Category: Living

Experience the comfort and charm of living in a timber log cabin, with design ideas and lifestyle inspiration.

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Can I install a stove in a log cabin?

Stove in a log cabin

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!

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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.

https://youtu.be/LLkMm5sTZmQ

Fitting your stove into a log cabin

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.

And there is no restriction on the log cabin size – you can fit a stove into any cabin in Timber Living’s Range of Log Cabins.

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Log Cabin Stove Safety Regulations

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.

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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.

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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.

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Granny Flat – a log cabin is the perfect solution

Brittas One Bed Granny Flat

Your granny flat needs to be easy to heat, low maintenance and inviting. You’ll get all of these from a Timber Living Log Cabin. Take a look at our range of One Bed Log Cabin Granny Flats here.

cosy log cabin granny flat with verandah
The perfect granny flat

Log Cabin as a Granny Flat – The Benefits

If you’re lucky enough to have a large garden, there are huge and obvious benefits to building a granny flat. Of course there’s the emotional support (which goes both ways, we find, with customers of ours who have built Timber Living Log Cabins for grandparents), but we will steer clear of that discussion.

But there are lots of other benefits worth considering when contemplating building a granny flat:

  • Cost: The cost of building a free-standing log cabin is going to be roughly half the cost of a block-built lodge or extension of similar size. The main reason for the reduced cost is a big reduction in the labour element when building the cabin. Most of our work is done by machine at the factory, and that’s where the main savings arise.
    And of course, the financial side of moving into a granny flat, and selling the home place, or avoiding Care Home bills hardly needs to be stated.
  • Speed of Build: Your cabin can be built in three weeks, from breaking ground to completion. How long will it take a builder to build a block building of the same size? Four to six months maybe. That’s a big difference!
  • Cost of Heating: A timber cabin, with a four inch, insulation-filled cavity – now that’s a great combination when it comes to heating. Lots of insulation, and timber walls that also act as an insulator, and don’t have to be heated up in the way block walls have to be. Just thinking about it makes you feel warm!
  • Space and Comfort: We have a wide range of cabins of all different sizes and configurations, so you can as much space as you can afford, the only restriction being the size of your garden. And since the price per square foot is half that of any alternative, its going to be a lot easier for you to get what you’re looking for.

One Bedroom or Two Granny Flat?

Deciding on the number of bedrooms in your log cabin is an important decision, for a number of reasons. For obvious reasons, if you’re in the position to afford a larger cabin, you need to decide whether or not you should go for a two bed and a reduced living area, or a one bed with a larger living area. At the time of writing, our Limerick Two Bed Log Cabin is coming in at €38,000, and is a real bargain. If you have the space for it, and the budget, its the one to go for.

two bedroom log cabin plan

Of course, there is the initial cost of buying and installing the log cabin. And then there’s the additional costs of furniture, fixtures and fitting, and decoration. (The fewer curtains you need to buy, the better!) Don’t forget that the area available to you for building might be the main restriction on your number of bedrooms – no point in buying a 10 metre by 6 metre log cabin if you only have a garden big enough for a 6 metre by 4 metre cabin!

Log cabin granny flats are easy to heat

Heating is usually a main concern when it comes to Granny Flats, and indeed, any log cabin we produce. “How efficient are log cabins to heat?” is a question we often have to answer. Well, you can put most forms of heating into a log cabin:

  • Oil or Radiators
  • Solid fuel or gas Stove (with or without back-boiler)
  • Electrical storage heaters
  • heat pumps
  • Underfloor heating, even!

From a cost point of view, heating your log cabin is easy. We can supply you with a seven inch wall, which includes a four inch cavity, filled with insulation. We also have four inches of Kingspan insulation in the roof, and Kingspan in the floor too. All of this is included in the price on the website. A well-insulated log cabin means low heat loss, and low heat loss means low heating costs.

Another important factor in heat retention in any building is the air tightness. By default, our log cabins pass the air tightness test. I had the Two Bed Log Cabin Show house in Boyle tested for air tightness, and it was well within regulations – in fact it was about one and a half times as air tight as regulations demanded at the time. This is very good from a heating point of view. If you have a draughty building, those draughts will remove heat from your building, and Granny certainly does not want that!

Can I fit a stove in my log cabin?

You sure can! Have a read of our blog “Can I install a stove in a log cabin?” You’ll get all of the stove answers you’re looking for. We have a log burning stove fitted to our log house showroom in Boyle, with the flue going through the roof, but there’s no reason why you wouldn’t put a gas stove in, with a horizontal flue. Wood pellet stoves are also a good option, with their high efficiency, and timer and thermostat options.

Stove in a log cabin
A stove is the perfect addition to a log cabin

Additional Costs when Building a Log Cabin

You’ll get a price for delivery, build and insulation of your log cabin from our website. (Make sure you give us a call and ask for our BEST PRICE!)

