more-in ready) pricing. Give us a call at 607-467-2700 to learn more!
