Your log cabin is a major investment for you, so you will need to sort out your finances before you buy. As they say in business, cash flow is critical. And the first payment you make, your log cabin deposit, can really restrict your cash flow if the deposit is too high.
Don’t pay more than €4,000 log cabin deposit
Some log cabin companies in Irland regularly charge up to 50% deposit for their log cabins. We were really shocked to hear about this. Fifty per cent. WOW!
At Timberliving log cabins, we don’t charge more than €4,000 log cabin deposit for most of our log cabins. We believe it is a matter of trust with our customers. We want them to feel assured that we are a trustworthy business, for whom log cabin quality is paramount. Of course, we are in business and want to turn a profit, but we don’t believe it is right to charge someone 50% or more log cabin deposit, at the first stage of a project, when a customer might have to wait a number of weeks before seeing anything built for them.
Be careful who you give your log cabin deposit to.
Here is a very sorry tale…
Just want to get it out there if your thinking of getting a cabin . I can’t think of a better way to warn people who are looking. Than to use a competitor site as at wits end. This comment is in no way related to Timber Living Ltd.
There’s a company called LogCabins4Less based in Kilkenny. Absolute scam artists. Ordered our cabin May 2020 it’s paid in full but still not up over a year later. The website looks great but it’s all to draw you in. Once they have your money they don’t want to know. Don’t even answer the phone and blocked me from their Facebook page. So can’t give this feedback there to tell of the terrible experience with them.
What a sorry tale of woe! Someone posted it on the Timberliving Facebook page. Imagine how they must feel! More than twelve months after paying the FULL AMOUNT for their log cabin (that’s a 100% log cabin deposit!) and still nothing built! And to add insult to injury, they won’t even take their calls and offer an explanation. Nobody wants to go down a legal route, but I wonder what other options these people have at this stage?
Why should a log cabin deposit be high?
There is no reason for a company to look for a very large log cabin deposit, unless they are in a difficult position financially. Generally, these log cabins are produced by factories in Scandanavia. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. These log cabin companies offer credit to the agent companies in Ireland. The Irish-based companies normally don’t have to pay the factories until the customers pay them, so why the need for a fifty per cent deposit. It makes no sense.
I would advise that if a company is looking for such a large log cabin deposit, be very, very wary.
At Timber Living, we have been building log cabins for over 25 years, and we never needed to look for large log cabin deposits. We were always able to manage our clients’ projects and provide them with high quality, cost effective, easily heated and long lasting log cabins, without extracting large deposits at the start of their log cabin project. And that is the way that it should be.
Be sure to contact us if you have any queries, financial or otherwise, and make an appointment at any of our showhouses around the country.
With the widest range of log cabins in Ireland, you would expect us to offer a wide range of log cabin options too. And we do!
We have the widest range of log cabins available in Ireland, and THOUSANDS of satisfied customers around Ireland. After all, we’ve been in business for over twenty years and we’re still here. We have refined our log cabins so that they are ideal for long-term use in the Irish climate. (And don’t forget that the Irish climate is a lot milder than the Acandanavian climate that these cabins are designed for!)
Our Best-selling Log Cabins
Our two best-selling cabins, the Limerick Two Bed Log Cabin and the Tullow Three Bedroom Log Cabin are usually the PERFECT fit for our customers. But we may not have the perfect cabin for you! But usually, a simple change or two to our existing designs hit the nail on the head for most customers who cannot find exactly what they want on the Timber Living Log Cabins website.
Extend your log cabin
The first and most significant of the log cabin options for a lot of customers is to extendthe log cabin they are interested in. This is often the perfect solution for our most popular models, the two-bedroom Limerick Log Cabin, and the three-bedroom Tullow log cabin. You can see all of our Two Bedroom Log Cabins and Three Bedroom Log Cabins on our website. And usually, because our living areas are already wonderfully spacious and bright, adding an extra metre or two to the bedroom end of the building is the perfect solution, making the bedrooms bigger, giving plenty of wardrobe space, and solving any potential storage problems.
