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We got together to answer all your questions about building a log cabin in Ireland. Have a listen to the video or read the transcript below. But don’t hesitate to give us a call or come to visit us whenever it suits. We’re always keen to answer your questions about building a log cabin talks.

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Hi everyone, welcome to cabin talks. We are here today and we’re joined with Connor. Now Connor is here to help us delve into all the questions, most common questions such as how long it takes to build a cabin, the electrical work. So Connor, would you mind telling us a bit about the schedule and the preparation before buying a log cabin?

Preparation

Sure, sure there’s a lot to it I suppose, but basically once you find the cabin that you’re interested in, and obviously you come down to our showrooms, we go through all the ins and outs and anything you see can be adjusted: change of windows, bigger rooms, all that. But once you have decided on what you want, we look for 4,000 euro deposit and then we put things into production, we give you a contract, we sign it, you sign it, and in 10 weeks we can have that on site. So before we get there, you need to have concrete base built and we’ll give you specific dimensions on that base, that base is gonna be a little bit smaller than the timber cabin itself, because the cabin, it has to overhang. The biggest thing with making a cabin last is that you don’t have water pooling underneath. Right. Really important. Once that’s done, you’re ready to go.

Sure, sure there’s a lot to it I suppose, but basically once you find the cabin that you’re interested in, and obviously you come down to our showrooms, we go through all the ins and outs and anything you see can be adjusted: change of windows, bigger rooms, all that. But once you have decided on what you want, we look for 4,000 euro deposit and then we put things into production, we give you a contract, we sign it, you sign it, and in 10 weeks we can have that on site. So before we get there, you need to have concrete base built and we’ll give you specific dimensions on that base, that base is gonna be a little bit smaller than the timber cabin itself, because the cabin, it has to overhang. The biggest thing with making a cabin last is that you don’t have water pooling underneath. Right. Really important. Once that’s done, you’re ready to go.

Building schedule

We’ll be there for, depending on the size of the cabin, probably three days to build the outside of the cabin, walls, roof. Only three days. Three days. Wow.
All the work is done in the factory really, so it’s just a matter of putting the parts together.

So we put the outside walls, ceiling boards, and doors and windows, and we go away then and you have a week or 10 days to organize your plumber and electrician to do their first fix, pipes and wires. Once they’re done, we can come back then, do all of the insulation, put in the floors, walls, roof cover, and then we’re done. And that’s another three days, four days, depending on the size of the cabin.

We’ll be there for, depending on the size of the cabin, probably three days to build the outside of the cabin, walls, roof. Only three days. Three days. Wow.
All the work is done in the factory really, so it’s just a matter of putting the parts together.

So we put the outside walls, ceiling boards, and doors and windows, and we go away then and you have a week or 10 days to organize your plumber and electrician to do their first fix, pipes and wires. Once they’re done, we can come back then, do all of the insulation, put in the floors, walls, roof cover, and then we’re done. And that’s another three days, four days, depending on the size of the cabin.

Financing and builder details

Going back to the 4,000 deposit, I’m interested about this. So after the 4,000 deposit, what happens? You have to pay a full payment after that, or can you pay an installment?

Well, the first thing we should say is that a 4,000 deposit is not a big deposit compared to a lot of companies that look for 50%. So we’d like to think we’re generating a bit of trust there. But after that then, we arrive and there’s three payments to be made. The remainder that’s left,

we look for a payment when we arrive on site, a payment after the first three days when we, what we call, we reach ridge height, and then a final payment when we’re finished. Okay, thanks for clearing that up. And also in terms of the plumbing and electricity, I am a bit confused about that. So I buy my cabin and what do I do? Do I know a plumber? Do I have to find a plumber? Well, usually if you don’t have a plumber or electricity, we may be, depending on where you’re located, we may have contacts there. It’s pretty straightforward.

You need a builder, a plumber and an electrician. And what the builder will do is put in the base, but we’ll also put in a path probably up to the cabin. And underneath that path often, we’ll bring in the conduits for the electricity,

bring in the water supply and bring out the grey water and the sewage to wherever it’s going. So those groundworks are important. And then after that, your plumber, it’s important to set the dates with your plumber and electrician to say that you have a window.
And if you have seven days, tell them you have three days. Okay. So you’ve got to be here on the day. And they’re very good, they understand. And the thing about a log cabin is oftentimes if they haven’t done one, they’re interested. So they’ll be keen or if they have done one, they know it’s very straightforward. There’s no chasing of walls for wires or anything like that. It’s very open. It’s a quick day. It’s indoors. So there’s no weather which can be enticing as well, depending on the time of year. So, but the electricity and plumber, very straightforward.

