Getting Started
- FAQs
FAQs
Below you will find some of the most commonly-asked questions from Central Virginia Log Homes’ customers and our responses to them. If you can’t find the answer to your question, simply contact us.
- What makes Kuhns Bros. so special?
- Why should I buy a certified and graded kiln dried home with a guaranteed moisture content?
- What comes in my log package?
- What log profiles do you offer?
- What kind of maintenance am I looking at?
- How does the price of a log home compare to conventional homes?
- When I purchase the "No-Shop" package of building materials from Kuhns Bros. Log Homes, besides the sales tax, are there any other fees or charges I will need to be aware of before I decide?
- Honestly, what will my finished cost be?
- Do you build or have builders?
- Will you meet with us?
- Who will finance a log home?
1. What makes Kuhns Bros. so special?
- Certified and graded kiln dried logs, beams and purlins
- Logs and beams dried to 19% average moisture content, guaranteed in writing
- The most complete package in the industry guaranteed in writing
- Lifetime warranty on all wood products Kuhns Bros. produces
- Custom design at no additional charge
- Delivery included in quote anywhere in continental USA
- Hands on instructional workshops
- Freeze your price quote for up to 12 months
- We will perform complete inventory of all package material.
- Construction management services
- Maintenance contracts
Top of the line components come standard: Andersen Windows®, Therma-tru doors®, Tamko Shingles® : Andersen 400 series windows and patio doors are double-paned, tilt-wash, and Low-E for optimum insulating performance. They carry a twenty year warranty on glass and ten year warranty on parts. The warranties are non-prorated and transferable. Double hung windows tilt in-out for easy cleaning. Paneled exterior doors, by THERMA TRU, are Stain Grade Fiberglass and carry a manufacturer's lifetime warranty.
- Homes are lagged with 3/8 x 12" lags (10" on shorter logs) not olylags or spikes
- Beams are 6”x 8” and 8” x 12”, twice the size of most companies
- Kuhns Bros. will not treat the inside of your home with chemicals, your health is far too important to risk
- Kuhns Bros. is a corporate supporter of the national Arbor Day Foundation and has an active reforestation program
- Kuhns Bros. will not waste any part of the tree, everything is used in an ecologically sound manner
- Central Virginia Log Homes is well versed in all phases of construction and is available to you and all contractors involved in your project
- Central Virginia Log Homes can assist you in securing financing
- Central Virginia Log Homes will be with you right up until the day you move in, and always available for future service.
2.Why should I buy a certified and graded kiln dried home with a guaranteed moisture content?
- Kiln drying will substantially minimize checking.
- Kiln drying will allow you to build without provisions for shrinkage
- Kiln drying will crystallize sap and pitch so they do not weep out
- Kiln drying will remove an average of 10,000 pounds of water from a 2000 square foot home
- Kiln drying will make the wood more stable and easier to lift, finish, drill and notch
- Kiln drying will kill all eggs, bugs and larvae in the wood, impossible with air drying
- Kiln drying allows you to weatherproof your home immediately, not a year or two later
- Learn more about the benefits of Kiln Drying
- Kiln Dried Brochure
3. What comes in my log package?
- Each package is customized to meet a customer’s particular requirements and preferences. The most popular demands are for Log and Timber, Weathertight, Finish Material, and "No-Shop" Log packages. The Log and Timber Package contains basic structural components. The Weather-Tight Package contains components to build a weathertight shell. The Finish Package contains the components needed to complete a "No-Shop" package. DELIVERY IS INCLUDED at no extra charge. More about the packages. Most Complete Package details.
- Kuhns Bros. guarantees IN WRITING that all building materials needed to construct your log home will be provided in the “No-Shop” Packages with the exception of: (1) the electrical system, (2) the plumbing system, (3) the heating system, (4) appliances/cabinets/countertops, (5) floor coverings, (6) masonry, and (7) gutters and downspouts. THIS GUARANTEE IS UNIQUE IN THE INDUSTRY.
- Learn more about the Material Specifications of the log packages
4. What log profiles do you offer?
Kuhns Bros. offer a variety of log home profiles and corner options. Our most popular profiles include the 6”x8” D, the 6”x12” dovetail, the 8” round Swedish Cope and the 8”x8” D and double D. For more information on log profiles, click here.
