Log cabin videos, and timber frame videos too

We now have two Instagram pages:

• one for log cabin videos and photos, Timber Living (@timber_living_) • Instagram photos and videos
• and one for our timber frame buildings, Timber Frames (@timber_frames) • Instagram photos and videos

In this video, Abbey is taking a walk around one of our fine three bed log cabins.

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Tony and Maggie tell us all about how happy they are with their timber frame building and their experience building a log cabin with Timber Living. One of our favourite log cabin videos!

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Take a look at this Panorama Cabin with Cement Board finish, used as a business premises in Portlaoise.

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A small change to the rules

According to a recent think tank, a “small change to the rules” that would let people build residential garden cabins as dwellings in their gardens would result in the addition of 350,000 housing units.

In order to facilitate the construction of garden “seomraí” or granny flats or residential garden cabins, Progress Ireland is requesting that the government amend the planning regulations.

As of right now, individuals are allowed to construct offices or workshops in their backyards, but not new residences.

“All around the country, you’ll see structures erected in gardens,” spokesperson Seán O’Neill McPartlin told Newstalk Breakfast.

“You’ll see home offices, studios perhaps, underused gyms.

“So, what we’re proposing is, where before you were allowed to build these structures, homeowners will instead be allowed to build small homes.”

This is a “small change to the rules,” according to Mr. O’Neill McPartlin, but considering how serious the housing situation is, it makes a lot of sense.

200,000 housing deficit

The Housing Commission claims that Ireland is currently experiencing a 200,000 house deficit and a lack of brownfield land in places where housing demand is highest.

Backyards and progress are two things that Ireland’s towns and cities are not lacking. Ireland believes that restricting development is absurd given that the government’s aim is to expand the supply of dwellings.

“There are restrictions on what they call detached habitable rooms,” he said.

“So, once you make the dwelling in your back garden a home with a separate entrance, then the development plan says, ‘It’s not exempted, it’s not allowed.’”

“No bigger than are currently permitted”

Mr. O’Neill McPartlin reassured those who were concerned about substantial constructions appearing out of nowhere in their neighbor’s backyard that there was no justification for these developments to be larger than already-existing buildings.

“We’re proposing that we… don’t increase the scale of exempted developments,” he said.

“We’re not proposing that now, all of a sudden, you’ll see structures that are huge erected in back gardens.

“From the point of view of neighbours, the structures erected under our proposals will be no bigger than are currently permitted.”

Downsizing

According to Mr. O’Neill McPartlin, those who are now residing on the property will probably gain from the rule change.

“I think a lot of the cases of these new homes will come through people downsizing from their existing home, from young people living with their parents perhaps moving into the back garden,” he said.

“In other words, there wouldn’t be any additional strain on local infrastructure; there’d be people moving from the big house into the small house.”

Current Regulations

As long as it is no taller than four meters, you are permitted to erect a garage, shed, greenhouse, or other comparable structure under the current planning system.

It must also be at the side or back of your home, and it cannot be more than 25 square meters.

Supported by the billionaire Collison brothers, John and Patrick, who founded Stripe, Progress Ireland is a new think tank.

Its goal is to create “workable solutions” that will boost the country’s infrastructure delivery and housing supply.

Give character to your residential garden cabin

Your residential garden cabin can have lots of character. After all, you’ll be starting with a blank slate!

Our One Bedroom Residential Garden Cabins

Have you seen our new Instagram page (timber_frames) dealing with our fabulous timber frame buildings? Our timber frame buildings are excellent if you’re looking for a cost effective, easy to heat, quick to build, sustainable and long lasting residence.

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We have a new team of content creators, developing great video and images of our timber frame buildings. If you are interested in timber frames, be sure to log on, take a look and subscribe. You’re going to learn an awful lot about the benefits of timber frame and the reality of building cost effective home which you can be proud of and very happy in.

timber_frames are very affordable

Probably the most important question you’ll have about timber frame is the cost, and we can assure you of excellent price compared to anything else on the market. Get your QS to call us I will show you why building with timber frame from timber living is going to save you a lot of money and time.

Easy to heat

Timber frame buildings are very easy to heat because of their lightweight construction, potential for air tightness and high levels of insulation. All of these are detailed in our brochure which is available on the timber frames page on our website.

Quick to build

You might be amazed at how quickly a timber frame building can be built. Once your foundation is put in all the fast elements of building can be instigated. And the really cumbersome work of building block can be avoided altogether. And of course a faster build hugely reduces the labour cost of a timber frame build.

Sustainability

In this day and age most people are very keen on sustainability, whether it’s in clothing, food production, transport or house building. And with timber frame, there is no more sustainable method of construction.

Want to know more?

If you’re interested in knowing more about our very affordable, high quality timber frame constructions, please contact us at any of our show houses and organise a visit. Will be pleased to go through all the details from planning, through to construction.

Building a log cabin or any timber structure, if done right, can give you a very special building, nice to look at, easy to heat, and long lasting. But if you don’t build correctly, you can encounter a number of different (and easily avoidable) log cabin problems. Watch the video then read on…

3 key tips to avoid log cabin problems

If I had to give three primary pointers for avoiding log cabin problems, the are as follows:

• Get the foundations right
• Treat the walls
• Roof cover needs to last, and do its job!