Well, the first thing we should say is that a 4,000 deposit is not a big deposit compared to a lot of companies that look for 50%. So we’d like to think we’re generating a bit of trust there. But after that then, we arrive and there’s three payments to be made. The remainder that’s left,

we look for a payment when we arrive on site, a payment after the first three days when we, what we call, we reach ridge height, and then a final payment when we’re finished. Okay, thanks for clearing that up. And also in terms of the plumbing and electricity, I am a bit confused about that. So I buy my cabin and what do I do? Do I know a plumber? Do I have to find a plumber? Well, usually if you don’t have a plumber or electricity, we may be, depending on where you’re located, we may have contacts there. It’s pretty straightforward.

You need a builder, a plumber and an electrician. And what the builder will do is put in the base, but we’ll also put in a path probably up to the cabin. And underneath that path often, we’ll bring in the conduits for the electricity,

bring in the water supply and bring out the grey water and the sewage to wherever it’s going. So those groundworks are important. And then after that, your plumber, it’s important to set the dates with your plumber and electrician to say that you have a window.
And if you have seven days, tell them you have three days. Okay. So you’ve got to be here on the day. And they’re very good, they understand. And the thing about a log cabin is oftentimes if they haven’t done one, they’re interested. So they’ll be keen or if they have done one, they know it’s very straightforward. There’s no chasing of walls for wires or anything like that. It’s very open. It’s a quick day. It’s indoors. So there’s no weather which can be enticing as well, depending on the time of year. So, but the electricity and plumber, very straightforward.

Okay. So say for example, I have a big hill in my garden, a big lump of grass. And I just want to put a cabin there. Who do I go to first? Do I go to my builder and say, can you take this out? Or do I come to you and show you the land? What do I do? Well, really that’s the builder’s work. That’s the builder’s work.

Usually if you come to see us at any of our showrooms, bring a video, bring a video up, do a 360 of the garden shows where you’re going.

Anything can be done. You can dig into ground or you can raise up ground, whatever you have to think about where your septic tank is going and fall. Even that can be overcome. But yeah, bring a video and that’s the simplest thing. Okay. Also I live up a mountain and the road, it’s a bit small, the lane is a beaten track. Can you get up there? You’ll be amazed. And we always say, if the cement truck can get up there, we can get up there. And I’ve seen sites and you would think you wouldn’t be able to push a pram up that hill. Right. And they’ll get there around, they’ll get the concrete up there. If the concrete can go in, you see our stuff comes, it’s drop logs. So each plank, if you want to call them a log, is done individually. So we deliver on an Arctic with a forklift and then we take separate loads up. We don’t have to go up with the Arctic. So that’s not a problem.

Even if there’s a farmer with a trailer or whatever, but the lads will carry a distance too. Yeah, it’s not a problem. Not a problem. Okay, love to hear that.

Okay. So say for example, I have a big hill in my garden, a big lump of grass. And I just want to put a cabin there. Who do I go to first? Do I go to my builder and say, can you take this out? Or do I come to you and show you the land? What do I do? Well, really that’s the builder’s work. That’s the builder’s work.

Usually if you come to see us at any of our showrooms, bring a video, bring a video up, do a 360 of the garden shows where you’re going.

Anything can be done. You can dig into ground or you can raise up ground, whatever you have to think about where your septic tank is going and fall. Even that can be overcome. But yeah, bring a video and that’s the simplest thing. Okay. Also I live up a mountain and the road, it’s a bit small, the lane is a beaten track. Can you get up there? You’ll be amazed. And we always say, if the cement truck can get up there, we can get up there. And I’ve seen sites and you would think you wouldn’t be able to push a pram up that hill. Right. And they’ll get there around, they’ll get the concrete up there. If the concrete can go in, you see our stuff comes, it’s drop logs. So each plank, if you want to call them a log, is done individually. So we deliver on an Arctic with a forklift and then we take separate loads up. We don’t have to go up with the Arctic. So that’s not a problem.