Extra costs which are not included in our price are, among others, the base (5 inch concrete base), electrics, plumbing and heating.

Visit our log cabin showrooms

We have show rooms in Tullow, Co Carlow, Boyle, Co Roscommon and Carrigaline in Cork. Come and visit us soon to see how good our cabins really are. Give us a call 05991 81039 to arrange your visit.

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How efficient are log cabins to heat?

snow on a log cabin

Energy efficiency in your log cabin home is something we are all interested in, whether it’s for environmental reasons, or simply to save money. The better insulated your log cabin is, the less heat you need to keep yourself warm.

Cosy cabin interior

Log Cabin Insulation

log cabin wall with insulation

Timber living log cabins are very easy and cheap to heat. From an energy efficiency point of view they are top notch.  Our standard log cabin insulation levels maintain a nice warmth within our cabins during the winter, and actually help to keep them cool during the summer. It is remarkable how cool your cabin will be in the summer even  with the dark roof cover. That’s because we provide, as standard, 100mm Kingspan Insulation in our roofs. We also, as standard, include 100mm insulation in the walls.

Floor insulation – take note

And it is very, very important to use kingspan Insulation in the floor as well. Some companies offer rock-wool in the floors:  this is always, always a mistake. Do not buy a cabin with rock-wool insulation in the floor.

Putting your rock-wool insulation in the floor, on top of a concrete slab (even though there is a damp proof course in between) is a huge mistake. In the winter months, when the slab is colder than 4 degrees centigrade, the damp winter air condenses on the cold surface of the slab, and on the top of the damp proof membrane. The rock-wool insulation soaks up this dampness like a sponge!

This creates a number of problems:

  1. Your insulation is wet, and doesn’t insulate any more.
  2. The gathering moisture in the insulation can lead to rotting of your floorboards
  3. Your interior floor is going to be very cold, and will draw heat out of your living area.
  4. Unhealthy moulds can start to grow on both the underside AND interior face of your floor!

Log Cabin Airtightness

Of course, insulation is not the only element to be considered when discussing log cabin heat. We also need to consider air tightness. There is no point in insulating to the max and then leaving the window open! I am not suggesting you would leave a window open, but if your cabin is not reasonably airtight, then you might have the equivalent of an open window when you add up all of the draughts in your cabin.

We carried out a blow door test on the log cabin in Boyle and found that the cabin was well within building standards for air tightness, by a factor of 40%, which is very reassuring.

Log Cabin Insulation upgrades

Of course, we can increase your insulation levels if you wish. If you’re going for planning, you will need To increase your insulation to upto 8-in or 200mm in the walls, floors and roof. We also improve the air tightness of the  log cabin building.

There are many different ways to increase insulation. The walls are the obvious place to start. Here is a list of different options for increasing insulation in log cabin walls:

  • Increase the cavity. We can always increase the cavity size to eight inches (two hundred millimetres).
  • Insulation Material. Also, the material you use to insulate within the walls is a factor. We have upgraded our default wall insulation – we are now using Metac which is a high performance quality thermal insulation roll which has a higher better U Value than standard rock-wool insulation.
  • External Insulation: This solution is often insisted upon by planners, who, depending on the area, want buildings to have a rendered exterior finish in place of the horizontal drop log exterior which is our default.
  • Dry lining. Dry lining the interior of your cabin to increase the overall insulating value of the walls is another obvious solution, but of course, you loose the interior timber walls. This is not a problem for everyone, and is down to personal choice.

What about the floor insulation? One alternative for the floor is to use Quinn Lite thermal blocks to insulate the slab. Quinn Lite blocks are Thermal AAC Blocks designed for thermal excellence and ease of construction.

Either way, we can give your new log cabin home an A2 BER without any problem.

Log cabins are cheap to heat

Once your residential log cabin home has been well insulated,  it is going to be as easy to heat (or easier) that any other type of building. (Are Log Cabins Easy to Heat Blog entry) The  function of any buildings envelope (walls floor and roof) is to keep in the heat, keep out the rain, wind and cold. a log cabin envelope is exceptionally good at this, as long as there is sufficient insulating value in the Fabric of the envelope, and that the envelope is relatively airtight. Timberliving  log cabins fulfill all of these requirements. So, whether you’re looking for a one bed log cabin, a 2 bed log house, a 3-bed timber home, or a bespoke design log cabin, you should make your first point of call one of our timber living show houses.

Timber Living Log Cabin show houses

We have show houses in Boyle, County Roscommon (086 817 0429), Carrigaline Co Cork (087 6464 280) and Tullow, Co Carlow.  Please don’t hesitate to call us straightaway to organise a visit.

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Can I get insurance for my Log Cabin?