It is straightforward to have either of these log cabins elongated by one or two metres, giving much larger second and third bedrooms. Ask us about the cost of this. You’ll be very surprised at how very affordable it is to add an extra metre or two to your log cabin. In effect, because all we are doing is adding the extra timber, roofing and insulation for the extra metre (say), but there is no real increase in labour costs, then the overall increased cost is not prohibitive.
Extending – the most popular log cabin options
You can, of course, go further if you decide to extend this log cabin. For instance, if you extend by two metres, you could easily put in an ensuite between the main bedroom and the back bedroom. Of course, the inclusion of the ensuite will entail a further increase, due to the extra internal wall and door. But don’t let this stop you from asking about the cost. You will be pleasantly surprised at the cost. And that’s just one more reason to shop with TimberLiving – our Quality is Complimented by our Versatility!
A Verandah – more stylish log cabin options
Verandahs are a very popular optional extra on our log cabins. We all know how well they look, but not everyone realises that they can be included in your build, no matter which log cabin you choose. And you can go for the overhang by itself, or overhang decking and railings. Just give us a call to discuss this very popular option. It really adds a lot of character to your log cabin, and for many it is, in effect, the icing on the cake for them.
Changing Windows & other Log Cabin Options
Window choice is very important for your log cabin. Windows serve a number of functions, of course. They let in light, but also keep in the heat, and give a certain character to your log cabin from the outside. And of course, if you have a special view from your cabin, you might want to change the windows to bring that view inside, so to speak.
There are three main changes you can make to the windows in your log cabin:
Window size
Window location
Window material (Timber or PVC).
Window Size:
You can see from the image of our Sligo three Bedroom Log Cabin above that we can supply full glass doors for your log cabin if that’s what you wish. (You can see more photos of the Sligo Three Bedroom Log Cabin here.) The full glass doors are double glazed and are available in PVC or timber. All of our PVC windows are supplied by either Munster Joinery or Weatherglaze Ireland.
We only deal with highly reputable Irish companies when sourcing uPVC windows for your log cabins, because we want every element of our log cabins to be high quality, long-lasting products. Customer satisfaction is our key target in everything we do – that’s our policy and it has stood us in good stead for over two decades, so why change!
If you’re considering using the longer windows, as shown in the image above, be sure to remember that you will be losing wall space if you lower the cill by installing those longer windows. With a standard window, there’s room below the cill for a table, or even a radiator. Don’t forget to check out this important detail when planning your windows.
uPVC Windows for your Log Cabin
Our timber windows are very high quality, double-glazed tilt and turn windows, which have not let us down over the years, so we are very happy to recommend them. However, many people are keen on uPVC windows because they are lower maintenance. We are happy to supply you with whichever type you choose. While uPVC windows are lower maintenance, there is the restriction on colour – once you choose a colour, you have to stick with it.
For most people, this is not a problem, but we should still mention it. White PVC goes with most colours, but we do offer different colours of uPVC windows. Our range varies depending on the supplier, so its best to ask your TimberLiving representative about the current choices.
Give us a call or come visit us to learn more, and experience one of our best quality log cabins first hand.
Planning Permission for log cabins – it’s a bit of a chore. And you’re going to hear lots of opinions about it, so the best thing to do is to talk to a planning expert in your local area.
YES! You CAN get planning permission for log cabins!
Let’s be clear – YOU CAN GET PLANNING PERMISSION FOR LOG CABINS!
Do I need planning permission for a log cabin on my land?
Lots of people come to us at Timber Living to buy log cabins – and one of the main questions we are asked is about planning permission for log cabins. You need planning for anything over 25 square metres that you intend to live in – even a mobile home! But don’t worry – A lot of people have been given planning permission for our log cabins.
How long does planning permission take for a log cabin?
Can I build a log cabin on my land in Ireland?
What size can you build without planning?
Planning permission for a log cabin on agricultural land?
A lot of people have built on their own land without planning. It depends on the area you’re in sometimes. Some people have argued that they’re a flat-pack build, and not fixed to the ground so they’re a temporary structure, although this statement might not be an accurate reflection of the current planning regulations.
Can you get planning permission for log cabins?
Yes, you can get planning permission for log cabins.
