Design and Costs

We Specialize in Custom Designs
While there is no technical limit to the size log home we can produce and deliver, we specialize in custom homes in the range of 50 to 400 square-metres. These numbers indicate the footprint size of the first floor (foundation), and do not include decks, first floors, and lofts. Homes that have mezannine floors or lofts may include as much as 550 square metres of living space.

We also have a great deal of experience with commercial log projects -- bed and breakfasts, fishing and hunting lodges, tourist accommodation, hotels, restaurants, and shops. In fact, no company in the Southern Hemisphere has more succesful commercial log projects than Natural Log Homes!

Design & Engineering
We build your custom plans, but we do not provide design or engineering services. You work with your architect or designer to develop a plan suitable to your needs, and we work with you to provide the highest quality product at an exceptional value. We welcome you to send us your custom plans for a quote. If engineering is required for the building consent, please provide us with engineer-stamped drawings, specs, and shop drawings (if any are needed). We build according to your drawings, so the drawings you supply to us must be adequate for construction. Feel free to ask for us for a plan-review-it's a free service to qualified customers.

Foundations
A foundation that is suitable for a conventional, timber-frame house will probably work for a log home. Concrete slab with under-floor heat is the most common foundation we see on the South Island. Other foundations may be suitable--please consult your structural engineer.

Standard Plans ?
We have only two "standard plans," Homebush and Four Peaks. Every other log structure we have built has been "one-off." That is, it was custom designed for the section, the owners, and the budget. We can show you plans of our past projects, and you might find some that are similar to what you want. Sorry, we do not have a "plan book" that we can send you.

We recommend the books written by Robbin Obomsawin (Robbin's books). You'll find many well-designed log homes in Robbin's books. This is a great way to start thinking about what you want in your log home.

There are also several South Island architects we work with, and when we get to that stage we can provide you with their contact details.

Pricing
Each kitset is priced and quoted from your construction drawings. We will provide free cost estimates to you based on our past projects or from your rough floorplan sketches.

We do NOT price kitsets based on square metres alone. Here's why: A cabin of 120 square metres that has 12 log corners and uses 200 cubic metres of trees will cost double that of a kitset of 120 square metres with 6 log corners and using 90 cubic metres of trees. Same square meter size - double the price.

The home designs that are very efficient have kitset costs of around $600 per square metre, ex-Geraldine, GST-exclusive. BUT, in our experience, most home designs will cost more than this per square metre because they use more trees, require more labour, or are more complex and time-consuming to build. Some log home shells cost more than $1000 per square metre because of their complexity and volume of trees and labour. When we provide you with a firm quote it is based on a 4-hour review of your construction drawings, with all the details entered into a spreadsheet that counts every electrical hole, every window opening, floor joist, and every metre of log!

What's Not Included
Our log home shells do not include materials other than fully-cut and prepared, ready-to-assemble logs and installed gaskets (seals). For example, no framing lumber (4x2) is included. Doors, windows, kitchen cabinets, joinery, and so on are not included. No roofing or sarking is included.

This is because we are log kitset specialists, and our staff are trained in the craft of log construction, so we keep them fully-employed working on logs and we leave the 4x2's to your builder! This works best for all concerned-you will need to hire a local builder to arrange the foundation, doors and windows, wiring, plumbing, and more.

If you request delivery directly to your foundation or to your building site, all freight for this will be included in our price, otherwise we will not include transport costs. It's your choice. We supply the complete, disassembled log home shell with installed gaskets.

This is not a complete list of things excluded, of course, so please inquire for further details. Our Construction Agreement will list everything we provide for your home.

We can help advise you on re-assembly on your foundation, and can supply one man to help your crew--please contact us for details. A mobile crane of sufficient capacity and reach is required for assembly-- some logs weigh 1 tonne each, and large log trusses can be several times heavier than this.

Where We Ship To
We ship our log structures throughout New Zealand and to the USA. We might consider shipping to other regions, please enquire.

Please Contact Us
We are currently accepting orders and are interested in discussing the opportunity to build your handcrafted log home. Please contact us today with any questions you may have or to discuss pricing options for your custom log home plans.

Our "customer first" attitude is reflected in everything we do. We take great pride in each log home shell we craft and we are committed to providing handcrafted log home shells that meet the stringent demands and personal preferences of our customers.

Visiting Our Yard
We are happy to have your pre-arranged visit to our building yard. Because of OSH regulations, jobsite dangers, and our need to concentrate on each customer's job we cannot, unfortunately, accommodate your unscheduled, "drop-in" visit.

Please call us first to arrange your visit to our building yard (03-693-7468 during normal opening hours). We are eager to show you what we do!