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Like all good things in life, your log cabin is going to need insurance. Insurance is a bill we pay every year, for house, car, health, even pets, and if we all hope and pray that we never have to use the policy!

Your log cabin, like all good things in life, is going to need insurance.

Log cabin with verandah

What insurance companies cover log homes?

But insurance is not a problem for log cabins Ireland. Most companies will give you insurance for your log cabin, log home or garden chalet, log cabin or granny flat.

We did a quick google search and found the following:

Non-standard home insurance from OBF: https://www.obf.ie/non-standard-homes/

Holiday Home Insurance from Allianz: https://www.allianz.ie/holiday-home-insurance/

Log cabin insurance form Intasure: https://www.intasure.com/logcabin/

Log cabin insurance form Assetsure: https://www.assetsure.com/homes/log-cabin-insurance/

As usual, its important to shop around for insurance. Money is money, as they say, and its beter in your pocket than theirs, so be sure to spend a bit of time on the phone. If you spend an hour calling and save a couple of hundred euro, you won’t earn that hourly rate too often! Why not reward yourself with something special if you make a big saving? A nice botle of wine if you save €75, a meal out if you save €150 – you get the idea :-)

Insuring a Log Cabin Granny Flat

Often, if a log cabin is built in a garden, it is possible to include your log cabin or log cabin granny flat on your existing home insurance policy as an outbuilding. This is a pretty painless process, and, depending on your company and the size of your log cabin, might not cost you a penny!

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Get your log cabin insurance through us

Some insurance companies have not listed the building technology that we use in our log cabins, and so maya refuse you insurance.  But this is not a problem. We have brokers who are quite happy to offer you insurance on your log cabin, and at a rate equivalent to regular house insurance.  Just give us a call at our head office in Tullow (05991 81039) and we will be glad to put you in touch with our broker.

Quality Log Cabin Construction

Our log cabins are built of the highest quality material and methods. We are quite happy to give a 10 year guarantee on all of our log cabin homes,  because of the high quality of the production, the timber materials, the specialists craftsmen, and how our log cabins are built. Most of our craftsmen I have 20 years experience or more in the building of our log cabins, so they are well able to anticipate any potential problem with your build and eliminate the issue at the building stage.

log cabin interior with varnished floor

We have a wealth of experience between our installers and our representatives around Ireland. we have been building log cabins in Ireland for over 20 years, so we have  come across (and solved!) every single problem that might occur with your log cabin home. so if you’re looking for a log cabin that will last and last, talk to us at timber living log cabins. Come and visit us and see the quality of our buildings.  Talk to our representatives and you will understand the death of our knowledge of the business. If you come and see us you will leave our showrooms reassured that a TimberLiving Log cabin is a long-lasting log cabin, which is easy to heat, easy to maintain, is long lasting, stylish and durable.

Call TimberLiving log cabins now

We have show houses in Tullow, Boyle and Carrigaline. Come and visit us at one of our Log Cabin showrooms and see the quality of your new log home. You’ll get all of our details on our Contact Us page.

Log cabin show houses

If you come to our Tullow showrooms, you can see both our Tullow three bed log cabin and a two bed Limerick log cabin. Give Valerie or Fegus a call at 05991 81039 to discuss a visit.

We have a beautiful two bed log cabin show house in Boyle, Co Roscommon. Give Conor a call at 086 817 0429 to arrange an appointment.

And if you’re in Munster, you can also organise a visit to our show house in Carrigaline in Cork. Give the Head Office a call to organise 05991 81039.

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Which windows for your log cabin?

Log Cabin Windows

Choice is key when it comes to log cabin windows, because everyone’s taste is different

Windows are a very important element of your log cabin. They let the light in: they’re an architectural feature: they should also keep as much heat inside the cabin as possible. So, which windows do you choose when buying your cabin from Timber Living Log Cabins Ireland?

Full height PVC windows for your log cabin

We have the best log cabin windows

“The eyes are the windows to the soul”. Sounds like a completely irrelevant way to start this article, but bear with me! Of course, you’re going to need windows in your log cabin, but the windows do a lot more than just let the light in. Depending on your window size, they might not let enough light in. Then again, they might let too much heat out! Window choice is important!

Get the right windows for your log cabin

As you can see from the picture gallery above, we have a host of different window sizes and shapes, all of which are available to you.

Take a look at our Sligo log cabin as a great example of how you can light up your cabin interior with the right window choice.

And our Cavan Log cabin is another interesting choice. This cabin would be ideal as a holiday home, if your location has the stunning views.

Window Size and Shape

There is no restriction on the window size and shapes we can produce. Just ask any of our representatives, in Tullow, Boyle or Carrigaline, and we’ll be glad to talk you through all of the options.

Log cabin Window choices

Make sure you get the right shape of window for your log cabin. What factors should you consider?