Even if there’s a farmer with a trailer or whatever, but the lads will carry a distance too. Yeah, it’s not a problem. Not a problem. Okay, love to hear that.

The Housing Crisis

And also for young couples in Ireland, there’s less and less homes available. There’s less renting options available. So what would you recommend for a young couple starting out? They’re looking to buy a cabin.
What sort of cases have you worked with before?

Well, obviously that happens an awful lot. It’s a big part of our business. People are putting cabins and gardens on farms and that sort of thing. And what I always say is, obviously you need to have the cabin suitable for your use. So like the Limerick cabin, for instance, the two bed, I often suggest that they put a meter onto the end to make the bedroom bigger. I just mentioned that because you can do that. We have one bed, two beds, three beds. It depends on your budget and your needs. But what I would really important is to think not just about solving the initial problem because that cabin is gonna be there for 60 years. Or longer, it can last a hundred years. So why not, when your son or daughter moves on, let’s say, then you can Airbnb it or you can rent it out on long-term, which would be easier. So set it up so that it’s separate. So that if somebody is renting that they’re not in your back, in your kitchen window. If you can do that, then it’s a great investment.

Well, obviously that happens an awful lot. It’s a big part of our business. People are putting cabins and gardens on farms and that sort of thing. And what I always say is, obviously you need to have the cabin suitable for your use. So like the Limerick cabin, for instance, the two bed, I often suggest that they put a meter onto the end to make the bedroom bigger. I just mentioned that because you can do that. We have one bed, two beds, three beds. It depends on your budget and your needs. But what I would really important is to think not just about solving the initial problem because that cabin is gonna be there for 60 years. Or longer, it can last a hundred years. So why not, when your son or daughter moves on, let’s say, then you can Airbnb it or you can rent it out on long-term, which would be easier. So set it up so that it’s separate. So that if somebody is renting that they’re not in your back, in your kitchen window. If you can do that, then it’s a great investment.

So you’ve seen people use it in terms of property investment like Airbnb’s. Absolutely, yeah. You’ve seen it used for that as well, so that’s great. So another question that we get very frequently is, how long does a log cabin last?

Well, it’s a good question and a log cabin can last a hundred years. We have a video on the website of Derma Bannon saying that timber buildings can last a hundred years. Wow. The important thing is that they’re built well. Yes. Built properly and they’re treated properly. So as I mentioned before, it has to be up off the ground and there’s no way that water can pool underneath. That’s, I’ve seen garden cabins and people putting them on patios. That’s a disaster, so gotta be raised up. After that, then it’s gotta be treated well. So we recommend Sikans, which is S-I-K-K-E-N-S. It’s a really good, it’s a stain, not a paint. You get all sorts of colors in it, it’s not a problem. But it’s a very well formulated product.
You gotta apply it every four years or so. And once you do that, and once you make sure that there’s no dirt banked up against your timber, that sort of thing, very straightforward stuff, your cabin’s gonna last. So my cabin doesn’t have to look like a log cabin. I can actually paint this a color, a block color. For sure, yeah. We have samples on the website, blues and grays and all sorts of different colors. Yeah, yeah, they’re all available. And they, some of them look, well, they all look great. It’s down to taste, and a lot of people like the natural. The natural. Pine or the oak color. And other people wanna go for something more striking. So if I paint my cabin a block color, do I need to repaint that every year to maintain the durability of the wood? Does it lessen the quality of the wood? What would you recommend? No, no, well, it maintains the wood very well. It’s every four years. Every four years. And what it does is, because it’s a stain, it doesn’t seal the outside, and that’s important. So when rain falls on it, it stops the rain from soaking in. Rain runs down off it, which is important.
But then also it lets the product breath. Timber is a natural product.

I mean, people worry about, oh, will a timber building last? Well, they make boats out of timber, you know, and they last. So let’s not. Pirates made it work. Yeah.

Boats are made out of timber, they work. You know, if it’s built properly, and it’s treated properly, it will last. And if you just go to Europe, I saw a building in France, and it was 500 years old. It’s timber. Wow. You know? So you’re saying I can’t just go into woodies and pick up a tin of paint and start painting my cabin. What would happen if I painted it with a standard paint? Why do I have to use these? Well, you can use paint.