If you do go for planning permission for a log cabin, best to apply for a “timber frame” construction rather than a “log cabin”. Anecdotal evidence suggests that planners, in general, are averse to the term “log cabin“. But there’s a strong environmental argument for building log cabins. The fact that the carbon footprint of one of our cabins is minuscule compared to a block-built house is a strong argument.
You will need to contact an engineer to work on your log cabin build if you go for planning. The engineer will need to certify the construction method for the building – how the walls, floors and roof are constructed. This certification is required in order to demonstrate that your building complies with the latest building regulations.
Timber Frame Houses from Timber Living
We have developed a range of timber frame buildings at Timber Living, to cater for people who want to build an affordable, stylish, comfortable home, and who are going for planning permission. The main differences between our log cabins and our timber frame houses are as follows:
higher insulation levels in walls and roof
Cement board finish on the exterior
PVC windows and doors
The steeper slope on the roof
Log Cabins and Building Regulations
With the new NZEB regulations, (that’s Nearly Zero Energy Building Regulations), the insulation levels in our timber frame buildings are a lot higher than in our log cabins. Our timber frame buildings have 300mm of wall insulation:
100mm Ext Insulation (EPS),
150mm Metac Insulation
52.5mm Insulated Board compared with 100mm of METAC insulation in our log cabins.
Because of the required higher level of insulation, the overall cost of your build will be higher than that quoted on our website, unfortunately. That’s due to the requirement for more insulation in the build, improved air tightness and “greener” heating systems.
Can I build without planning permission for log cabins?
Lots of our customers have built their log cabins at the back of an existing house, or in a farmyard, without planning permission. There are some restrictions in relation to maximum log cabin sizes, which are addressed in the next paragraph.
The beauty of building close to an existing structure is that there are generally connections to water, sewerage and electricity, which means your log cabin can be built a lot quicker and cheaper than otherwise.
Many of our customers have told us that getting an ESB connection is not a problem – of course, it is not free, but you do not need to have planning permission to get a new ESB connection for your cabin.
What is the maximum size I can build without planning permission?
There are some restrictions when it comes to building a log cabin without planning permission. You can build a cabin up to twenty-five square meters in area if it is not connected to your house. But a better option might be to build an extension to the house. With an extension, you can build up to forty square metres without planning permission, as long as the house has not been extended previously. Our Roscommon Log Cabin (click here) is a good example of a cabin that fits under the 40-square-metre limit for house extensions. It is also an ideal fit for many extensions. One minor change would be required in order for this cabin to work as an extension – moving the windows from the front to the side of the cabin. As long as the existing building was suitable – wall length, position of door and windows etc. – this might be a perfect fit for your extension!
Of course, if this cabin did not suit, there might be another cabin in our collection that is ideal, or we could build you a bespoke model.
Appealing a Planning Decision
While the planning process in Ireland does seem to be overly cumbersome, at least we have an appeals system through An Bórd Pleanála. (Click here to visit their website.) It is important to appeal a planning decision if you are refused by your local council. We have heard of a few examples where log cabin planning refusals have been overturned.
The environmental argument is always a very strong one with An Bórd Pleanála. Although we cannot say this about all county councils, there seems to be a bias against timber construction, and in particular, timber exteriors on buildings. If you make the argument that the carbon footprint of a timber construction is minuscule compared to a conventionally built block house, this can help your case immensely. As already stated, the sustainability/eco-friendly/environmental argument has won quite a few cases for log cabin owners.
Please remember that planning regulations vary over time and between regions. What we state here is just general information. You need to check the finer details with your local council.
If you are thinking of going for planning permission, we would be glad to chat with you about all of the different options – type and quantity of insulation, internal and external wall coverings, and heating systems. Make sure you bring your plans with you when you come to our showrooms.
Contact us or visit our showrooms in Tullow, Boyle and Cork for more information.
A bespoke log cabin is a big investment, and it is going to be there for a lifetime, so make sure you get the design you want.