5. What kind of maintenance am I looking at?
As with any home, your Kuhns Bros. Log Home will require normal care and maintenance.
Learn more about Log Home Care
6. How does the price of a log home compare to conventional homes?
- If the two custom homes have the same footprint and the same features, the price will be very close. Keep in mind you seldom see heavy timber roofs, wood covered walls, cathedral ceilings and lofts in a conventional home.
- Building either home requires land, septic, permits, well, foundation, labor, electrical, plumbing, finishing, cabinets, floors, driveway, roof, heating and air conditioning, and maybe a fireplace. So plan on the log walls costing a few dollars more in material, but there may be savings in labor, so you can end up very close.
- If cost is a big issue, then design the home more like a conventional home, (eg. low ceilings, carpeting, maximize the usuable space) and you will certainly save a few dollars.
- A log home in the our area (Central VA) regardless of which company you choose will cost you anywhere from $175-$210+ a square foot "turn-key". Turn-key is defined "you own the land and we take over from there with clearing, excavation, foundation, construction of house etc...and hand you the keys at the end". If you are planning to invest "sweat equity" in your home and do some of the finish labor yourself you CAN save money. How much sweat equity will determine the final cost of the home; $150 per sq. ft. -- you work very hard, $200+ per sq. ft. you hire a General Contractor and go fishing.
- A log home package from Kuhns Bros., which is the single most complete package in the industry will average about $65.00 per square foot. This material already supplied will save you from purchasing all the other components retail which will cost you more in the end.
- You must figure every home individually, that is where we come in….with a set of plans (that we can help you draw) and your input, we can estimate the turn-key on your home to within 5% of finished cost of that home.
7. When I purchase the "No-Shop" package of building materials from Kuhns Bros. Log Homes, besides the sales tax, are there any other fees or charges I will need to be aware of before I decide?
Everything is already figured into the quote for you, including split deliveries. After you purchase the package, the items remaining that are needed to finish the home will need to be determined. Even though Kuhns Bros. Log Homes will provide the most complete package of building materials, you will need to determine a budget for labor, masonry, cabinets, plumbing, heating, electrical and floor coverings.
8. Honestly, what will my finished cost be?
Some companies use multipliers, "2 to 2.5 times the cost of the package", but we prefer to use a Log Home Cost Worksheet method which outlines all the costs associated with building a turn-key log home. Call us and we'll help you estimate the cost of your new log home.
9. Do you build or have builders?
We are licensed Class A Contractors in the state of Virginia. If you are building out of state, we provide a list of licensed contractors for your evaluation. We would also provide extensive support to the contractor of your choice in the form of hands-on factory training, on-site construction assistance, a factory-trained crew as a “shell only” subcontractor, a 1-800-HELP line, highly detailed Construction Guides and Blueprints, construction DVD, delivery management, staggered deliveries, where-used material lists, and inverted stacked log bundles – all this just to make construction easier!
Yes, of course. If you can, start by attending one of our monthly open house events. Then if you need further information or would like to discuss your plans and pricing further, we will be happy to make a special appointment with you.
11. Who will finance a log home?
There are many companies that will be happy to finance a log home. Some of those banks are large national chains and others are log home specific. The following finance companies are easy to work with and are very friendly to the idea of log home financing. Their interest rates are comparable to other banks and they will also allow the owners to do some of the work themselves, although you may have to demonstrate that you have the necessary skills.
| Chase Home Finance | 1-866-293-1064 |
Denver, Colorado |
| Clarion Mortgage | 1-866-798-2697 |
Littleton, Colorado |
| GMAC | 1-877-991-4622 |
Palmdale, California |
| GMAC | 1-858-450-3373 |
San Diego, California |
| IndyMac Bank | 1-800-669-2300 |
Pasadena, California |
| Log Lenders of America | 1-888-880-5647 |
Bridge City, Texas |
| M & T Mortgage Corporation | Contact: Mike Giampietro |
Frederick, Maryland |
| Magellan All-In-One Lending | 1-800-742-3863 |
Salem, Oregon |
| Preferred Capital Mortgage Service, LLC | Becky Williams |
|
| Stratford Financial Services | 1-888-564-5363 |
Alameda, California |