Welcome to The Leelanau Log Home Company E-NEWSLETTER. Our free electronic newsletter offers helpful tips and suggestions on buying, building and owning a log home.
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About The Leelanau Log Home Company LLC
The Leelanau Log Home Company LLC is an authorized independent dealer for The Original Lincoln Logs LTD serving the Great State of Michigan. In addition, we offer complete construction and general contracting services, site evaluation/planning, custom design service plus much more. Let our experience, craftsmanship and professional customer service go to work for you!
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March 2008 (Volume 3, Issue 2):
Welcome Cottage & Lakefront Living Show Subscribers!
Thanks for visiting our booth at the Cottage & Lakefront Living Show. It was a pleasure to meet you and learn a little about your log home dream. Our E-newsletter covers topics that you need to know about shopping, buying, building and living in a log home. We hope you find them useful. Thanks for subscribing.
Promotion Announced: Spring Forward with Lincoln!
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Tip of the Month: Shopping, Part 2: Who Will Finance Your Log Home?
I hope the log home shopping tips last month were helpful. This month we'd like to review another important shopping topic that should be done early in the process. Ideally, determining who and how you plan to fund your log home project should be done simultaneously while shopping for your log home company.
Imagine you're already making choices on the square foot size of your log home, the design, log package options, the mechanical systems, etc, only to learn that you're over the amount that a financial institution will lend you for your log home project. D'oh!
So let's avoid this common mistake that can result in wasted time and effort, possible significant delays in the start of your project, possible increased costs as well as a damper on your enthusiasm.
Having the knowledge of an approximate budget number during the preliminary planning phase will give you the confidence to make the right choices and enable you to prioritize your selections based on your needs and wish list.
To begin, make a list of financial institutions you plan to speak with. That list can include your local bank, plus regional and national lenders. A good place to start lender shopping is with American Log Mortgage or, if you plan to build outside Michigan, M&T Mortgage. Both specialize in log home financing (contact info is listed below). Speaking with them will give you a good overview of what to look for, and compare to, as you learn more about financing programs.
The best advice we can offer is to shop and compare services, rates, programs, etc. Remember, this is probably one of the biggest investments of your life, so give it the attention and due diligence it deserves. Ultimately, the financial institution you choose is up to you.
Here are some helpful tips:
- Define your log home construction project. Turn-key log home built by a licensed contractor? Shell-in built by a licensed contractor and you'll general contract the rest? Owner build?
- Compare loan programs and their specific guidelines. Many lenders have made changes to their loan programs as a result of the predatory lending fiasco and foreclosure crisis that have captured the headlines.
- Here are just a few things you need to consider when speaking with a loan officer: do they lend for log homes, limitations based on the type of project, amount of initial deposit, appraised value financing, requirements for comparables, timetable or length of construction period, combination loans (construction to mortgage with one closing fee), how the log package is financed, loan fees, additional charges for being your own general contractor, etc.
- Speak with loan officers from each financial institution on your list and ask them to explain their loan programs as they related to your specific project. Make sure to take notes and always ask questions.
- Ask to receive their loan program literature so you can read it thoroughly at your convenience.
- Make a side-by-side comparison on a spreadsheet by financial institution for each program element to help you compare based on your specific situation.
- Get pre-qualified before you commit to a log home package. It's worth repeating, get pre-qualified by your financial institution of choice. Some lenders offer online pre-qualification and most will do this over the phone.
American Log Mortgage
Dean Loux-Loan Officer
American Log Mortgage
3840 Hempland Rd.
Mountville, PA 17554
Toll Free: 877-226-5242 ext 6612
Direct Dial: 717-285-6612
E-mail: dloux@bankahb.com
Website: www.americanlogmortgage.com
SystemBuilt Lending Division
M&T Mortgage Corporation
Mandy Frederick
2270 Erin Court
Lancaster, PA 17601
888-539-1160
Email: mfrederick@mandtbank.com
Website: www.systembuilt.com
The Leelanau Log Home Company Team is ready to answer your questions.
Call us at 231-275-5647 or email us at sales@leenanauloghomes.com
Frequently Asked Questions, Part 1
This is the first part in a series of three for frequently asked questions with our responses. We hope you find this informative and useful.