A Residential Log Cabin
If you’re building a log cabin to live in for long periods, you will want a number of things:
easy to heat
low maintenance
stylish
affordable
built quickly
All of these are strong characteristics of Timber Living’s Log Cabins, and they’re headings we use all of the time when we write our marketing material for Facebook, google ads, and all of our other marketing projects. But there are a couple of things we never mention, and they are always FIRST on our clients’ list of priorities.
Your Log Cabin checklist.
When you’re choosing a log cabin, there are a couple of points you’ll put on top of your log cabin checklist. In fact, they’re so obvious, they’re rarely mentioned. They are, of course,
size,
number of rooms and
budget.
And if you cannot get the combination of these three right, you probably won’t be happy and probably won’t buy (which means we won’t be happy…)
Do you need that guest bedroom?
So often, we get people struggling to include a guest room in an already small cabin, for visitors who might show up for a night every eight or ten weeks. When you do the sums, you’re paying a lot of money to accommodate these visitors. (Now, we’re not suggesting it would be cheaper to forego the extra room and put your visitors up in the B & B down the road…)
But a decent sofa bed can be an excellent alternative to the spare room. And you can be sure that any visitors to your cabins will be quite happy to take the couch. The atmosphere in any log cabin is so comfortable and inviting that they are sure not to complain. That’s how I find the extra visitors to my cabin anyhow…
One Bed Log Cabin
Cute and Cosy – Brittas One Bed Log Cabin
If you’re really pressed for space or finances and considering a one bed log cabin like the Brittas, you might be better off considering removing the bedroom wall, and making it an open plan, studio-style cabin, with a foldaway bed. Initially, it goes against the grain for Irish people, but the extra space you’d gain in the living area of the cabin would be well worth it.
I spent a year in France (many years ago) and we had a small studio apartment. It was a simple set-up – kitchen, bathroom and living room, which converted to a bedroom when the foldaway bed was unfolded! Cheap and cheerful!
Stretch that Two Bed Log Cabin
The Limerick Two Bed Log Cabin is our best-selling log cabin. Most visitors to the showhouse need little convincing when they see the size of the living area that the Limerick is the log cabin they’re looking for. Sometimes, though, bedroom space is an issue. The simplest thing to do in that case is to add a meter onto the bedroom end of the cabin, making both bedrooms quite a bit more spacious. It’s a simple, affordable solution, that often makes our clients’ minds up for them.
Your Log Cabin, Your Way
Of course, we’d all like to build a fine big bespoke log cabin to our own design. Over the years we’ve built some really nice, individual cabins. Let me show you a few.
Classy Interior to Log Cabin
Log Cabin Designs
We’ve included some bespoke log cabin designs in our catalogue of residential log cabins because the designs are so good. Here’s a quick list of those luxury log cabins for sale from Timber Living.
Blackrock Log Cabin. A very dramatic looking premium log house, with the gable end, at over 16m long with a large overhang, giving this cabin great character It’s one of our favourite bespoke log cabins.
Callan 3 Bed Log Cabin
This Callan 3 Bed Log cabin has a very appealing large verandah and overhang. It was originally a bespoke design for one of our customers. The layout inside is something that a lot of people are looking for, incorporating a long hallway and large bedrooms. Definitely one to be considered if it’s within your budget.
Spiddal Two Bed Log Cabin.
This cabin is modelled on an old Irish country cottage, with a main living room and a small bedroom off either end. The design has been modernised with full glass doors. A great design of you’re looking to set up a small, countryside getaway.
The Kilmore Two Bedroom log cabin is a revised and extended version of our Tullow three-bed log cabin. The living area is the same size, but the windows have been changed around and made larger. The main bedroom in this is also quite large, with a walk-in wardrobe, and the main bathroom has also been extended.
Log cabins are long-lasting, stylish, very affordable, and are built VERY quickly. Let me show you how we can build long-lasting, quality homes in a short amount of time.
How long do log cabins last in Ireland?
Before anyone starts the process of building a log cabin in Ireland, they have to ask themselves the question “How long do log cabins last in Ireland?” And its a perfect question. There are some illusions that Ireland’s weather is worse for log cabins than elsewhere in Europe, but this is just a perception of the situation. (I believe we’re just feeling sorry for ourselves because we don’t get as much sunshine as othe countries in Europe!)
