How Long Does a Log Cabin Last?
People often ask “How long do Timber Living log cabins last?” It’s a reasonable question – we’re not overly familiar with log house living in Ireland, so the use of timber on the exterior of a building is something that concerns people. But we like to remind people when asked this question, that a). they make boats out of wood b). every front door in the country was made out of wood, before the advent of PVC
So, the answer to the question is – Log Cabins Last a Lifetime!
How to Maintain a Log Cabin
Of course, if you want your log cabin to last a lifetime, you have to maintain it well. Water is timber’s enemy, and as long as you can protect your log cabin from the damage that water can do, you will have a log cabin that will last for many. many years.
The first step in keeping your log cabin dry is by building it on a base that is raised up from the ground above it, and that is ten millimetres all-round shorted than the cabin itself. Doing this means that the cabin overhangs the base by ten millimetres on every edge. We also include a throated rain sill all around the base of our log cabins. These two measures ensure that there is no chance of water pooling underneath the log cabin. If your cabin was standing in a pool of water, the water would be soaked up by the cabin timbers, and that would lead to rotting. So, the secret is to keep underneath your cabin bone dry. Here’s a video that goes into this in more detail.
Quality Timber – that’s the secret!
We’re not familiar with Log Cabins in Ireland, but that is no reason not to consider TimberLiving’s residential log cabins as an excellent option for your new home. What is a house anyway, but four walls, a roof and a floor? As long as the right timber is used, your log cabin will last for many decades. All of our timber is sourced from sustainable forests within the Arctic Circle. We use the finest, slow-growing Norway Spruce, which is a time-tested, and well-proven timber used in the construction of log cabins throughout Europe for centuries.
Have a read of our blog post What Timber Should a Log Cabin Be Built With.
What is the lifetime of a log cabin?
The right timber is of course, a very important element of your log cabin, but you also need all of the other elements – windows, doors and roof cover – to be of the highest quality in order to extend and maintain the lifetime of your log cabin. And we use only the best of elements in our log cabins, built to the highest EU standards. Here is a blog that tells you all about the tilt and turn, double glazed windows and window choices we offer in our cabins: https://timberliving.ie/post/which-windows-for-your-log-cabin
Our roof cover is a pressed steel, tile effect, and profiled roof cover. This is finished in a hard-wearing paint, so there will be no corrosion on the roof. It is also highly effective from a wind point of view. We have never had any of our roofs suffer from wind damage. And we have a cabin built on the Aran Islands, so we can speak with confidence about the reliability of our roofs!
Because our roofs are at such a shallow angle, it is not a good idea to fit tiles on the roof. It is recommended that your roof be at a slant of greater than thirty degrees if you want individual tiles fitted to your cabin roof. This is because wind can get under smaller tiles on shallow roofs and lift them, and also because stronger winds can actually drive rain in under individual roof tiles on shallow roofs.
What kind of paint do you use on a log cabin?
What log cabin paint should you use? Well, you don’t use paint on your log cabin! You should actually use a stain, such as SIKKENS, rather than paint. Stains let the timber breathe, so moisture is not trapped under the exterior coating. And there’s a wide range of colours available from SIKKENS. We have a few posts about treating log cabin timber.
Log Cabin exteriors require treatment every three or four years. Once they are well-maintained on the outside and kept dry (that’s the secret) your Timber Living log cabin will last for a minimum of 60 years. Make sure there is no soil up against any of the timber, and that there is no opportunity for water to pool under your log home, and then there will be no fear of trouble with your log house. These rules apply, whether you’re building a one-bed cabin granny flat, a two-bed log cabin or three-bed log cabin, or your own, bespoke log cabin.
Please don’t hesitate to call us at our showhouses in Tullow (059 918 1039), Carrigaline (087 6464280) and Boyle (086 817 0429) with questions, or to make an appointment.