There are a lot of things about log cabins that people in Ireland don’t know. This is understandable because we don’t have a history of building log cabins in Ireland. But I think it’s unforgivable that someone who sells a log cabins can make such fundamental mistakes as I have seen in this business over the last couple of decades.

I have seen I have seen single wall log cabins sold to people as residential units. This is unforgiveable and crazy. You need to have a double wall construction in order to ensure there is no dampness in the living space of the log cabin. I’ve also seen the same cabins with Rockwool insulation in the floors. Again, an unforgivable error. This rockwool insulation gets extremely damp and soaks up moisture, killing the insulation qualities and leading towards serious rot.

But log cabins and timber homes can last beautifully if they’re built properly and cared for. The timber home in the picture below is over 60 years old and is still lived in today. This is located not too far from our Boyle show house. It is the old Golf Club house and a fine example of how a well-treated timber home can last for decades.

Get your log cabin foundations right.

Water is the main source of log cabin problems. It’s really important that you never have a log cabin or a timber structure sitting in a puddle. I know they build boats out of wood, but water is the log cabins chief foe. I’ve seen garden cabins built on patios for the walls are sitting in a pool of water half the year around and those walls will start to billow and bend and rot within a couple of years…

Here’s a link to our blog (log cabin foundations – what’s best) that explains how log cabin foundations are built.In the blog we specify log cabin foundations for single wall and double wall cabins. We also explain our process in delivering drawings to your builder and how we ensure that your builder builds the correct foundation for your log cabin.

The video below is an excellent explainer as to how a proper foundation or base for a log cabin should be built. Note that the base is actually 20 mil smaller then the log cabin so that the log cabin actually overhangs the base. The purpose of this is to ensure that there is no possibility that your luck happened will end up sitting in water. This is a key factor in ensuring the longevity of your log cabin.

Proper treatment of all exterior wood

If you want your log cabin to last and avoid common log home problems, it’s important to treat the exterior timber with the right materials. Two coats of a clear preservative initially and then a quality stain (NOT PAINT!). Sikkens Is our favoured product for this purpose. You can get a wide range of colours including natural oaks and Pines, blues graves and oranges – whatever you are looking for. Here is a blog post explaining the benefits of proper staining of your log cabin. https://timberliving.ie/how-to-paint-your-log-cabin/

Roof Cover

Of course, your roof cover is one of the most important elements of your log cabin. You need roof cover that is going to last for the duration. Using felt is a nonsense really in this country. Ten years, maybe 20 if you’re lucky and you will have to change it. Don’t waste your time or your money.

At timber living we use a pressed aluminium tile effect roof. This roof will last for the duration of your cabin. There is No Fear of it getting wind damaged. We have built a cabin on the Aran islands and it is still roofed after a decade of wild Atlantic winds!

Although you could buy tiles for cheaper than this roof cover, there is a cost in installing the tiles. While this cover is expensive, it is the best option for longevity.

OK, not technically a log cabin…

I came across this timber structure in the Netherlands last year. Although it is not technically a log cabin, it is a timber building and it illustrates the important elements God have been outlined above, namely walls not sitting in water, properly treated timber and decent roof cover.

We are very excited to announce that we are building timber frame bungalows. Based on the techniques, technologies and materials of our excellent log cabins, these timber frame bungalows are high quality and meet all building and fire regulations.

Market conditions have changed in Ireland. There is a huge lack of affordable housing and rents have gone through the roof. So we decided to look at the options for producing long lasting homes two building regulations, at the right price.

A2 BER

Energy and cost of heating is a very important factor in housebuilding these days. Timber frame construction lends itself to lower house heating costs. With our technology and construction methods, we can offer an A2 BER rating off your plans.

We currently have a range of four different timber frame bungalows available on our website. They vary in size from 101 square metres to 182 square metres, and of course the price varies correspondingly.

The Laburnum (121.5 sq.m.)

The LABURNUM Bungalow, with it’s vaulted ceiling, surprises and delights the visitor, the openness of the ceiling going against the norm, with welcoming results.
The LABURNUM offers three beds, kitchen/living area, en suite, utility and hallway.
A2 BER. Ready for planning.

The Linden (155 sq.m.)

The LINDEN welcomes the visitor with its spectacular full height corner windows in the living area.
A large, contemporary designed bungalow, with four bedrooms, en suite and large bathroom.
A2 BER. Ready for planning.

The Oakridge (101 sq.m.)

If you’re looking for a contemporary
design bungalow built with energy
costs and space efficiency in mind, the
Barrow Timber Frame is the model
for you.
Sleek, modern bungalow design.
Perfect three bed size. A2 BER. Ready
for planning.

A2 BER. Ready for planning.

The Ashton (182.5 sq.m.)

Dynamic, diverse design. That’s what the ASHTON offers. A new way of looking at house design, where the quieter, sleeping quarters are separated from the daytime, living area by an airy. well-lit corridor.
Impressive, spacious and flowing, the ASHTON is first choice for those looking for a new, fresher take on modern living.
A2 BER. Ready for planning.

Technology Best Practices

To build our low energy, sustainable timber frame bungalows, we work off a 45 millimetre think timber wall, as we do in our log cabins. But we have multiple extra layers of insulation, cladding and membrane to improve the quality and insulation levels of our timber frame buildings.