But Timber Living has been building log cabins in Ireland for over twenty years, and we’ve proven their longevity – even our oldest cabins are stil as good as new, as long as they’ve been treated properly on the outside. (You can read all about “painting” log cabins here: https://timberliving.ie/post/how-to-paint-your-log-cabin)
How can log cabins be built in such a short time?
The secret to the speed of build of log cabins is down to the fact that most of the work is done in a factory, by precision Austrian-built machines, using the latest in high-tech software. Stringent management and quality assurance levels ensures that every piece of timber has been dried to the right level, machined to the right dimensions (with extremey tight tolerances) and is loaded safely and correctly, ensuring that there are no delays on site due to incorrect or missing elements of your log cabin.
Now, that’s the easy bit! But what are the stages that you will see happening when your log cabin is being built?
Log Cabin Base
Take a look at our blog post all about log cabin bases: Blogpost – ,,Log cabin bases and foundations.
Your log cabin is going to require a five inch concrete base. Building a log cabin on anything else (stilts or blocks or whatever) is a mistake – any movement in just one of the points would lead to serious undermining of your build. So, a five inch base is what’s needed. Here’s the spec for the builder: 5 inch 804 hardstone and 5 inch 30-33 N concrete.
For this section, I am going to discuss the build schedule for the Limerick Two Bed Log Cabin, which is the one that was built in Boyle as a show house for Timber Living. There are four phases to the build, which take about three weeks to complete.
Week One – Monday and Tuesday
First stage build – the log cabin exterior is built. You can see in the video below how, over two days, we build the exterior log cabin walls and ceiling boards, so that we can leave an enclosed space for the electrician and plumber.
Week One – Wednesday to Friday
Its time for the electrician and plumber to move in and do their first fix. It should only take the electrician a day, and the same with the plumber depending on the extent of the plumbing, heating system etc.
Week Two – Monday to Wednesday
We return to do the roof insulation and cover, the insulation in the walls and floors, and complete the internal walls and floor.
Week Two – Wednesday to Friday
Its time to protect the new floor in your log cabin, before the electrician and plumber return. So get varnishing, or carpeting, or timber flooring – whatever your choice. Its important to protect the fresh timber floor before the electrician and plumber move in with nails and screws aas wellas other, heavier items. While the wood in your floor is reasonably hard, it is not unscratchable, so best to protect it before any damage is done.
For that matter, there is nothing wrong with putting timber flooring on top of your new Timber Living floor, if that’s what you want. Flooring is very much a matter of taste -for one person, carpet is the creme de la creme, while another will INSIST on keeping the original timber flooring. Then again, there are lots of very interesting linos available on the market now…
Once your flooring is down, get the electrician and plumber to complete their work. This stage shouldn’t take more than three days. For the electrician, all that will be needed is to fit sockets and light fittings, a final wiring of the plug board, wiring of whatever water heating system you’re using, and possibly wiring of your cooker. For the plumber, there’s final fitting of rads, stoves, showers, toilets, sinks and taps, an again, whatever water heating you’re using.
Now you’re ready to put in the kitchen and move in your furniture. Enjoy!
Come see us at Timber Living Log Cabins
If you’re interested in seeing one of our log cabins in real life (!) give us a call at our,, log cabin showrooms. in Tullow, County Carlow, Carrigaline, County Cork and Boyle, County Roscommon. We’re always glad to show you around.
Residential log cabins – there’s a growing trend for them in Ireland. But the big question is – How long do they last? Log cabins are a sizable investment, albeit a very clever and cost-effective one. Nevertheless, for the amount of money you spend, you want to be sure that your investment will last. And last it will – for a lifetime.
Cosy Residential Log Cabin
Log Cabins are durable, strong and reliable
How long do Residential Log cabins last in Ireland?
That’s a good question, and a very important one. People in Ireland are not familiar with living in log cabins: they’re only becoming a common option for living in now. (Although TimberLiving has been selling log cabins in Ireland for over twenty years…)
Space and convenience
If you’re Irish, you almost certainly grew up in block-built houses. Or an old stone building – freezing cold on the inside, both Winter AND Summer! So it’s understandable that Irish people might be inquisitive about the longevity of log cabins.