  • South facing? There’s no doubt but that you should, if at all possible, have your main window wall facing south, or at least between south east and south west. You’re going to get the best light of the day, and also benefit much more from solar gain.
  • Balance Solar Gain with Heat Loss. If you’ve got a beautiful view, you’re going to want big windows to take in the view. There’s lots to consider here. Big windows are great, but they can lead to heat loss at night, so they need to be heavily curtained. And your curtains need to close off at the ends, so that the cold air behind them is trapped. Curtains that are away from the wall are ineffective, especially with large windows. The large window surface area can generate a draught, which will get the warm air in the cabin moving, and make it uncomfortable. So, by all means go for the large windows, but you’ve got to get a bit unconventional with your curtain-hanging. Want o know more about heating a log cabin?
  • Big Bedroom Windows? You don’t need a lot of light in your bedroom window, unless you’re the sort that likes to stay in bed til the sun is high in the sky. So, its probably best to keep your bedroom windows small, and, by reducing heat loss, cosy. This also means that you can put your bedrooms on the north-facing side of the building, and leave the living areas in the south-facing rooms.
  • Traditional Vs Modern Window frames. Wooden frames or pvc? Its a conundrum. Our wooden timber frames are very high wuality, amde from the best quality timber, sourced in Russia, so they are slow growing, and very strong and durable. They will last as long as you maintain them. But that is the key word – maintenance. Whie the beauty of timber cannot be fully replaced by PVC, the issue of maintenance cannot be avoided. So, if you’re going for a larger building, with lots of windows, the best advice is probably to sacrifice a bit of the traditional for th convenience of low maintenace PVC windows.
  • Double glazed, heat retaining. The major factor in double-glazed windows, besides the quality of the build – seal etc – is the gap in the window between the two panes. Always take a look at this gap – the bigger the better, the bigger the more heat is retained.
  • Cabin character. This is a difficult one to be definitive about, because it boils down to people’s tastes. Some people like a traditional looks in a log cabin, while others want something a bit more modern, more individual. But needless to say, your cabin windows really do define the character of your cabin. Usually, the choice is immediately clear to someone who is buying a cabin – as soon as they see what they like, they know it straightaway. The problems start when two people are buying, and they each want something different. But, at Timber Living, we have a wide range of log cabins, and we’re very good at finding you exactly whatyou’re looking for. Contact us now to arrange an appointment and a viewing of our log cabin showhouses.

Quality log cabin windows

At Timberliving, we realise the importance of high quality windows in your log cabin. If you come to any of our showrooms you can experience for yourself the high quality of the hardware in our windows. All of our windows are tilt and turn, double glazed timber frame windows. Notice the gap in the double glazing. This determines how well your in windows insulate you against the cold.

Timber frame or PVC windows in your log cabin?

The standard window in all of our cabins is timber. but if you are interested, we can also offer you PVC windows. PVC windows come in a wide range of colours. Of course, white is the standard colour and is a lot cheaper than a coloured PVC frame. This is because quite PVC windows are very commonplace and and the expected colour in the marketplace.

Coloured PVC Log Cabin Windows

You can see REHAU’s range of PVC windows here: https://www.rehau.com/download/1893282/standarddekore-kaleido-foil.pdf

We offer a beautiful range of natural colours in coloured PVC windows from REHAU. Follow the link above to get a clear idea of the colours that are available. Coloured windows can look great in a log cabin – it all depends on personal taste. we have had come customers who have been adamant that they want the timber frame windows particularly for inside the cabin. timber windows painted white still look like timber windows, rather than PVC windows full stop and when you’re building your own log cabin, you should of course build it the way you want it. PVC has the benefit of low maintenance, but many people feel that you cannot beat the natural beauty of timber windows.

Window colour choice

Come to our log cabin show houses

Whether you’re looking for timber or UPVC windows, one, two or three bed cabins, a garden office or gym, you should come and visit us in our timber living show houses. We have show houses in Tullow, Boyle and Carrigaline. You will get all of our details on our contact page. Look forward to seeing you soon.

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What our log cabin show house visitors think

Cosy cabin interior

We have had a lot of visitors to our log cabin show house in Boyle since it was built back in February 2018. For most people, it is their first visit to a log cabin showroom, and they are generally very pleasantly surprised by what they see.

The way our log cabin is tucked away at the back of the garden means that it looks quite small. So our visitors are generally very surprised when they realise that the showroom is a two-bedroom showhouse, with an area of forty-nine square metres (49 sq.m), or five hundred and thirty-three square feet (533 sq.ft).

Timber Living Log Cabins Ireland has been selling log cabins to Leinster and the east of the country for over twenty years, and was delighted to open a show house in the west of Ireland, to service Galway, Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan and Westmeath.

Cosy cabin interior

What is a log cabin show house interior like?

