In this article, we will be discussing the most common types of construction used in building custom homes in the mountains of the southeast.  Determining which type of home is right for you can be a difficult task.

Wills Builders, Inc. is an Unlimited Licensed General Contractor based out of Murphy, NC.  We specialize in the construction of high end quality mountain homes.  We are building homes for many discerning clients in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.  Our clients have a wide variety of tastes, but the type of home construction that they choose usually come from a handful of options. 

Conventional Frame Construction:  This is probably the most common type of construction used.  Conventional frame construction utilizes standard dimensional lumber to construct the framing systems that make up the home.  Floor systems are usually built using dimensional 2x material or engineered wood products such as an engineered floor truss  system or wood-I floor framing system.  Walls are typically constructed using either 2×4 or 2×6 dimensional lumber with 1/2″ wall sheathing.  Roof construction usually consists of dimensional lumber for roof framing or engineered wood products such as engineered roof trusses or wood-I roof framing system.  This type of construction is probably the most versatile, accommodating many different types of interior and exterior finish options for the home.  This is also usually the most cost effective approach.

Log Construction:  The framing system of most log homes are manufactured by a log home company.  There are several different wood species and sizes of log to choose from for your home.  The two main categories of log types are milled logs and hand-crafted logs.  Milled logs are the most commonly used type of log. These logs are milled into shape by machinery at log home manufacturing facilities.  The available sizes of milled logs usually range from 6″ to 14″ in diameter.  Available wood species include white pine, spruce, red pine, cedar, cypress, douglas fir and oak.  The cost of the log home package can vary greatly depending on the selected log size and species.  Log home companies can also provide heavy timber floor and roof framing systems that compliment the log walls.  One important issue to consider with log construction is that with any heavy timber, be it dimensionally milled or round log, shrinking and checking will occur.  Settling systems need to be present in the design of the home to properly deal with this natural characteristic of the wood.  There are many different log home manufacturers that utilize several different types of “settling systems”.   Hand-crafted log homes are typically used in high-end projects.  The cost of these logs are significantly higher than milled logs.  These logs are typically crafted from larger diameter logs that come from the western U.S., British Columbia and Canada.  They are typically douglas fir or ponderosa pine.  These logs are literally hand peeled, shaped and fitted together by craftsmen using various hand tools.  Log size will vary from log to log and can range anywhere from 12″ to 24″ in diameter or larger.  The checking that occurs in logs and heavy timber is caused by the natural drying process of the wood.  Even when these heavy timbers are kiln dried, they will still check, although the checking will not be as drastic.  Checking is simply the cracks that occur in the wood as the wood dries.  Cracks that occur from checking do not compromise the structural integrity of the wood.  Log homes offer their owners a more rustic level of finish with a lot of natural wood.  There is a level of maintenance that goes along with any log home, as there is with any home with a wood exterior.

Timber Frame Construction:  Timber frame construction has become a popular choice in the mountains of the southeast.  These homes are built using dimensional heavy timber for the wall and roof framing structures using the post and beam methodology of construction.  These homes create an appealing balance of heavy timber and wood with more conventional finishes than with a log home.  These homes are built using a combination of heavy timbers and conventional materials.  This type of construction allows for many different types of finishes both interior and exterior.

S.I.P. Construction:  S.I.P. stands for structural insulated panel.  SIPs are used for wall and roof framing systems.  A SIP panel is made with 2 sheets of plywood or osb sheathing bonded together by 10″-12″ of rigid foam insulation in between.  This process creates a panel that is able to be used for the structural framing system for walls and roofs.  This system also offers a panelized approach to the construction process that may or may not offer time savings to the construction, depending on the application.  This system offers a very high level of energy efficiency.

Hybrid Construction:  An increasingly popular approach in design is that of a hybrid construction system.  This can be a combination of any of the above types of construction, in any amounts.  Many of our clients ultimately decide that they want a mix of many different types of construction and finishes in their custom home.  Some of the most beautiful, intriguing homes that we have been involved with have been hybrid homes.  The majority of the designs that we are seeing of late are hybrid home designs.

In this article, we will be laying the groundwork for the initial phase of getting a custom building project started, identifying the things that the Owner should be aware of and the decisions that they will need to make.

First, I would like to introduce our company.  Wills Builders, Inc. is an Unlimited Licensed General Contractor specializing in the construction of high end luxury mountain homes including log homes and timber-frame homes.  Our commercial construction company, Wills Builders-Commercial, Inc. is a bonded Unlimited Licensed General Contractor specializing in the construction of all types of commercial projects.  Our areas of operations are in the mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia & Tennessee.  We assess taking projects in other states on a case by case basis.  The counties in North Carolina that we operate in include Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon, Swain, Jackson, Haywood, Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe & Madison counties.  Some of the cities in North Carolina that we operate in include Murphy, Andrews, Hayesville, Robbinsville, Fontana Village, Franklin, Sylva, Bryson City, Cullowhee, Highlands, Cashiers, Glenville, Cherokee, Saphire, Lake Toxaway, Brevard, Waynesville and Asheville.  The counties in South Carolina that we operate in include Oconee, Pickens, Greenville and Anderson counties.  Some of the cities in South Carolina that we operate in include Westminster, Seneca, Walhalla, Clemson, Liberty, Cleveland and Marietta.  The counties in Georgia that we operate in include Union, Towns, Rabun, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Whitfield, Catoosa, White, Lumpkin, Habersham, Pickens, Cherokee, Dawson, Forsyth, Cobb, Hall and Fulton.  Some of the cities in Georgia that we operate in include McCaysville, Young Harris, Hiawassee, Blairsville, Blueridge, Suches, Helen, Cleveland, Dahlonega, Dawsonville, Juno, Cherrylog, Ellijay, East Ellijay, Talking Rock, Jasper, Tate, Nelson, Ball Ground, Waleska, Canton, Cumming, Silver City, Coal Mountain, Holly Springs, Blackwells, Acworth, Kennesaw, Roswell, Marietta and Smyrna.  The counties in Tennessee that we operate in include Polk, Monroe, Blount, Sevier, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Bradley, Hamilton, Marion, Sequathie, Grundy, Bledsoe, Rhea and Meigs.  Some of the cities that we operate in include Ducktown, Copperhill, Postelle, Farner, Coker Creek, Tellico Plains, Madisonville, Sweetwater, Englewood, Etowah, Athens, Maryville, Townsend, Wear Valley, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, Cleveland, Collegedale, Ooltewah and Chattanooga.  We have worked with many types and manufacturers of log, timber-frame and SIP panel systems.  We promote green building as well as energy star compliant construction.  In the 12 years that we have been in business, we have established a reputation as a high quality, professional custom builder. 