We all know that timber building is very, very common as a housing material all over Europe. But there is still an understandable reticence about trusting a timber building to last a lifetime. Many people have the notion that log cabins won’t last in Ireland because the Irish climate is a lot more damper than any other country in the world (wrong!)
We do get wet winters, of course, but we’ve also got the windiest climate in Europe, and wind dries things, and Irish wind dries things very well.
Painting a log cabin
As regards dampness, the proper stain protection on your log cabins will prevent any degradation due to dampness. Have a read of our blog on staining your log cabin here: https://timberliving.ie/how-to-paint-your-log-cabin
They make boats out of wood, and they last a long, long time, putting up with the ravages and corrosiveness of seawater. So why not make log cabins out of timber? Timber houses are half the cost of block-built houses because the on-site labour is so much less. All of our houses are produced in a Hi-Tech factory, using precision engineering methods to produce every piece of wood required for our log homes, cut accurately to the millimetre.
All of this means there is little to no onsite cutting, and the highly accurate machining and fitting also means reduced draughts and air leakage. This leads to a more rigorous building, which will not allow excessive movement of timber beyond that expected from a natural product.
But don’t take our word for it. Dermot Bannon did a programme on Scandinavian Log Cabins, and we were delighted with what he had to say about the durability and longevity of timber houses. As we say, a log house will last a lifetime if it is built properly and treated well.
Come and see for yourself
Contemporary style log cabin
Visit our showrooms and see if you can find any piece of timber that was hand cut during the construction. You’ll be searching for a long time! So, whether you’re looking for budget residential log cabins that are a quality bargain, come and see us now.
Can you paint a log cabin home?
Home sweet log cabin home
Once the exterior of your cabin is treated properly, your cabin will last a lifetime. But what about log cabin paint? Actually, you don’t use paint for your log cabin, you use a stain. We recommend using Sikkens. Have a read about our Log Cabin blog in relation to log cabin paint here.
TimberLiving log cabins Ireland have a lot of residential log cabins for sale and provide the highest quality, best spec cabins in Ireland. We have been in business for over 20 years, and in that time we have built thousands of log cabins.
Would you like to visit a show house? We have show houses based in
Tullow, County Carlow (Phone 05991 81039)
Boyle County Roscommon, (086 817 0429)
Carrigaline County Cork. (087 6464 280)
If you’re looking for a quality log cabin, we are the company to contact.
Electrics in Log Cabins? Your electrician is going to love to hear you need your log cabin wired. Its such an easy, clean, quick job compared to a block built house.
What electrics will I need in my log cabin?
There are no restrictions to what you can put into your log cabin. From an electrical point of view, a log cabin is just like any other building. Sauna anyone? Hot tub? Electrical underfloor heating? We’ve done them all.
But realistically, in the average log cabin, the range of electrical items includes all of the obvious ones:
Freezer
Refrigerator
Water cooler
Cooking
Cooker
Double Oven
Microwave oven
Washing machine
Clothes dryer
Dishwasher
Water heater
Panel heaters
Storage Heaters
Electric Shower
Power Shower
Immersion Heater
Extractor Fan
Fan Heater
Water Heating in a Log Cabin
When considering water heating, you have two main demands:
Water for a Shower/bath
Water for Bathroom and Kitchen Sink
Water heating for showers, baths and sinks is a simple, very straightforward task for your log cabin. Thera re two basic options, particularly when we are dealing with a smaller cabin, and the shower is the deciding factor. You need to decide whether you are going to go for an electric shower, or an immersion heater and gravity fed shower (with a pump included, as an option.)
ELECTRIC SHOWER & UNDER SINK WATER HEATER
Installing an electrical heater into a log cabin is a very straightforward business from the plumbing point of view. It only gets complicated when it comes to where your electricity is coming from. If you are taking a power feed from an exiting house/meter/electrical board, and there is already an electric shower in the main house, then things get a little complicated. The problem is that electric showers use a lot of power. Usually, there is not enough power for two electric showers going into the one house. (Normally, you will only ever find one electric shower in any house – ask around – you’ll see!)