You can use paint, but we certainly don’t recommend it because what happens is that seals the wood, and wood needs to breathe. It’s a natural product. Okay, yes. People worry about, you know, the Irish climate. Well, one good thing about the Irish climate when it comes to timber is that it’s windy, and it dries. So, you know, something that people know doesn’t occur to people, but wind dries. But the wood is breathable. Yeah, yeah. And as I say, you know, timber has been used as a building product. It has been used. Yeah. It has worked. And it’s just we’re not that familiar with it in Ireland. Yes. But I know in Boyle, where I live, there’s a timber building built in the 60s. It’s the old golf club. Wow, really? Clubhouse, yeah. Still there, you know, people live in it. Ooh, ooh. Yeah, all there. So you have timber last, absolutely. Brilliant. And these are double walls in our residential cabins, too, which is important. You know, if you’re in a residential cabin, you have to have a double wall, unless when you go for the Scandinavian heavy log cabins, which are, you know, six or eight inches. But with us, we have 45 mil on the outside, 30 mil on the inside, and, you know, four inches or 100 mil of insulation, at least. And then, yeah, it’s a perfectly good way of building a building that’s gonna last a lifetime.

Well, it’s a good question and a log cabin can last a hundred years. We have a video on the website of Derma Bannon saying that timber buildings can last a hundred years. Wow. The important thing is that they’re built well. Yes. Built properly and they’re treated properly. So as I mentioned before, it has to be up off the ground and there’s no way that water can pool underneath. That’s, I’ve seen garden cabins and people putting them on patios. That’s a disaster, so gotta be raised up. After that, then it’s gotta be treated well. So we recommend Sikans, which is S-I-K-K-E-N-S. It’s a really good, it’s a stain, not a paint. You get all sorts of colors in it, it’s not a problem. But it’s a very well formulated product.
You gotta apply it every four years or so. And once you do that, and once you make sure that there’s no dirt banked up against your timber, that sort of thing, very straightforward stuff, your cabin’s gonna last. So my cabin doesn’t have to look like a log cabin. I can actually paint this a color, a block color. For sure, yeah. We have samples on the website, blues and grays and all sorts of different colors. Yeah, yeah, they’re all available. And they, some of them look, well, they all look great. It’s down to taste, and a lot of people like the natural. The natural. Pine or the oak color. And other people wanna go for something more striking. So if I paint my cabin a block color, do I need to repaint that every year to maintain the durability of the wood? Does it lessen the quality of the wood? What would you recommend? No, no, well, it maintains the wood very well. It’s every four years. Every four years. And what it does is, because it’s a stain, it doesn’t seal the outside, and that’s important. So when rain falls on it, it stops the rain from soaking in. Rain runs down off it, which is important.
But then also it lets the product breath. Timber is a natural product.

I mean, people worry about, oh, will a timber building last? Well, they make boats out of timber, you know, and they last. So let’s not. Pirates made it work. Yeah.

Boats are made out of timber, they work. You know, if it’s built properly, and it’s treated properly, it will last. And if you just go to Europe, I saw a building in France, and it was 500 years old. It’s timber. Wow. You know? So you’re saying I can’t just go into woodies and pick up a tin of paint and start painting my cabin. What would happen if I painted it with a standard paint? Why do I have to use these? Well, you can use paint.

You can use paint, but we certainly don’t recommend it because what happens is that seals the wood, and wood needs to breathe. It’s a natural product. Okay, yes. People worry about, you know, the Irish climate. Well, one good thing about the Irish climate when it comes to timber is that it’s windy, and it dries. So, you know, something that people know doesn’t occur to people, but wind dries. But the wood is breathable. Yeah, yeah. And as I say, you know, timber has been used as a building product. It has been used. Yeah. It has worked. And it’s just we’re not that familiar with it in Ireland. Yes. But I know in Boyle, where I live, there’s a timber building built in the 60s. It’s the old golf club. Wow, really? Clubhouse, yeah. Still there, you know, people live in it. Ooh, ooh. Yeah, all there. So you have timber last, absolutely. Brilliant. And these are double walls in our residential cabins, too, which is important. You know, if you’re in a residential cabin, you have to have a double wall, unless when you go for the Scandinavian heavy log cabins, which are, you know, six or eight inches. But with us, we have 45 mil on the outside, 30 mil on the inside, and, you know, four inches or 100 mil of insulation, at least. And then, yeah, it’s a perfectly good way of building a building that’s gonna last a lifetime.

