Log cabin home

[Dean Lofthouse]

Log Cabins Log Homes Timber Frame and Modular Housing From Log Home Scotland : Economy / DIY Range

 

I was looking at the Eco one tony, they are extremely efficient, thirty percent beyond building regs requirements

[Dean Lofthouse]

Ive fancied one ever since seeing Kirkies little log cabin where he runs his courses. I looked into it but getting mortgages and insurance was'nt so easy then although it was a few years ago that i looked.But if you're mortgage free i would def be giving it serious consideration

 

I saw that one when he first had it built, that's what got me interested. The only thing I would do it fit a temporary kitchen and bathroom as tims kitchen got crushed when the building shrank

[agrimog]

as long as the timber is kept off the ground, rot should never be a problem, never mind that the americans have cabins from colonial times, theres cabins in russia and scandinavia going back for hundreds of years earlier than that. A properly consructed log cabin will far exceed the build standards reqiured for modern houses ( a kit house, ie timber framed, has a life expectancy of around 80-100 years ) your log cabin is a much more enviromentaly sustainable build, and ticks all the boxes for the greenies, 8"to 12" logs are unbelievably eficient in the insulation charts (fast grown uk timber is actualy better than the slow grown scandinavian or russian stuff in this respect). So if you fancy a much better house, get the land and stick up a log cabin, youll love them, a house with real caracter

[monkeybusiness]

I helped a firm assemble one of these about 10 years ago (I can't remember the make but I know it came from Scandinavia) and I have to say it didn't blow me away in terms of potential longevity.

It was a very clever assembly process (a cross between Ikea and Lego) with all of the individual 'logs' CNCd to interlock with perpendicular walls, with nothing other than gravity holding the logs together. The mating faces were effectively triple tongue and grooved - all in all the finished building was structurally very strong. It was a fast build - 4 of us (2 experienced guys and 2 labourers) had a 2 storey house built with the ridge and purlins in place ready to take the roof in under 4 days - it would probably take at least 5 times as long if nobody on site had done one before as the kit is one of the most confusing puzzles I have ever seen (you also need a large area next to the site to lay everything out so you can recognise individual pieces).

However, my concern centres around the fact that none of the wood was treated/tanalised, and it looked a MASSIVE nightmare to try and remove/replace any 'logs' at a later date if they became rotten/damaged. The whole building goes up 1 course at a time and locks together - trying to remove a log properly would entail dismantling the entire building from the top down until you reached the relevant course (or alternatively you could fire up the chainsaw and cut a big hole in the wall, but I'm not sure how you would go about letting new wood in effectively afterwards).

I do love the idea of living in one though - the place felt cosy even without windows/doors etc.

[Dean Lofthouse]

The building is treated outside with a breathable coating of varnish and inside with a fire retardant. They would need retreating every seven years on the outside if you use a good quality product

[Kev Stephenson]

We have this at the woodland in the lakes to overlook our fishing lake. 5m x 5m and bought as a self build kit for just over £2k delivered. It came untreated and took about 6 coats of preserver on the outside until it stopped just drinking it. The inside has been treated with a fireproof varnish.

 

This one has two seperate rooms inside which are big enough for beds, it is certainly a bigger space than a static caravan and cheaper than even the ex site ones.

[josharb87]

Dean, search for a past episode of Grand Designs, something like Finnish log cabin/house, Think its exactly what youre looking for!

 

Regarding the growth rings, one of many pines i took down last week was approk 30inch DBH, pushing 25m, counted the growth rings, 75%of the rings were mm appart, 250+years old

[Dean Lofthouse]

Cheers Josh, I,ll have a scan tonight, working today

[farmer_ben]

We have this at the woodland in the lakes to overlook our fishing lake. 5m x 5m and bought as a self build kit for just over £2k delivered. It came untreated and took about 6 coats of preserver on the outside until it stopped just drinking it. The inside has been treated with a fireproof varnish.

 

This one has two seperate rooms inside which are big enough for beds, it is certainly a bigger space than a static caravan and cheaper than even the ex site ones.

 

Hi Kev, have you got any more photos of your cabin? Would be very interested if you have, a cabin like yours (or static caravan) is my girlfriends and I only real realistic option at the moment as we build up or farming business. We have to move out of our rented cottage soon and tbh, renting is eating up a large % of our monthly income.

[davetaz]

Norlog built one of the largest log buildings in europe on a nature reserve in lancashire some 40 years ago and its still going strong.

It is the visitor centre at WWT Martin Mere

Norlog Home Page log cabins uk