

The size and diameter of the logs are another cost factor.” Utility costs “You could build the same house in Southern yellow pine or in Douglas fir and get two very different prices. “Different wood species come in at different price points,” says Peak. As a result, lumber that once set builders back about $350 per 1,000 board feet now runs $1,200-a 250% spike in the price.īeyond the fluctuating cost of lumber, the type of logs you choose will significantly affect your bottom line. Wood: According to the National Association of Home Builders, supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic caused lumber costs to triple in 2021. And delays in weather or unforeseen construction problems can add hours of labor to a quote. If you’re not ready to spend your weekends hauling logs, make sure your budget has wiggle room when it comes to labor costs. “For example, if you buy a log cabin kit for $60,000 and pay other people to build it, the cost can go up to $180,000,” says Erik Nilsson, CEO and founder of Rentola. Labor: If you decide to buy a log cabin kit, you can save money putting it together yourself-that is, if you have the time and skill set. And according to HomeAdvisor, you can expect to pay from $300 to $500 per square foot for any custom home. Custom cabins: If you want to design and build a custom log cabin, construction fees alone will run you between $100,000 and $150,000, according to Stephen Keighery, CEO and founder of Home Buyer Louisiana.Assembling the cabin and hooking it up to utilities will cost extra. It’s usually built in a factory and delivered to your land. Prefab cabins: “A prefabricated log cabin will cost $80 to $230 per square foot,” says Wysocarski.

Things like a foundation, floors, and bathroom will all cost extra. A kit is generally barebones framing and comes with walls, a roof, doors, and windows. Log cabin kits: “A DIY kit for a log cabin may cost you $50 to $80 per square foot,” says Ron Wysocarski, broker and CEO of Wyse Home Realty in Port Orange, FL.Kits, prefab, and construction: The design of a log cabin includes the shell, interior finishes, kitchen and bathrooms, and mechanicals (i.e., plumbing and heating)-each of which can fluctuate by thousands of dollars. And once you purchase a plot of land, you will need building permits, which average $5,086 nationally. Department of Agriculture’s Land Values 2020 Summary. depending on how developed the parcel is and other factors.īut to give you a ballpark figure, an acre of land costs $3,100 on average, according to the U.S. Here are the main expenses you’ll encounter: “Building a log cabin could be as low as $100 per square foot and as high as $300 per square foot,” says Nick Stoddard, chief executive officer of KC Property Connection in Overland Park, KS. And if you want a full-time home rather than a cozy, rustic getaway, you’re looking at an average of $300,000 to build a cabin that’s 2,000 square feet. So how much does it cost to construct a log cabin? According to HomeAdvisor, building a 500-square-foot cabin costs an average of about $75,000. A sampling of cabins that recently hit the real estate market ranges from simple structures selling for $132,000 to luxe getaways priced well into the millions.Īnd like any home for sale, a log cabin’s asking price all depends on location, recent home sales in the area, and overall state of the real estate market. Yet the average cost of log cabins-being the specialty homes that they are-can be harder to pin down. The median cost of an existing home runs about $375,000. (Wood’s thermal mass is a natural heating material.) So if you’re getting serious about making your log cabin dreams a reality, you may be wondering if it’s cheaper to buy an existing log cabin-or building one from scratch.īefore you break out your jacksaw, take a step back and examine the “buy or build” question to see which choice makes the most economic sense. Log cabins are as beautiful as they are durable, nearly weather-resistant and energy-efficient. After all, who can resist the idea of snuggling on a couch next to a roaring fire under high, exposed wooden beams? Answer: nobody! Among the most popular dream-home fantasies is living in a cozy log cabin in the woods.