Can I modify one of your floorplans or adapt a design I already have?
The Lincoln Logs design and engineering staff has worked with thousands of homebuyers who've had the same questions and concerns that you have. We can make modifications to a Lincoln Logs plan; work with existing plans from other sources, and design homes completely from scratch. Whichever way you choose, your home can be as unique as you are.
We can adapt your ideas into the Lincoln Logs building system. Lincoln Logs will prepare specific prints for each customer's own home so that you can build your home the way you want it. The Leelanau Log Home Company LLC and Lincoln Logs staff will work together with you to make your dream home a reality.
What is included in your home packages? Do you offer a turn-key project, or will I need to hire a contractor?
Our packages include the materials needed to build your weather-tight shell. That includes the logs and sealant system, log siding for gable ends, premium windows and exterior doors, complete roof system, interior wall partitions, tongue & groove pine siding for gables and dormers and hardware to assemble the home. You or your contractor will need to prepare the site and build the foundation and first floor deck, before your log home package arrives. You or your contractor will also be responsible for the interior materials such as heating and/or cooling, electrical wiring, plumbing, kitchen cabinets, flooring and other finish materials.
The Leelanau Log Home Company LLC is a Lincoln Logs authorized dealer, licensed builder and general contractor offering full construction services from shell-in to a full turn-key project and everything in-between. We also can help you find a builder/contractor in your area. Some of our customers choose to be their own general contractor and subcontract out the various phases of their project. Contact us so we can discuss the construction option that will work best for you.
How much do your homes cost? What will be my total cost to build?
There are a lot of variables when it comes to costs, and costs may vary by region of the country. Our log home packages range in price from $14,110 for a 384 square foot cabin to over $200,000 for a 4,000 square foot sprawling design. Typically, full turn-key construction costs are about three to four times the package price, so an average $60,000 package could cost between $180,000 to $240,000 or more, plus the land and site preparation. Your total cost may vary depending on such things as local labor rates, interior finish materials and applications you choose, plus the amount of work you choose to do yourselves. Please contact us for a no obligation budget consultation or see if you qualify for our Learning Workshop.
The Leelanau Log Home Company Team is ready to answer your questions.
Call us at 231-275-5647 or email us at sales@leenanauloghomes.com
Learning Workshop Announced: 2008 Fall/Winter Dates Now Available
- Are you 18-24 months away from building your log home?
- Confused about the log home buying and building process?
- Want to learn about log homes and how that information relates to your project?
- Want to know the project cost by creating your own budget based on your custom design?
If you answered "YES" to some or all of these questions, this workshop maybe for you. The Leelanau Log Home Company Learning Workshop is a customized, fun and informative program tailored to your specific log home project. Because this workshop is built around you, to attend you must pre-register and meet certain requirements. No generalities here.
We developed this workshop to help folks successfully navigate through the confusing experience of shopping, buying and building a log home. There are absolutely no high pressure sales tactics, this is not a sales gimmick, and there's no cost or obligation -- just honest answers to your questions with the information that you want to know. Each workshop is limited to three couples and scheduled dates will fill up fast. To learn more, please contact Brad at 231-275-5647.
Featured Floorplan: Johnson
4 Bedrooms, 3 1⁄2 Bathrooms
Main Level: 2,157 sq. ft.
Second Level: 981 sq. ft.
Total: 3,138 sq. ft.
Four bedrooms plus a private study give this home plenty of room for family, while the open family room, formal dining area and front and rear porches provide room for entertaining. Large closets and a 3-car garage provide storage space, and the transom windows let in natural light.
Click for more information or to download a PDF of this floorplan!
For more floorplans, access our floorplans database.
The Leelanau Log Home Company LLC
Brad Karikomi & Jim Coyle
Model home address:
1310 S. Lakeshore Drive,
Lake Leelanau
,
Michigan
49653
Business mailing address:
PO Box 309
,
Interlochen
,
Michigan
49643
Office: 231-275-5647
Mobile
: 231-668-1465
Fax: 231-275-0400
The Lincoln Logs Advantage click here to find out why!
