New Home Builders in Dallas, TX

Dallas Log Home Builders

Most people see log homes from a nearby roadway and marvel at their beauty. Few people realize just how practical and affordable they can be as well. First, log homes built more than a hundred years, with the same essential methods in use today, remain in solid, livable condition. Plus, logs have enormous, natural insulating qualities, creating a cool home in the summer and a warm home in the winter. If you're a fan of the look of log homes and considering building your dream home, Dallas log home builders can find a way to locate the common ground between your vision and your budgetary resources.

Log Homes
Log homes in Dallas, or anywhere else in the country, tend to be best outside of metropolitan areas, but they need not be in the middle-of-nowhere, either. The advent of the modern log home has long since moved away from the rustic log cabin where a heating and cooking stove, potted water, and an outhouse represented the major amenities. In fact, log home sites greatly benefit from easy access as heavy-duty tools and machinery are frequently involved during construction. Dallas has tons of quiet, secluded neighborhoods away from the hustle-and-bustle and the crime of Dallas proper, but still gives you a more than adequate feeling of civilization. If you have an aversion to city life, aren't thrilled about the middle-of-nowhere rural setting, but can't stand master-planned, cookie-cutter neighborhoods, a log home not far from the city is out there waiting to be built.

Construction
Timber-framed, milled log, and handcrafted log are the three major types of log home construction. Each has their own pros, cons, and distinct characteristics:

Timber-framed homes don't have the same authentic log home feel, but circumvent many of the common problems associated with true log homes. Plus, since the timbers are still able to bear the entire weight of your home, you'll have ample opportunity for wide-open spaces and/or cathedral ceilings.

Milled logs are fabricated from machinery at log-yards. This dramatically reduces the cost of the logs and enables other cost-saving measures such as modular log home construction and DIY log home kits. Unfortunately, these logs also require vertical butt joints, are limited in length, and prohibit several design features possible with custom log house and floor plans.

Handcrafted logs are created by skilled craftsmen with chainsaws, axes, wood chisels, and other fine wood-working tools. This enables full-length logs to be used without the need for vertical butt joints, and is the only method that will create a truly stunning, luxurious log home.

Cost of Hiring a Home Builder
These three main categories also translate into three separate tiers when it comes to receiving construction bids from various Dallas log home builders: Timber-frame homes tend to be comparable to conventional home building. Milled log homes can be comparable or less expensive if you're able to take advantage of DIY kits or a modular log home plan. Handcrafted log homes are considerably more expensive. Depending on your design, preferences, and situation, they can run anywhere from two to four times the cost of other construction methods.

Construction Times
Construction times also vary widely, but remain somewhat more consistent than the cost. The vast majority of log home projects fall within the same five to eight month time period associated with traditional home building. Rain can cause delays, but this is generally factored in to construction time estimates. Modular log home construction will often be faster than other methods, but will still take a good amount of time before turn-key conditions are completed. On the flip side, large, hand-crafted or meticulous DIY operations may trend toward, or even surpass, the eight-month mark.