Category: Log Cabins

Browse our full range of beautifully crafted timber log cabins designed for comfort, sustainability, and style.

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Do I need planning permission for a log cabin in Ireland?

Planning permission for a log cabin

Do I need planning permission for a log cabin in Ireland?

Your first step when considering going for planning permission for a log cabin is to go to the planners and ask the big question:

“Can I build a Scandinavian-style cabin on my site?”

What are the planners looking for?

There are two major issues your local planner will have with your chosen log cabin:

  1. It has timber on the exterior.

  2. It does not have enough insulation.

So, show them the page with your chosen log cabin (e.g., our current favourite three-bed, the ADARE.) Suggest to them that you will put 150mm of external insulation on this cabin, and see if they will pass it then.

There are three other points you can expect your planner to bring up when looking for planning permission for a log cabin:

  1. All window sills may need to align. (In effect, this might mean you will need to enlarge the bathroom window)
  2. An extra entrance might be required, depending on the size and layout of your log cabin.
  3. The verandah/overhang might not fit in with the style of housing in the area.

Any other tips when applying for planning permission for a log cabin?

Do not say it is a LOG CABIN. Say you want to build a timber frame home in the  Scandinavian style. Planners baulk when people ask about “planning permission for a log cabin“, and for good reason. Many inferior-quality log cabins have been built in Ireland, with only single walls, without weather-boards on the corners, and on poor foundations.

It’s frustrating when a “contemporary” building gets planning permission, but when someone applies for planning permission for a log cabin, they’re often told that the Scandinavian look doesn’t match “with the vernacular”…

Timber Living Timber Frame Buildings

If you’re going for planning permission, we can build you a timber frame home, with the same footprint as any of our log cabins.

Take a look at our page on Timber Frame houses, which features three models:

  • The Connacht, which is modelled on the Limerick Log Cabin
  • The Leinster, which is modelled on the Tullow log cabin
  • The Barrow, which is a new design, three bed timber-frame home.

What’s the difference between a log cabin and a timber frame?

The difference between log cabins and timber frames is all in the walls, floor and roof. The two key factors are insulation level and exterior finish. There’s a lot more insulation in a timber frame building (although we never get any complaints about the insulation levels in our log cabins – seems 100mm of insulation and 75mm of timber is sufficient for most people’s needs).

The other major difference is that you’ll struggle to get an engineer to pass the construction for your mortgage application. So, if you’re going for a mortgage, you need to talk to your engineer first about the design of our timber frame walls.

We asked ChatGPT about applying for planning permission for a log cabin…

As expected, some of it was quite generic:

In Ireland, the need for planning permission for a log cabin depends on various factors such as the size of the cabin, its location, and the local planning regulations. I should note that as an AI, I don’t have real-time information on the latest updates to planning laws and regulations in specific areas, so it’s important to consult with the relevant local authorities or a qualified professional to get accurate and up-to-date information.

But there was some useful information:

In general, planning permission is typically required for any new construction or substantial modifications to existing structures, including log cabins. However, there are some exemptions and allowances that may apply in certain cases. For example, if the log cabin falls within certain size limits (such as under 25 square meters) and is not intended for permanent habitation, it may be exempt from planning permission.

This next point was very good, and appertains to what we wrote at the start of this article:

It’s crucial to check with your local planning department or the appropriate local authority, such as the county council, to determine the specific requirements and regulations for log cabins in your area. They can provide you with the most accurate information based on your location, as planning rules can vary across different regions in Ireland.

Additionally, if you are part of a housing development or a specific neighbourhood, there may be additional rules or guidelines that you need to adhere to. It’s always best to consult with the relevant authorities to ensure compliance with all regulations before proceeding with any construction project.

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Are log cabins sustainable in today’s climate

Two Bedroom Log Cabin in snow

Are log cabins sustainable?

Log cabins can be considered a sustainable way of building under certain circumstances. Here are some of the reasons:

  1. Renewable resource: Wood used for log cabins is a renewable resource, which means that it can be regrown and harvested again and again.
  2. Low carbon footprint: The carbon footprint of a log cabin is generally lower than that of a conventional house.
  3. Energy-efficient: Log cabins have excellent insulation properties, meaning they retain heat in cold weather and stay cool in hot weather. This reduces the need for fossil fuels to heat or cool the home.
  4. Durability: Log cabins can last over a hundred years, which means that they require less reconstruction or replacement as long as they are properly maintained. (We have a video of this on our videos page: https://timberliving.ie/videos
  5. Local sourcing: Building a log cabin often involves sourcing materials locally, reducing transportation costs and minimizing the carbon footprint.
  6. Concrete is a hugely unsustainable product – the energy used in creating cement for concrete and concrete blocks is enormous and creates a huge carbon footprint.

However, some concerns can also be raised regarding the sustainability of log cabins, so you need to be sure the company you deal with have responsible environmental policies in place. Appropriate harvesting of timber is essential, preventing deforestation and land degradation. Our cabin suppliers only purchase their lumber from providers with sustainable re-planting policies.

Also, precise cutting and fitting of log cabins can result in significant waste of lumber. At Timber Living, the latest and best timber fabrication technology is used in production, keeping waste to a minimum, and therefore reducing costs to the consumer.