So, you have decided to build a custom home but you’re not quite sure where to begin?  Typically, the first step that most people take is to find and engage an Architect to develop the plans for their custom home.  An Architect can work with the Owner to design their home, coordinating the Owners wishes with the various site conditions that exist.  There are many details to be considered, and proper coordination at this stage of the process is extremely important.  The Architect can work with the Owner’s Builder to coordinate with local authorities, agencies and code officials to obtain the necessary permits required to begin construction of the project.  Some of the other critical elements that the Architect can determine are the most economical placement of the footprint of the home on the existing topography of the house site, the most cost effective driveway approach to the home, the appropriate location for the placement of a well, coordinating permitting and placement for the septic system, coordinating with the local power company to develop an acceptable infrastructure plan and developing an overall master site plan to take all of the surroundings into consideration during the design of the home. Architects can also serve in a construction management capacity once construction has begun to verify that the home is being built according to the plans, to review pay requests by the Contractor and to work with the Contractor to help to clarify issues as they arise during construction. The Architect’s services can be a considerable investment by the Owner, but typically this investment more than pays for itself by the end of the project.  One of the most successful ways that we have found to build a custom home is to use the design/build approach.  This is accomplished by engaging an Architect and a General Contractor that will work together from the beginning of the design phase for the Owner.  One of the biggest advantages to this approach is the preliminary estimating that the Contractor can generate from working with the Architect during the design process.  Many Owners hire an Architect to design their home and then once the design is complete, they send the plans to several Contractors for a bid to construct the home, only to find out that the home that they designed with their Architect will cost much more to build than the budget amount that they have available for construction. With the design/build approach, the right Contractor can provide accurate preliminary estimating on the design as it progresses to ensure the Owner that the completed design can be built within their budget range.

The Owner’s decision in hiring the right Licensed Architect and Licensed General Contractor to design and build their project will be the two most important decisions that they will make in the process.  These decisions will determine wether or not their project will be a well executed, well built, on budget project.

                                                       Choosing Your Contractor

(Contracts between Contractor & Owner)

Now that you have found that perfect piece of property to build your dream home on and you have a home design to start from, it’s time to choose the right contractor. This will prove to be one of the single most important decisions made in the total process.

It is important to choose a reputable Contractor that will best serve the needs of your particular project.  An important facet of achieving this will include the actual contract between the Owner and the Contractor.  While most Contractors generally follow a common form, every one is different, and the contracts with which they do business will be unique to each individual Builder.  The Owner should discuss this topic with any perspective Builders to get an idea of how they operate their business, and determine if their processes coincide with the Owner’s ideas of how their project should be managed.

The most common types of contracts entered into during residential construction are the stipulated sum or fixed price contract, the cost plus contract and the cost plus with a GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price).

The lump sum or fixed price contract is basically an agreement that the Contractor will complete a particular project for a stipulated sum.  The obvious advantage for the Homeowner in this case is the idea of having a predetermined set price for the project.  The Owner must be able to provide an extremely detailed set of plans for the Contractor in this situation for estimating purposes.  Once entered into this type of contract, any changes or deviations from the original plan can get extremely costly.

The cost plus contract is an agreement that the Contractor will complete a particular project for a percentage of the actual cost of the materials, labor and any other costs related directly to your project.  This type of contract gives the Owner much more flexibility to make changes, or in a custom home situation, affords the Owner the ability to allow the project to “evolve” as it progresses, allowing decisions to be made as the project continues.

The cost plus with a GMP contract functions the same as a cost plus contract except that there is a maximum price set for the project that the Contractor guarantees the project cost will not exceed.  Typically, if the total project cost comes in less than the GMP amount, the Owner and the Contractor will each receive 50% of the difference between the GMP and the total project cost.

When reviewing a contract with a Builder, it is important to make sure that any issues that could become a cause of misunderstanding down the road are dealt with in the contract prior to the execution of the contract documents.  It’s important to be sure that the proper insurance that is needed for your project is either carried by the Contractor or acquired by the Owner.  Make sure that the contract stipulates which types of insurance that the Contractor will provide.  Approximate start and completion dates should also be stipulated within the contract, as well as how the contract price and payments will be dealt with on your particular project.

Regardless of which type of contract your working with, a complete, detailed contract is the best way to avoid unwanted disputes down the road.  Be sure to have the Builder explain any parts of the contract that you do not fully understand.