Preliminary Plans to Final Construction Documents

When to choose a builder

We recommend waiting to decide on a builder until after the preliminary plans are done. This allows you to compare apples to apples on their quotes. If you have already decided on or are strongly leaning toward a certain builder, you might give them a copy of the concept drawing to review.

At this stage of design, your log home designer should be able to give you an approximate build cost. Building costs vary a great deal in different parts of the country. The cost in your area could be substantially higher compared to the same home only 50 miles away. Thus, it is impossible for the designer to know all the variables.

Verify, and Align the Price With the Plan

When the preliminary set is ready in draft form, your designer will provide two or three sets of blueprints for you and your builder to review. Go through them carefully and mark in red any mistakes or items you’re not satisfied with. The most important goal here is simple: make sure the plans accurately reflect what you want to build. That way, you can build with confidence, knowing the manufacturer’s cost is based on the plans you approved.

The key is to ensure the blueprint matches the house you intend to build. If not, correct it now. Changes after deposits are made are typically handled as change orders. They’re more difficult and more expensive at that stage.

Packages Vary—Specify What You Expect

The components and completeness of packages can vary substantially from one manufacturer to another. One may supply top-quality, free-of-heart #1 structural Douglas fir for exposed joists and rafters, while another substitutes Yellow Pine or a lesser Douglas fir. Windows can create large pricing swings, too. The solution is to specify the quality you want in the plans and then insist on it. If comparing packages feels murky, ask a trusted, knowledgeable person to help you evaluate them..

When to Authorize Final Construction Documents

Don’t order the final documents to be finished until you’ve:

Chosen a builder
Confirmed final costs
Arranged financing

Most log home manufacturers include final construction documents in the package price and won’t produce them until you order. If you’re working with an independent architect, many will continue through final documents. Manufacturers, by contrast, don’t want to design something you can’t afford or won’t build.

How Detailed Should Final Drawings Be?

Your architectural designer can draw final construction documents as basic or thorough as you desire. They can include:

• Structural details (foundation, footing type, joist and rafter sizes)
• Electrical drawings
• Interior elevations (cabinet and vanity faces)
• Material color specifications
• Even construction-phase supervision, if you wish

All of this adds cost. A practical approach is to have the designer complete the core plan and structural specifications. You handle colors and small cabinet details yourself through your cabinet maker, or with an interior decorator.

Bottom line: Verify the preliminary plans reflects exactly what you intend to build. Specify materials clearly so bids are comparable, then proceed to final construction documents with financing in place. That sequence keeps surprises and costly change orders to a minimum.

When to Authorize Final Construction Documents

Don’t order the final documents to be finished until you’ve:

• Chosen a builder
• Confirmed final costs
• Arranged financing

Most log home manufacturers include final construction documents in the package price and won’t produce them until you order. If you’re working with an independent architect, many will continue through final documents. Manufacturers, by contrast, don’t want to design something you can’t afford or won’t build.

How Detailed Should Final Drawings Be?

Your architectural designer can draw final construction documents as basic or thorough as you desire. They can include:

• Structural details (foundation, footing type, joist and rafter sizes)
• Electrical drawings
• Interior elevations (cabinet and vanity faces)
• Material color specifications
• Even construction-phase supervision, if you wish

All of this adds cost. A practical approach is to have the designer complete the core plan and structural specifications. You handle colors and small cabinet details yourself through your cabinet maker, or with an interior decorator.

Bottom line: Verify that the preliminary plans reflect exactly what you intend to build. Specify materials clearly so bids are comparable, then proceed to final construction documents with financing in place. That sequence keeps surprises and costly change orders to a minimum.