The reaction of most people has been extremely positive. As soon as you walk into our  log cabin show house, there is something special going on, but it is often hard to put your finger on what exactly that is.  Of course, we in Ireland are not used to a full interior timber surface in our living areas, so seeing all of that timber is both appealing and surprising. Not everybody likes it actually, but most people are really delighted with their first impression.

And of course, if you do not like the wood finish, it is easy to paint all of the walls. In fact, even if you like the timber finish, it would make sense to put some protective varnish coating on your wall, for ease of cleaning, if nothing else.

But actually the real first impression is not as obvious. Because our timber living log cabin show house walls are the highest available in the country, that means that our roofs are also very high. So, when you walk into to any of our cabins, the first sensation, which is usually sub-conscious, is a feeling of openness, because the roof is raised so high.

Painted walls or timber finish?

Unfinished log cabin interior

The biggest debate of all amongst our visitors has been whether or not to leave the full timber finish throughout the cabin. It’s nearly a Brexit debate! A lot of people love the timber finish everywhere, while others really like a painted finish. Of course, there’s always the option to tile, varnish or stain the wood too. It’s always a great debate amongst our visitors, and with couples,  as long as they both see things the same way, there’s usually no problem.

Creaky floors?

Another regular comment from visitors is how solid the floor feels in our log cabin show house.  Some people expect the floor to be creaky because it is a timber cabin. Others are surprised at how solid the floor feels because they have visited other show houses and and a lot of them just don’t feel as solid as a TimberLiving show house.

If you’re cabin is built well, and your foundations are good, there is no reason why you should have a creaky floor. Of course, there will be some movement in the floor due to temperature and moisture changes. If you wish you can put a floor covering down –  carpet, lino or engineered wood.

What is the best log cabin foundation?

A major mistake that some other log cabin companies are making is offering timber frame and block foundations. In our opinion, if you want your log cabin to last a lifetime, you need to have an extremely solid foundation. We always recommend a five-inch concrete slab for our foundations. Any other form of base has the potential for settling, and settling of a foundation is not a good thing or a log cabin.

With the extra-long timbers that are used in log cabins, you can imagine the problems that might arise if one corner of that cabin settles more than the other. This is the sort of thing that happens ith block foundations. You need one complete slab, so that if there is any settlement, it affects all of the cabin equally.

Solid doors and windows

Another good indication of a quality build that how well the windows and doors close. after nearly 2 years as you should expect, windows and doors ( interior and exterior) are performing as well as they did on the first day.

Overnighting in a log cabin

Cosy log cabin bed

We’ve had a few people stay in our show house over the last couple of years: friends from England, Sweden and Germany, family home from the States, Granny and Grandad –  lots of different visitors. And everyone wakes up very well rested. They always remark at how quiet it is – especially those who come from living in cities. And those who stay when its raining love the sound of the the rain on the roof – the cabin really brings people back to mature.

Our cabin is a delightful little haven – quiet, cosy and warm, and well worth a visit.

Where is my nearest log cabin show house?

We have log cabin show houses in Boyle, Co Roscommon, Tullow, Co Carlow and Carrigaline, Co Cork. You can get all the contact information, directions etc from our log cabin show house contact page. Start planning you visit now. And please, ring for an appointment if you’re coming to Boyle – 086 817 0429

See you soon!

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7 reasons to get your log cabin from Timber Living

a room with a tub and chairs

Log Cabins Ireland – Over 20 years in the business

We’ve been in the log cabin business for over twenty years, and we’ve come across AND SOLVED every possible problem that might arise with Log Cabins Ireland. That’s why our cabins are designed specifically for the Irish climate, with weatherboards, separate double-leaf construction, excellent levels of floor, wall and roof insulation, and other details.

Log Cabin Kitchen
Our Log Cabin has everything

Who sells the best log cabin homes in Ireland?

Of course, we’re going to say that we sell the best log cabins in Ireland.  Well, what with being in the log cabin business for over two decades, we have had lots of time to find the best log cabin suppliers in Europe – and by best, we mean the highest quality log cabins, at a fair price. We have looked at over 25 suppliers throughout our time in the business, and we are confident that nobody could find better quality, better value log cabins throughout the continent of Europe.

10-year guarantee on all log cabins

We’re quite happy to offer a ten-year guarantee on our buildings. That’s because we closely monitor the production and installation of every log cabin. We stand over the quality of the product, and the workmanship that goes into the production and construction.