If you want an electric shower in the cabin and there is already one in the main house, you will have to get an isolater switch installed. This is straightforward, and it just insures that the two showers cannot be turned on at the same time.
Once you have your electrical shower installed, all you need is an under-sink instantaneous water heater to heat tap water for the kitchen and bathroom sinks.
IMMERSION HEATER
An immersion heater is also an option, and can be a requirement if you are putting in radiators. It is again a simple operation to install an immersion heater. You can get very reliable water heaters on eBay for a very reasonable cost.
Log Cabin Lighting
Because of the shape of the ceilings in our log cabins, recessed lights seem to work very well, and are used by a lot of our customers. They are very reasonably priced, coming in at about €9 per light, and they are extremely economical to run. Using te latest LED technology, these lights do not get hot, and use very little electricity. Unfortunately, they cannot be dimmed, so you will need some other lamps around your rooms for atmospheric lighting. The photo above is of the living room in the Log Cabin Showhouse in Boyle, Co. Roscommon. Feel free to come and visit. Just call 086 817 0429 to make an appointment.
Cost of Log Cabin Electrics
Depending on the amount of wiring/lights/plugs/appliances/heaters you want installed in your log cabin, the cost of the wiring is going to vary, of course. But I can tell you that it cost me €1900 to fully wire the two bedroom log cabin show-house in Boyle, and that included:
11 double sockets
Connections for Cooker, Immersion and Washing Machine
A burning wood stove is a beautiful thing: warmth and comfort in the cosy surroundings of a log cabin.
It’s a common question: can I put a stove into my log cabin? And we’re delighted to tell you that the answer is yes!
You can install any type of stove into your log cabin: wood burning, wood pellet stove, natural gas stove – even an oil burning range. Whatever stove you decide to install in your log cabin, you can see from the video that making an opening in the roof of your log cabin is a straightforward operation.
Any experienced fitter will be able to install your stove in your log house in 3 or 4 hours. it is important that you use a double skin flue when going through the roof section of the cabin. it is also very important to have a heat shield fire screen behind the stove so that the heat cannot discolour your timber walls. You can get specific fireboard, imitation stone effect tiles, and many other alternatives to install behind your stove.
It ia very important to follow all of the guidelines when fitting your stove, and to use an experienced fitter. When we fitted the stove in the Boyle showhouse, there were detailed instructions with the stove relating to minimum flue length, flue bore, distance from surrounding walls, flue draught etc. There’s quite a lot to fitting the stove correctly so that there is no risk or hazard, and also that you have a good draught when the stove is burning.
We asked Adrian Hunt of AJ Installers (086 441 2269) to fit the stove in the Boyle shwhouse, and we were very impressed with the care and detail with which he completd the installation. He spent a lot of time squaring off our wood-buring stove, and thats not easy, since the base is oval!
Can I put a back boiler on my log cabin stove?
Because our cabins have cavity walls, it is very straightforward for your plumber to run a back boiler off your stove too. as in any house, what’s your stove is operating, you can run radiators off the back boiler full stop it is important to size the boiler and Stove correctly for the heat requirement of your log cabin full stop your heat requirement will depend on the level of insulation in your cabin. Again, any competent installer will be able to size your stove and boiler for you.
Gas Stove in your Log Cabin?
A balanced flue gas stove is an interesting option for a log cabin. The beauty of a gas stove is that you can fit a horizontal flue, going out the wall, and there is no need for it to go above the roof of the cabin. There are many benefits to this, particluarly the cost, since stove flues are quite expensive per metre. Of course, the cost of the stove itself will probably be more expensive, so at the end of the day, overall costs might be quite similiar. Fuel costs will vary hugely, depending on whether you’re using turf, coal or wood in your solid fuel stove, compared with gas. Butthere is the adde cleanliness of a gas stove, and the fact that there’s no need for regular cleaning out of ash, which is always a consideration.
