Getting Started

Successful Log Home Planning

Research and organize ideas: Begin by calling Virginia Log Builders for your copy of the Golden Eagle Log Home brochure. Research carefully and keep a journal of your questions and ideas. After reviewing literature, make plans to attend our next Open House and Log Home Planning Seminar in Louisa, VA.
During the Open House/Seminar visit we will help you determine how much home you can afford to build. We’ll also discuss design options, land considerations, construction services and financing options. Begin to identify your wants and needs that will dictate your floor plan design.
Ball Park Pricing is a free service offered by Golden Eagle Log Homes that will help you determine total costs for your new log home. We try to be as accurate as we can from the information we gain in our discussions with you as we don’t want you to be surprised later. (for your verbal Ballpark price allow approximately 1-2 business days)
Initiate Plan Service when you are ready to move forward in the process. For $1.00 a square foot, Golden Eagle Log Homes will draw your floor plans. This plan service fee is refundable with your purchase of a Golden Eagle Log Home package valued at $50,000 or more. (Floor plans are completed in approx. 7-12 business days. Allow for mailing time also)
50 Plans Revisions are offered by GELH free of charge. After your floor plans are drawn for you, the odds are pretty good that you will see your home in a different light and may need to make a few changes. You are able to make up to 50 revisions to your plan without paying any additional plan fee costs. This is a good time to decide which walls on the interior of your home should be tongue and groove, log, drywall etc… TIP: Don’t rush this part, it is usually best to study the plans for a week or more before requesting changes. (Plan revisions are typically completed within 5-7 business days. Allow for mailing time also)
Preliminary Proposals will be done next now that you have a good set of plans to work from. We will now be able to get your home priced pretty close. We say pretty close because you still need to fine tune a few things and that will happen in the next step when you make your final selections. (Preliminary Proposals are very detailed and take about 7-14 business days. Allow for mailing time also.)
Preliminary Engineering and final selections require $2,500 or 10% down payment. Our engineering staff will now review the structural makeup of your home plans and determine and properly size the posts, headers, beams, bearing points, floor joists and more.

One of our senior project expediters will typically invest time with your local building inspector at this point to verify local snow and wind loads that are specific to your building area. We also check and see if there are local codes that take precedence over your state building code; investing this time now helps us be very accurate with your final proposal pricing, and helps the project go smoother later.

At this point, you have seen the preliminary contract proposal and you are going to build this home. This is the point where you pay $2,500 down payment or 10% down payment towards your package. This money is credited towards your package if you buy the package or forfeited if you back out on the purchase of your Golden Eagle Log Home.

Now let’s get those final decisions made such as what will your kitchen look like, choose the perfect front door, etc… After you make your final selections, we can put together your final proposal. This pricing should be final and unless you got carried away when making your final selections, the final proposal price should be pretty close to the preliminary price we did for you in step #4. (most clients with guidance, can wrap up color selections in one session)
Preparing the Final Proposal is the next step. Golden Eagle Log Home’s final proposal options are: the 10% down proposal is typically used when you want to start building within 6 months. You would pay the balance of your 10% down, promise us you are done with changing the plans, provide a map to your building site and set up a firm or approximate delivery date with our shipping experts.

We could then proceed with the final code compliance engineering and have your package ready to ship in as quickly as 4 weeks. TIP: The Final proposal and engineered plans will be needed by your county building department prior to issuance of a building permit by the code official. The building permit is needed to get your site cleared and foundation ready. (We will need to price any changes you made while choosing your final selections therefore the preparing of this proposal typically takes 7-14 business days.)
Secure building permit and have your GC start the site work while you await delivery of your log home package.