The Log Home Industry Expert

“For every action, there is an opposite reaction.” So said Isaac Newton in his 3rd Law of Motion.  Newton’s law is true for an apple falling from a tree or building a custom timber frame or log home.  Consider three primary opposing forces at work when building a new home – Cost, Quality and Time.  We call this the CQT Triangle.  Understanding the opposing forces of the CQT Triangle is critical when selecting the right builder to build your new home. 

The CQT Triangle has three opposing corners that tend to pull at each other – Cost, Quality and Time.  Putting emphasis on one corner tends to have an opposing, negative effect on the other corners. 

For example, if your primary concern is meeting an aggressive timeline, then it’s more likely cost will increase.  There is also the risk that quality will be compromised in order to meet an aggressive timeline.  Conversely, if the builder has a more flexible building schedule, it may allow him the time to achieve a higher standard of quality and more opportunity to better control costs. If quality is your primary consideration, the cost will be higher and the construction may take longer. If your primary concern, however, is staying within a specified budget, accepting a more modest quality standard may be required.  For example, tile countertops might be perfectly acceptable as opposed to granite countertops and will save on costs.  Or, carpeting the bedrooms and limiting hardwood to the great room and kitchen areas might be an opportunity to save costs. 

Understanding the relationship of Cost, Quality and Time is important in choosing the right builder.  The builder services provided by PrecisionCraft will give you much needed information about prospective builders.  It’s not uncommon for builders to have more strength in one or two of the CQT corners.  For example, a builder that specializes in a high quality craftsmanship might have an “artwork” standard.  But, there is a price to pay for “artwork” usually in time and/or cost.  Aligning your priorities with the strength of the builder will help you achieve your objective. 

The information in the PrecisionCraft Builder Report combined with a clear understanding of your CQT priorities will help you make the right choice in selecting a builder.   It is always best to talk with your PrecisionCraft Project Manager and the prospective builders about your expectations and priorities. 

There is no better time to build. Over the past 18 months, log home enthusiasts are seeing an encouraging trend in the home building industry; builders are willing to compete for their business. As a result, building costs have never been lower than they are now.

Timber Frame Entry

To capitalize on this trend and to better serve their clients, PrecisionCraft has put greater emphasis on their exclusive Builder Bid Administration process. Doing much of the groundwork for their clients, PrecisionCraft researches builders, request bids, and performs thorough reviews and evaluations of the builder bids received. From construction drawings to materials selection to their exclusive builder bidding process named BidRightSM, PrecisionCraft acts as the client’s advocate, ensuring the best price, highest quality and accountability from all parties involved. With that level of assurance, building a custom log home or timber frame home is feasible. Read more about why now is a good time to build.

Timber Frame Home, Custom Design

Residential real estate has taken a serious blow in the last few years. New construction of single family homes is at its lowest point since the recession of 1991. It’s a buyers market and smart investors know this is the best opportunity to get great deals on new construction, especially new log homes and timber frame homes. Builders, subcontractors and material suppliers are all hungry and are willing to go the extra mile for new customers. While almost all commodities are at an all time high and rising, lumber prices and other building materials are priced low. The dramatic increase in energy costs has not yet been reflected in lumber prices.

The current economic environment isn’t going to last forever. Most economists expect the housing market to bottom out in mid-2009. Once the supply of new homes is back into balance with demand, new construction will begin to increase at a normal pace. Once construction begins to pick-up, prices are bound to increase. In the interim, there are some great deals.

For those individuals planning to build a new log or timber frame home, the timing couldn’t be better. Now is the time to get aggressive with competitive bidding. When the economy is down, many people are hesitant to jump into a new construction project. However, the smart money buyers know that you buy at the bottom of the market and ride the wave up.

Of course, timing is everything. It appears that early to mid-2009 will be the best time to send our RFP (Request for Proposal) bid packages. Mountain Architects offers bid administration services designed to assist customers in getting the best results through competitive bidding. The project managers at Mountain Architects will prepare the RFP package for clients which will include construction drawings, engineering and specifications. The RFP bid packets will be sent to prospective builders. Information sent back to your project managers will be analyzed and compare to Mountain Architects initial cost estimate and national averages for reasonableness. Mountain Architects will then gather and organize builders competitive bid information in order to assist you in making a good builder selection.

Price is certainly not the only factor in selecting a builder. Reputation, quality of work, and financial stability are all factors that must be taken into consideration when selecting a builder. In conjunction with the RFP bid packets, the project managers at PrecisionCraft & Mountain Architects will provide “builder due diligence” by gathering background information on prospective builders. All of these factors will assist our customers in making an informed decision and at very competitive pricing.

The team at PrecisionCraft only works and recommends high quality builders. Builders, such as Prideland Homes, that build homes on relationship, trust, confidence and open communication.

Selecting your general contractor to build your custom log home is certainly one of the most critical decisions you make. Once you have made your selection, it is important that the terms of your agreement with the contractor are specific and spelled out well in advance.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) have jointly developed a set of contract documents that define the role and responsibility of the contractor, owner and architect. These documents have been developed over more than 100 years of experience and address most major issues that might appear during construction. Every few years, these documents are updated and revised to adapt to the latest construction trends and techniques. The AIA documents are highly respected by attorneys, contractors, architects and engineers and accepted as the industry standard.

Building a custom log home or timber frame home is typically a very large financial commitment. Owners place a great deal of trust into their architects, general contractors and other building professionals. Often times, clients who have never built a custom log home (or any type of custom home) do not understand what to expect. Using a professional licensed architect is one of the best ways to insure the project will be successful. Your architect will most likely be familiar with AIA documents. The AIA contracts spell out the normal obligations and responsibilities of each party such as duties, timelines and payment schedules.

At PrecisionCraft, premiere designer, manufacturer, and builder of log & timber homes, customers want to the opportunity to customize their homes. They are looking for a “one-of-a-kind” home that fits their personal taste, needs and their surroundings. However, there is no reason to “re-invent the wheel” when it comes to following a set of standards and expectations. The AIA contract documents, used with PrecisionCraft’s clients, have been proven year after year and follow a known path of success.

As the leader in custom design, PrecisionCraft Log Homes encourages clients to turn to the well trusted AIA documents. PrecisionCraft specializes in the design of handcrafted log homes, milled log homes, timber frame homes, log & timber hybrid homes, and stick frame homes with log & timber accents.