Building a one bed log cabin

And about the one bed cabin, because this is a cabin we get asked about a lot, is that considered a residential cabin, and would that have the double wall?

Oh, absolutely, yeah. If it’s got a bedroom in it, well, I mean, we can build it for you, a single wall, but we would not recommend it. We really need the double wall if we’re gonna be sleeping in a cabin. Okay, so– Living in a full zone, yeah. So a garden cabin would just have the single wall structure, is that? Yeah, the garden cabin is really, you know, for an office playroom, that sort of thing, you can sleep in a garden cabin for a couple of nights. In the winter, it’s not going to hold the heat as well as a double wall, it’s as simple as that, you know? It’s still 45 mil of timber, so if you, and I know of a particular friend of mine, and he runs therapy sessions in his single wall log cabin, and he lights a big fire, and the ambiance of the timber walls and the fire and all that, it’s very soothing.

Oh, absolutely, yeah. If it’s got a bedroom in it, well, I mean, we can build it for you, a single wall, but we would not recommend it. We really need the double wall if we’re gonna be sleeping in a cabin. Okay, so– Living in a full zone, yeah. So a garden cabin would just have the single wall structure, is that? Yeah, the garden cabin is really, you know, for an office playroom, that sort of thing, you can sleep in a garden cabin for a couple of nights. In the winter, it’s not going to hold the heat as well as a double wall, it’s as simple as that, you know? It’s still 45 mil of timber, so if you, and I know of a particular friend of mine, and he runs therapy sessions in his single wall log cabin, and he lights a big fire, and the ambiance of the timber walls and the fire and all that, it’s very soothing.

Putting a stove into a log cabin

So a stove or a literal fire? Stove works really well in a log cabin. There’s something about the radiant heat from the stove and the timber and–

Okay. It’s very nice if you’re looking to, you know, for like a garden getaway, you know, TV, glass of wine, stove, you know? So if you’re a business owner and you want to have meetings in your cabin, you have the option of having a single wall, a double wall, the price range, what sort of difference? Well, it’s very hard to say, but you have to think about it, if you’re putting in a double wall, you’re putting in two walls instead of one, you’re putting in, well, we always have insulation in the roof and the floors, but the walls are bigger, so I mean, if you’re looking at a cabin that’s 10,000, it’s very hard to say. Okay. Four or five thousand extra depends on a lot of things. So you’d recommend that they come with the idea and we can really customize it to their specific needs. But we do find people working in cabins.
There’s no need for the double wall, we never get really good complaints about it. Your heated door would be higher if you have a single wall. Yes.

But with the stove, it really–
Get that stove in there. It’s a great job, yeah. Everybody start falling asleep in the middle of the meeting.
You gotta get down here and see it all for yourself, the quality and the craftsmanship. We are just saving time, saving you time, so come down and see it for yourself. Tullow, cork and Boyle.

So a stove or a literal fire? Stove works really well in a log cabin. There’s something about the radiant heat from the stove and the timber and–

Okay. It’s very nice if you’re looking to, you know, for like a garden getaway, you know, TV, glass of wine, stove, you know? So if you’re a business owner and you want to have meetings in your cabin, you have the option of having a single wall, a double wall, the price range, what sort of difference? Well, it’s very hard to say, but you have to think about it, if you’re putting in a double wall, you’re putting in two walls instead of one, you’re putting in, well, we always have insulation in the roof and the floors, but the walls are bigger, so I mean, if you’re looking at a cabin that’s 10,000, it’s very hard to say. Okay. Four or five thousand extra depends on a lot of things. So you’d recommend that they come with the idea and we can really customize it to their specific needs. But we do find people working in cabins.
There’s no need for the double wall, we never get really good complaints about it. Your heated door would be higher if you have a single wall. Yes.

But with the stove, it really–
Get that stove in there. It’s a great job, yeah. Everybody start falling asleep in the middle of the meeting.
You gotta get down here and see it all for yourself, the quality and the craftsmanship. We are just saving time, saving you time, so come down and see it for yourself. Tullow, cork and Boyle.