Our log cabins last a lifetime

As long as you treat a log cabin correctly, there is no reason why it will not last a lifetime. The high-quality, kiln-dried Norway Spruce timber from Siberia (many of the trees are 150 years old) that we use is as good as it gets when it comes to timber for construction. You can read all about the timber we use in our blog post here: What timber should a log cabin be built with

How to paint your log cabin

Maintenance of your log cabin is key if you want it to last a lifetime. The final element to maintaining your log cabin is treating the walls correctly. All you have to do is treat the walls with SIKKENS, or some other suitable stain (NOT PAINT!) and your cabin will last a lifetime. A stain allows the timber walls to breathe – in other words, moisture is not trapped beneath the impermeable paint skin. This ensures the longevity of your log cabin walls. Read more about not painting your log cabin here.

log cabin w

Double wall construction

If you’re going to stay in your log cabin, it needs to be insulated. Some companies offer 75mm solid walls, with no insulation. This is a disaster in the damp Irish climate. Do not buy a cabin with this spec! You’ll have black mould growing behind your wardrobes and presses in no time. Very unhealthy!

The great thing about TimberLiving is that no matter where you are in Ireland, there’s a showhouse two hours away. Whether you come to see us in Cork (Carrigaline), Carlow (Tullow) or Roscommon (Boyle). Well worth the trip! You’ll be able to come into our show houses and experience firsthand the quality, comfort and style of our best-quality log cabin buildings.

High-quality windows and doorsImage 1 1

You won’t find better double-glazed, tilt-and-turn windows or doors from any other Log Cabins Ireland company. And we offer a range of choices when it comes to windows and doors. Have a read of our blog on window choice for your log cabin here: https://timberliving.ie/post/which-windows-for-your-log-cabin

The insulation you choose is very important for your log cabin. You want the cabin to be warm and easy to heat. That’s why we put a minimum of 100mm of insulation in our walls and roofs. And in the floor, we ALWAYS use PIR (Kingspan) insulation. If a company is putting rock wool in the floor, walk away! Read more about log cabin insulation here; https://timberliving.ie/post/how-well-are-log-cabins-insulated

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How warm are log cabins during a winter?

It’s the cosiness, the warmth and comfort, that is the enduring image of a log cabin. But the big question is, how true is the image? Are they really that warm and comfortable? And how much does it cost to keep them warm?

Cozy, comfortable log cabins

Are log cabins warm?

Log cabins can be wonderfully arm and cozy, and reasonably cheap to heat. It is all about how the log cabin is constructed.

Like any building, the insulating value of the walls, roof and floors decide how warm the building will be, and how easy it is to heat. Think about it – if you’re lying in bed on a cold winter’s morning with only a sheet covering you, you’re going to be cold no matter what the sheet is made of.

 

So, in your log cabin, you need a wall thickness of more than 6 inches (150 millimetres) if you want a log cabin that is warm and coy in the winter months.

 

Some companies offer log cabins with only a 3 inch (75 millimetre) thick timber wall, and if you by one of these, you’re going to have a cold, cold log cabin. Brrrrr! (You will also have a damp log cabin, with black spots on the walls and quite possibly water coming through. So don’t buy a cabin with 3 inch thick walls.)

What are the best log cabin walls

Are log cabins easy to heat?

At Timberliving, we  offer double Leaf walls. Our standard build is a 45mm outside wall with 100mm cavity and a 30mm inside wall. This gives you plenty of insulation, as well as a very strong internal wall from which you can hang kitchen presses and anything else of significant weight.

 

Do log cabins need to be insulated?

You could easily argue that you do not need to have insulation in your log cabin walls, but that would be true only if your log cabin walls are solid wood and a minimum of 8 inches (200 millimetres) thickness. But this class of a log home is very expensive to buy and build.

 

If you’re planning on using your log cabin for sleeping in, especially during the winter, you will need to insulate your walls. We build our cabins with a standard four inch (100 millimetre) cavity, and use a product called METAC, which is a high grade, quality thermal insulation, as insulation within the cavity.

And the wall insulation does more than just help keep the heat in. Wall insulation also ensures that there is no mould within the cabin itself. If your cabin is built without wall insulation, and is being regularly heated on very cold winter nights, you can expect mould, in certain situations. Mould is generated when moist, warm air touches cold surfaces and condenses. Take a situation in a single wall, uninsulated cabin, with (say) outside temperatures of 2 degrees, and a stove heating the cabin inside. The surfaces of the walls will be warm, EXCEPT behind wardrobes and presses, because it will be difficult for the warmth to get behind these fittings. So, you will have damp air connecting with these cold surfaces. The dampness in this air condenses on the cold surfaces, encouraging the growth of mould. NOT a pretty picture…

Increasing your log cabin insulation levels

If you are going for planning, you will need greater insulation in the walls and roof of your cabin. Wall insulation thickness can be increased either by increasing the size of the cavity, or using external insulation full stop this has the benefit, from a planning point of view, you of having a cement board finish, which is often a requirement of planning applications.

Log cabin wall thickness and noise proofing

One of the benefits of our double Leaf walls is the noise insulation they provide.  Come to one of our showrooms and here for yourself how quiet it is inside a timber living log cabin. Whether you are looking for a residential log cabin , a granny flat one bedroom log cabin, or if you have your own bespoke design log cabin we can provide you with the insulation levels you require.

