How Long Does It Take to Build a Log Home?

Discover a typical, custom home build timeline from start to finish. This guide will detail the initial 5-step process, from setting your budget, going through the preliminary design phase, and making your custom selections, to final engineering and getting building permits. We’ll provide an estimated timeline for building a custom home while considering everything that can affect timing.

Designing your custom timber frame home or log cabin is an exciting process, but one that requires lots of planning and patience. Knowing this information ahead of time and being well-prepared before building sets you up for a stress-free experience. After all, you're building your dream home, and the process should be fun.

The design process for building a custom timber frame or log home typically involves the following five steps. Estimated timeframes for each step are provided based on our 50-plus years of experience, in which we’ve designed over 6,000 homes throughout North America.

1. Establish a Ballpark Price: Before you can even begin the process, you should determine a budget that you are comfortable with for your luxury timber frame or log home. This budget should realistically reflect the vision for your dream home. Before reaching out, you should have this budget in mind. This initial step doesn't take much time, but from this point, plan on about 12 months until your first delivery of materials for your home.
2. Preliminary Design Process: Once you have your budget settled, the preliminary design phase can start. This is where your vision begins to take shape and your floor plans start coming together. The timeline for this phase is largely dependent on the complexity of your timber frame or log home plans. It also depends on whether you are customizing an existing timber frame or log home floor plan or starting from scratch. A few tweaks to an existing floor plan can mean a shorter timeframe, but if you are starting with a blank canvas, it is likely going to take longer since it’s never been done before. Overall, the preliminary design process can take anywhere from two to three months. The home is being designed to fit the property, taking into account the topography, your snow load, wind load, seismic loading, and even HOA requirements, if applicable. Our team contacts the zoning officials and building inspectors to make sure your home is designed to fit the property. Detailed 3D renderings are created showing all the intricacies of the timber or log cabin design to help the client visualize their forever home. All of these elements take some time. This step in the custom home build timeline really depends on whether there are revisions to the renderings and if this phase requires more back-and-forth communication and updates to the design.
3. Selections at Golden Eagle: The next step in the timeline for building a custom home involves selecting your cabinets, countertops, doors, stone, stain colors, and other finishes. Unlike many other log home manufacturers, we bring our clients into our state-of-the-art showroom before building begins. This step helps to prevent delays later during the construction process. We put together a proposal based on your selections and ensure it meets your predetermined budget. Choosing your selections ahead of time ensures that all details are finalized before building and ensures a smoother process on the back end. Our solid relationships with reputable vendors give us insight into their lead times, so we can order the products before they need to be at the job site and ensure everything is on schedule. This phase of the custom home build timeline can be anywhere from several weeks to a few months, depending on how long it takes for you to make your selections.
4. Final Engineering: When you are done making your selections for your luxury log home, the process moves into the final engineering stage. This timeline for building a custom home depends on the level of engineering you need. Some municipalities are less strict on what they want to see for engineering and building codes, and these are going to take less time than areas that require every page of your building plan to be stamped by an engineer. Rest assured that with every new home design, our team is going to meet or exceed local building codes. The average timeline for this phase is around two to three months.
5. Building Permits: The final step before construction is securing building permits. The speed at which permits can be acquired varies by location. Some areas approve permits fairly quickly, while others have stricter processes and take longer.

From the initial budget conversation to obtaining building permits, the average timeframe is 12 months. Then, building can begin, and the custom home build timeline can take anywhere from eight to 16 months, depending on various factors. These factors include the square footage, complexity of the design, weather conditions, and crew availability. Keep in mind that detailed luxury homes and mansions can take nearly two years to build.

The key to a stress-free design and building experience is having patience and starting the process early. Allow time for each step to be completed, and you'll be set up for success in the process of building your dream home. Your investment of time will be worthwhile with the quality end result. Read our full guide with 25 steps to building a log cabin to learn more about what is involved in the custom home construction timeline and process. See all of our timber frame home designs and log cabin floor plans for some inspiration as you begin the process of designing your dream home.