If you've been researching log homes for any length of time, you've probably noticed the industry throws around a lot of terms that nobody actually explains. Kit. Package. Shell. Turnkey. Custom. Mill-direct. They all sound similar, they all overlap a little, and unless you're already in this business, it's hard to know what you're actually buying.
So let me clear it up. After 48 years manufacturing log homes from our mill in Henniker, New Hampshire, here's exactly how this works at Merrimac - and what you should know before you call any log home company, ours included.
Our specialty is log home kits - here's what that actually means
At Merrimac, our specialty is log home kits. That's the heart of what we do. And the most important thing to understand is this: every Merrimac home - whether you choose one of our time-tested models or design something completely custom - comes to your site as a kit.
A Merrimac log home kit means we pre-cut every single log for your exterior walls at our mill, before it ever leaves Henniker. Whatever log profile you choose - our most popular "D" log (flat on the interior with a clean V-groove finish, rounded on the exterior for that true log home look), the round-on-both-sides profile, or the flat-on-flat - we mill it, grade it, cut it, and number it.
Every log is labeled. Every wall comes with a pre-cut schedule that shows exactly where each log goes. It fits together like a puzzle.
Gone are the days when builders have to cut out rough openings for windows and doors on site. We pre-cut all of that for you. Same goes for any modifications you make to one of our models - different window placement, a relocated door, a bumped-out wall - we cut it at the mill so your builder isn't standing on a job site with a chainsaw guessing.
That kit shows up at your build site with everything the package includes. No guesswork on what materials you need for the exterior of your home. No running to the lumberyard mid-build because something was forgotten. It's all there, labeled, and ready.
And here's the part that saves you real money: we're mill-direct. That means there are no middlemen marking up the materials between the tree and your job site. You're getting your log home package straight from the source - from the family that mills it. And it doesn't just save you on materials. It saves you time - which on a build is the same thing as money. Every day your crew is waiting on materials is a day you're paying labor with nothing to show for it. When a Merrimac kit arrives, it arrives complete and ready to go up.
Our two log home packages
We offer two main package options, so you can buy as much or as little as you need:
The Builder's Package - the core log home shell. Pre-cut logs, log construction accessories, the structural components that make your home a log home. Designed for builders and experienced DIYers who want the log shell from us and prefer to source the rest themselves.
The Complete Exterior Package - everything you need to fully close in the exterior of your home. Logs, windows, doors, roofing framing materials, the works. This is our most popular package and the one most clients choose.
And with our Signature Upgrades, the Complete Exterior Package can be as complete as you want it to be. Want a metal roof? We work with Everlast Metal Roofing and can upgrade you in. Need to swap out the standard windows for something bigger, or change door styles to match your design vision? We can do that. We'll tailor the exterior package to exactly what your home needs.
The point is: you choose how much of the home you're buying from us, and we make sure everything we send you fits together perfectly when it gets there.
So what's "custom" then?
Custom doesn't mean a different kind of product than a kit - it just means the design is built from scratch (or significantly modified) instead of starting from one of our existing models.
A custom Merrimac home still arrives as a pre-cut kit. The only difference is what's on the plans before we mill. With a custom build, you work directly with our architects, engineers, and designers to create floor plans that are entirely your own - whether that's a 1,400 sq ft retreat, a 10,000 sq ft luxury lodge, an income-generating multi-unit, or anything in between. You get a full set of construction-ready plans, then we mill and cut your kit to those plans.
You also have a middle path that a lot of clients don't realize exists: start with one of our models and modify it. Move walls. Change window and door locations. Add a wing. Most of our models have been customized in some way for the families who built them. You don't have to choose between "off the shelf" and "from scratch" - there's a whole spectrum in between, and we'll help you find the right point on it.
Whether you go with a stock model, a modified model, or a fully custom design, the deliverable is the same: a complete set of construction plans plus a pre-cut log home kit shipped to your site.
And "turnkey" - what does that actually mean?
This is the term that confuses people the most, so let me spell it out.
Turnkey means a home that's 100% finished - you literally turn the key and walk in. Foundation poured. Excavation done. Septic and well installed (if you're not on town water and sewer). Walls up. Roof on. Plumbing, electrical, and heating systems finished. Drywall, flooring, cabinets, countertops, tile, paint, light fixtures, appliances - everything installed and ready to use.
Turnkey is your kit + your land prep + your foundation + your build labor + your interior finishes + your mechanicals + your landscaping. The whole project, soup to nuts, all the way to move-in day.
Here's the honest part: turnkey cost varies enormously, and most of that variation happens inside the home. Interior finishes are where you can spend $40 a square foot or $400 a square foot. Builder-grade counters and stock cabinets, or hand-selected granite or quartz slabs and custom inset cabinetry. Standard fixtures or designer plumbing. Laminate or wide-plank hand-scraped hardwood. The exterior shell of a log home is the predictable line item - the interior is where your taste and your budget meet, and we can make suggestions for you to convey to your general contractor.
How Merrimac fits into a turnkey build
A common question: if Merrimac specializes in kits, how do I get to turnkey?
You finish your kit with a general contractor or builder. (Or, if you're an experienced builder yourself, you can build it yourself - we'll get to that in a minute.)
Here's the thing - we don't manufacture your dream home and then say "see ya later." We stay with you all the way through the build until we can say welcome home.
What that looks like in practice:
- If you're building in New England, we can help you find the right builder. We've worked with builders across the region for decades, and we can connect you with someone who has actually built a Merrimac home before. That experience matters - your build will move faster and smoother with a contractor who already knows our system.
- If you're building anywhere else in the country, no problem. We work with builders nationwide. We do Zoom conferences with your builder, your concrete contractor, your trades - walking them through how the package goes together, answering questions in real time, troubleshooting on the fly. Just the other day we FaceTimed with a builder in Colorado, helping them understand how the package fits together. They were actually a conventional stick-frame builder - never built a log home before - and once we walked them through it, they realized our pre-cut system is often easier than stick framing.
That's the part most people don't expect: if you have a builder who knows how to frame a roof system, they can build a Merrimac home. Because we've already cut the log walls, labeled every piece, and given them a complete construction-ready plan set, there's almost no guesswork. A lot of builders tell us it goes up faster than conventional framing.
We can also coordinate with your excavator, your concrete contractor, your septic installer - anyone on your team who needs to understand how the package interfaces with their work. You're never on an island.
So which one is right for you?
The clean version:
- A Merrimac log home kit = the pre-cut log home package we ship to your site. Every Merrimac home, custom or model, comes this way.
- A custom Merrimac log home = a kit, but built to plans we designed from scratch with you (or significantly modified from one of our models).
- Turnkey = a kit + everything else (foundation, build, finishes, mechanicals) completed by your builder and trades, often with our coordination support, all the way to move-in.
Some clients want the kit and a builder they already trust. Some clients want us in the room (or on the Zoom) every step of the way. Some are very experienced DIYers who want to do most of it themselves with our package as the backbone. There's no wrong answer - there's just the answer that fits your situation, your budget, and your build experience.
If you're not sure where you fall, that's exactly the conversation to have with us early. We'll help you figure it out, whether you're in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Upstate New York, or Massachusetts, or across the country in Colorado.
📞 Ready to talk through your options? Reach us at 1-866-637-7462, or browse our models and packages to get a feel for what's possible. We've been in business since 1978, and we'd love to mill your home next.