Things to Consider When Choosing Land for Your Prefab Cabin

Location, location, location. That’s the old adage in real estate, and it typically refers to neighborhoods with good schools and access to shopping. But when it comes to Texas log cabins, location is a whole ’nother kettle of fish — ideally caught with your own rod in a stream or pond nearby.

When you’re making plans for your Leland’s Cabins home, there are lots of things to consider. From the floorplan to the wooden walls, the kitchen cabinets to the cedar tub, you have scores of decisions to make. But tops among them is where to place your new home.

What follows are Leland’s top tips when choosing land for your prefab cabin:

Is there adequate space?

The reasons customers choose a manufactured log cabin are as varied as the people themselves. Building a log cabin home as a getaway from the daily grind of city living ranks close to the top. When you’re ready to trade dress shoes for mud boots, we suggest you make a few weekend excursions to explore the wilds before deciding on a land purchase. You want to gauge whether there is adequate space for all the plans you have, like gardening or planting an orchard or raising those chickens.

If you plan to invest in a Leland’s Cabin as a home office or extra space for family members, you will also want to investigate the space limitations. How many feet is the distance from the main house to your premade cabin? If you’re moving your business there, is it far enough from the noisy day-to-day living going on in your main house? If you’re moving your elderly parents in, is the walk close enough that they can get to the main house in an emergency?

Is there good light? Good views?

Buying a Texas log home isn’t like renting a Manhattan hotel room. You likely are looking for a room with a view of spectacular sunrises, of deer feeding on the perimeter shrubs, of sunsets turning the sky salmon pink. You want to find land that offers these natural vistas. And you should make sure to situate your cabin on the land to take full advantage of these outdoor shows.

This means doing your homework. If you’ve found a lot of land that seems promising, make sure to visit it at different times of day to see how the sun hits it and what the surrounding area looks like at dawn, lunchtime, and dusk. Study the best orientation for your cabin so the windows, patio, and porch can align with the most spectacular stages for nature to perform.

Are land costs and taxes reasonable?

Homework also comes into play when you look at the costs associated with the lot you’ve selected. Be sure to investigate the taxes and fees that come with your purchase, and consider hiring a lawyer to make sure there will be no surprises when you sign on the dotted line.

Buying manufactured log cabins like any of Leland’s nine models offers a means to a low-cost lifestyle. Our cabins are affordable and cost-efficient, and they can allow you to step off the expensive mortgage treadmill. Make sure you’ve prepared for the fees involved in purchasing land for your cabin, and enjoy the savings to come.

Any drainage or infestation issues?

Your cabin and the land you set it on will soon be your kingdom. You want to make sure you don’t spend your days waging battles with formidable foes like water and unwelcome critters.

Once you’ve zeroed in on the lot you’d like to purchase for your premade cabin, walk the grounds in all kinds of weather. Visit after a rainy stretch to see if the water drains away from your cabin site. Keep in mind that clay soil drains poorly while sandy soil might drain too fast. You’ll need to find an area that offers reliable drainage to avoid mold or rot issues.

Get to know your neighbors, and we don’t mean the human kind. Texas is home to some pretty unfriendly types, like disease-carrying mosquitoes and just-plain-scary snakes. Mosquitoes need standing water to breed, so make sure that’s not available at your cabin site. Fire ants are another nasty foe and are among the 100-or-so species of ants in Texas — and they’re not anything you want to live near. Their telltale mounds let you know where to find them.

Is there access to electric power and water?

If you’re planning to live off the grid, you’ll need to do a good deal of research into sourcing power and water supplies. But if you’re looking for land that still offers electricity, sewer, and water utilities, the options are much easier than when you’re buying raw land.

And according to experts, the most important thing a buyer needs to know when shopping for land is that a proven source of water exists on the property. Without it, you’re in for a world of hurt, since you’ll be limited in supplying your log cabin home with drinking water.

When searching for the right property, take the time to consult with the local utility companies to ensure specific concerns, like that the water lines can reach your property, public sewer systems service your land, and that options like natural gas or solar heating exist for your property.

These are just a handful of topics to consider when choosing land for your prefab log cabin. Stop by our cabin supercenter in Grandview, home of the largest cabin showroom in Texas, and let our team of experts walk you through the process of buying a Texas log cabin home. We’ll walk you through our cabins too, and you can see for yourself the promise of a log cabin dream.