Are log cabins easy to heat?

Of course, if you have a well insulated log cabin, there will be a smaller heat requirement. And the smaller the heat requirement, the easier, and CHEAPER! it will be to heat. And that means a number of benefits to you, the user. The ongoing savings made with less fuel buying is great, but it also means that the hardware you buy will be cheaper too. A smaller stove, for instance, is going to cost a lot less than a stove twice its size. You can expect a few hundred euro on your hardware cost if your cabin is well insulated. And then there’s the fuel handling, especially if you’re using a solid fuel stove or boiler. That means carrying is and less ashing out too!

 

What heating system can I use in my log cabin

You can use any form of heating system in your log cabin: solid fuel, wood pellet, back boiler with rads, oil or gas, or even heat pumps and/or underfloor heating. Whatever heating system you use, your heating requirement and bills will be very much reduced as you increase your insulation. We have a blog post about heating your log cabin – take a read here: Heating a Log Cabin

Why not come and visit us at our showrooms in Boyle (086 817 0429), Tullow (05991 81039) or Carrigaline (087 6464 280) and see for yourself the quality of our log cabins.

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Living in a log cabin home

There are many fans of log cabins in Ireland. I think we all know some people who might never have a chance to actually live in a log cabin, but they still cannot stop themselves from googling log cbins, following timberliving on facebook, and forever dreaming that dream. And who can blame them?!

Log cabins are very different from your standard house, but the atmosphere within a log house is so comfortable, warm and inviting. The complete timber structure appeals to us all on a very base level, I believe. Its all part of our yearning to go back to nature, among the trees and forests of our forebears. And there’s also the rigidity, strength and warmth that the timber walls exude – you get a completely different sense from timber walls to the sense you get from cold plastered concrete walls – there’s no doubt about it.

 

Visit our Log Cabin Showrooms and See for Yourself

When you enter a timber living log cabin, the first impression you get lasts. Whwen people come to visit our show houses, they always take a moment when they first enter our cabins. There’s an intake of breath, usually followed by “Wow, I didn’t expect it to be so big” or “This is lovely”. Other people say nothing, but just take a few moments to take in that first impression, and enjoy the feeling.

 

Cosy, Warm, Inviting Interiors

Because of our high walls (you won’t find a cabin in Ireland with higher walls than ours), our roofs are higher. These higher roofs give a lovely sense of space that you just wouldn’t get with a standard flat ceiling. Coupled with the bulky rafters, there’s a real sense of old-world strength and durability – what a reassuring first impression to get from a home!

Living in a log cabin home – what does it look like?

Our Log cabins are cosy as can be, because of the high quality insulation in all of our timber homes. We use PIR insulation in our floors, which is something a lot of our competitors don’t do. They use cheaper mineral wool (presumably because its cheaper, but also because their lack of experience means they are not aware of the issues that WILL arise if you put mineral wool insulation in a log cabin floor. Damp winter air condenses on the surface of the concrete floor slab, and this condensation is soaked up by the mineral wool, turning the insulation into a soaked sponge. This makes the floor comld AND damp – which means a string of disasters for the future of that cabin…)

You can read about the quality of our log cabin insulation in our blog here.

 

Can I install a stove in a log cabin?

A beautiful stove gives off perfect heat within a log cabin, and it is very straightforward installing a stove in your cabin. We have a blog post on stoves for log cabins here: Can I install a stove in a log cabin?

Of course there are many different options for log cabin heating:  you can put in radiators, and these came be run off a stand-alone boiler (oil/gas) or a back boiler off your stove (gas/wood/turf/coal). If you want, you can put in underfloor heating,air to air heat pumps, whatever. There’s no reason why you cannot put the same heating system into a log cabin as you can put into any type of house.

Is a log cabin cheaper to build?

And the most important thing about our cabins is the cost. You get a high quality timber home from us for half the price of a conventional build. Our windows and doors are of superior quality double glazed, with tilt and turn options, with high grade hardware all round. You can also upgrade to PVC white or coloured windows for less maintenance, if you wish. And your log cabin will be built in weeks rather tahan months or years. (Order now, and you could be moving in to your new cabin in three months!) Because most of the work in creating the cabin is done by high tech precision machines at the factory, our labour costs are very much reduced, and of course, this reduction is passed on to the customer.

Sometimes people think that a log cabin is built too quickly, but the truth is that block built buildings are really built too slowly! And you could not come up with a less efficient way of building. Some guy standing in the rain, putting one blovk on top of another for WEEKS on end! Or make the stuff up in a warm, dry factory with a machine, and just put it together on site – which one makes more sense to you?!

 

Are log cabins environmentally friendly?

Your new home will also be eco-friendly with a minuscule carbon footprint compared to a block build. In these days, that is not a bad thing at all. 