Do you have any questions about stoves in your log cabin?
whether you are looking for a recommended fitter, or recommended stove please do not hesitate to contact us to ask about stove installation in your log cabin. we are always happy to help and advise on any aspects of log cabins.
Your log cabin foundations are key if you want your log cabin to last a lifetime. The only way to be sure that there will be no settlement in your log cabin over the years is to put in a flat slab log cabin foundations. So, what are your log cabin foundation options? Building a log cabin on a set of piles or strip foundations is over complicated and costly.
Foundation for a log cabin – get it right
I have often heard the story that a few years ago there was a very good carpenter in West Munster who was hand-building bespoke design log cabins. He was doing a beautiful job, using the best timber and putting the finest care into the construction of the cabins. They were a sight to see when they were first built.
Unfortunately, this builder did not have the correct log cabin foundations. He built his cabins on an array of blocks which are not property-footed. Over a period of time, the blocks shifted as the log cabins settled. This led to severe structural deterioration of the cabins and of course, the customers were very unhappy. The carpenter was soon out of business.
How to build a foundation for a log cabin
Any reasonably competent builder will know how to build your log cabin foundation. Just tell them you’re looking for a concrete slab for a log cabin. Your base needs to be level and square and to specific dimensions which we will supply to you. Your log cabin foundations will be 10 mm shorter than the cabin on each edge. Your cabin will therefore overhang the base by 10 mm all around.
We also ran a throated sill all around the foot of the cabin to throw the water away from the log cabin base. This means that water will not pool underneath the cabin. This ensures that there is no opportunity for rot to start developing in the base timbers.
You will need to put a Radon barrier and venting system beneath your log cabin foundations. Again, this is something your builder should be very familiar with. We will supply a damp-proof course which goes onto the surface of the base.
Along with the base dimensions, we will also supply you and your builder with detailed drawings of the cabin itself, so that you can decide where you want to locate all inlet and outlet pipes, for water and sewage.
Log Cabin Base Specifications
For a standard, single-storey cabin, we require a base 6-inch 804 hardcore and 5-inch concrete. (30-33 N concrete.)
All of our log cabins require a base that is ten millimetres shorter on all sides than the wood which sits on top of it. In other words, the log cabin will overhang the foundation by 10mm all around. The purpose of this overhang is to ensure that the log cabin is never sitting in water. To further guarantee this, we include a throated rain sill which runs all around the base of the cabin, throwing water which runs down the walls away from the base of the cabin.
Foundations for smaller single-room log cabins
If you’re building a single-room cabin, less than 25 square metres, you can build a simple timber frame base for a log cabin.
You will need rows of blocks, maximum of one metre apart. On top of this, you will need log cabin foundation beams – lengths of 4″ x 3″ treated timber, at 800mm centres, running perpendicular to the rows of block.
On top of this, we need a marine plywood platform to the dimensions required. The function of the plywood is to support the underfloor insulation. This platform needs to be level and square.
Log Cabin Base Drawings
If you decide to buy your log cabin from us at TimberLiving, we will supply you with drawings of your cabin, including an accurately dimensioned drawing of your log cabin foundations. so that you can determine where you want to bring in water and sewerage lines. If you have any questions about any of these technical details, be sure to give us a call.
Or you can discuss any of these issues with our teams around the country
Fergus and Valerie in Tullow, Co Carlow (05991 81039)
Conor in Boyle, Co Roscommon and Galway (086 817 0429)
Donal in Carrigaline, Co Cork and Limerick (087 6464 280)
Building the correct log cabin foundations is just the first step in creating your log cabin. You will need lots of information on painting (actually, staining) your cabin, installing electrics and plumbing, guttering and ongoing maintenance of your log cabin (which is not a particularly big task, you’ll be glad to hear!)
We have articles on all of the most important questions that people ask, and some more obscure articles too! And if you find we haven’t discovered a particular topic related to log cabins, please let us know.
Check out our blog for all of the information you’re going to need. Or better still, come and visit us at our nationwide showrooms in Cork, Boyle, Tullow, Galway and Limerick.
You’ll find our staff extremely helpful and knowledgeable on all subjects and details around log cabins – including log cabin foundations!
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