The amount of energy used in creating the concrete and steel used in a conventional build is huge. That is why it is laughable that the government insists on everyone having an A2 BER, but does not insist on all homes being built with timber and banning concrete in anything but the foundations of a house.

Remember too that a timber home, with insulating timber walls means that your heating costs throughout the year will be reduced. Another bonus!

Cosy, comfortable Log Cabins

Are you thinking about a  residential log cabin for long-term living? Maybe you have a bespoke log cabin design in mind for your house? Whether you are looking for or one bed log cabin, two bed or 3 bed log cabins we have a wide range of designs that at one of which is bound to be perfect for you you.

If you have never been inside a log cabin, you should contact Timber Living at our showrooms. We have showrooms in Tullow, County Carlow, (05991 81039), Carrigaline County Cork (087 64 64 280)   and Boyle County Roscommon, (086 817 0429). Why not contact us straightaway and make an appointment?

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Log Cabins and Climate Change

Log cabins are ideally positioned to make a great contribution in the battle against climate change, if only the planners would accept them. And in some cases they are accepted by planners. There is nothing more sustainable, no method of building more environmentally friendly than building homes with timber.

Concrete block buildings have a huge carbon footprint. There is an enormous amount of energy that goes into creating the cement which is used in turn to create the blocks. There is the extra energy used in transport of the materials to factories for processing, and then to the site for building. Add in the energy used in handling all of the materials on site too, and the carbon dioxide emissions levels keeps on building up and up. And wherever there’s concrete, you’ll find steel too. And the energy used (and the ensuing emmissions) are huge for the steel industry.

 

On top of all the emmissions due to the large amounts of concrete and steel used in the building, we ned to factor in the fact that such a heavy weight building requires a much bigger foundation, also made of lots of concrete and steel. Oops! More emmissions! Really, its a bonkers way to build, when you think about it…

 

Log Cabins – Environmentally Friendly Homes

The beauty of log cabins when it comes to climate change, is the fact that when the trees are growing theygrow on carbon – they take carbon in from the air as they grow, thus helping to mitigate the effects of climate change. And as the log cabin industry cevelops and grows due to market demand and (hopefully) more cabin friendly regulations) the producers will be encouraged to grow sustainable forests, in order to provide trees for the industry long in to the future.

 

In truth, the Russian forestry industry has been operating on a sustainability moel for over a century, always planting trees to replace trees that have been felled to produce new products. Its great to hear that such foresight and common sense has existed for so long, and that we are benefitting now, since the Russian forests are still available to us, and have not been farmed out of existence!

Log cabins – good for the environment

Log cabins – the environmentally-friendly choice

Because Timber Buildings weigh 20% of the weight of concrete buildings, there is a huge reduction in the required concrete Foundation. Wood also replaces steel in log cabin homes – another reduction in the fossil fuel used to create the residential log cabin.

 

Roof tiles – another factor that people forget about. If you want (say) blue bangor roof tiles on the roof of your home, that’s the weight equivalent of putting a car on the top of your house! This requires much stronger roof support, stronger walls and a stronger foundation – all of which increase hugely your house’s carbon footprint. So much cheaper and easier, and lighter, but just as insulating, to use single roofing panels. And less chance of losing a tile in the next storm!

Unbelievably, concrete is responsible for up to 8% of global carbon emissions. It is the second most abundant material on Earth, after water! And it has a huge environmental impact. It’s hard to believe that a cubic metre of wood contains the equivalent carbon of 350 litres of petrol, but it’s true. The more of this type of information that people can learn about timber, the better off we will all be. It has been found buy a study in the UK that the use of timber in buildings is the greatest opportunity for greenhouse gas abatement in a low carbon economy, since the wood replaces steel, concrete and brick. Have a read of this article from the BBC: Could wooden buildings be a solution to climate change?

Many epople will tell you that there is a strong concrete lobby in the country, which is working against the construction of residential log cabins. Of course the Construction Industry should work to protect their members rights, but in this era of climate emergency, don’t we all have an obligation to look for opportunities to change our ways in order to help the environment? Homes will still have to be built – maybe its time to look seriously at building all of our buildings – not just homes, from timber? If we get into this timber building industry now, we could lead the field and supply Europe with materials, expertise and technology – the market is there, developing rapidly and waiting.

What an opportunity for the Government! If only the government could wake up to the huge benefits of these fantastic timber homes. Seize theday! .

Log Cabins Range

So, whether you’re looking for a one bed granny flat, a two bed garden chalet, or a 3 bed log cabin home, you you can enjoy the fact that your log cabin is so environmentally friendly. Of course we also produce bespoke log cabins, if that is what you are looking for.

So why not give us a call at one of our showrooms in Tullow, Carrigaline or Boyle? You’ll get all of our details on our contacts page.