Our timber is kiln-dried to European standards, ensuring that there is no threat of pest infestation, and also meaning there is no need for chemical treatments, which are not entirely environmentally friendly.

Therefore, ensuring responsible harvesting of lumber and sourcing materials should be taken into account when considering the sustainability of a log cabin.

Are log cabins sustainable? We use the same timber from the same source in all of our cabin buildings, including our saunas and garden offices.

Deloitte suggests in their article  that “The higher upfront cost of sustainable buildings can be offset by a lower long-term life cycle cost.” But we would contend that a more sustainable building does NOT have to cost more!

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Bases for garden cabins and saunas

Joy One Outdoor Sauna

Building a base for your garden cabin

Whatever you’re building –  garden office, a playroom, a meditation room or a sauna – you’re going to need a good base or foundation.

By good foundations, we mean foundations/bases that are both SQUARE and LEVEL. Square so that the building we supply sits directly down on the base, and overhangs evenly all around. (One thing is for sure – our building will be square! If there is a problem, it’s going to be with your base :-))

Slab foundation or decking base?

There are a few differences between a slab foundation and a decking base, but let me firstly explain what I mean by the two different types.

Slab Foundation:  A slab foundation is a solid piece of poured concrete, generally four or five inches thick, and usually with a steel re-bar included. (Some people say you won’t need the re-bar. That might be true, depending on the weight of the building you’re putting on the slab, but as some other people say “it’s better looking AT it than looking FOR it”. Re-bar really strengthens your slab and is relatively cheap when considering the overall cost of the slab, so stick it in!

Decking Base: A decking base is a timber frame sitting on top of a set of blocks, usually set on the flat, and best sitting on a bed of hardcore or gravel. It’s important that there are no gaps in your block ring where rodents can get in. The timber frame is made of four by three treated timbers, at 400mm centres. It is important to talk to us about the direction of those timbers. On top of this frame sits a 50mm marine ply, which operates as a support for the floor insulation in your cabin, if specified for the build.

Here’s a interesting video for you on how to build a decking base, although we’d recommend you get a full-time builder to do this for you if you need to watch a video in order to build bases for garden cabins.

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Furnishing your log cabin – on a budget

Cozy log cabin interior

Furnishing your log cabin on a budget

Furnishing your log cabin is definitely the fun part of getting a log cabin. And it can really be done for not a lot of money. See below how we found so many bargains online:

  • Kitchen: €1200
  • Sofa: €120
  • Bathroom suite: €300
  • Bedrooms: 250
  • Stove: €650
  • Total: €2,520

While a log cabin is a great buy – setting yourself up mortgage-free is something a lot of people can only dream of – its still going to cost a lot of money. Cutting corners on the log cabin itself is a mistake – you need a quality cabin that will last, be easy to heat, comfortable and DRY.

So, once your cabin is built, you will need to set about furnishing your log cabin to make the cabin your own. Or converting a log cabin into your dream home!

Adverts.ie and DoneDeal.ie are great sources of quality furnishings at great prices. Once you get browsing, they’re also a source of log cabin interior design ideas. A lot of people, once they get themselves a new couch (say) just want to get rid of their old one as quickly as possible. Sometimes you might even get a couch for free. (The couch in the featured image of this post was free! Worth over €3000 new, from Adverts!)

Lets look for log cabin furniture!

I thought it would be interesting to go through Donedeal and see how much it would cost to furnish a standard two bed limerick log cabin from Donedeal. I’ll spend the next hour browsing and see what’s available in my region now. Once you get going, you’ll get great ideas for decorating your log cabin.

Your cabin kitchen

kitchen bargain

The secret when looking for a QUALITY kitchen in Donedeal is to search for “granite” in the kitchen section. Anyone who can afford a granite counter-top will have spent money on quality timber for the doors and presses too , appliances, the drawer fillers and handles.

Here’s the best I found after ten minutes looking:

Ivory shaker kitchen for sale included granite tops, double oven and microwave, ceramic hob, sink and taps, extractor fan, dishwasher

Only €1,200!

Lets find a nice sofa!

contemporary sofa

Of course we’re going to need leather to make our cabin evenings extra special. There are all sorts of styles and conditions available on Donedeal. And everyone has their own taste when it comes to furnishings.

I found this large white sofa for only €120! I think it looks great, but it’s white! So if you have pets or kids it might not be an option. Anyway, when it comes to log cabin furnishing, there’s a lot of choice out there!

Sofa price: €120

 

Bathroom fittings can run to a tidy sum, depending on what you’re buying, but once bought, bathroom fittings don’t really go out of fashion. So what you buy should be still with you for the duration. What we need for the cabin is a shower enclosure and electric shower, sink and loo. Shouldn’t be too hard to find!

pedestal sink for furnishing a log cabin

After ten minutes I found a fascinating suite, including a loo, very modern circular sink with under-sink unit, and a Jacuzzi bath! And all for only €300!

OK, not everybody’s cup of tea, but it illustrates the point again that you can get some excellent deals online when furnishing your log cabin.

Bathroom suite: €300

Furnishing your bedroom

Wardrobes and beds next. Lets look for a double bed, a single bed, a wardrobe and chest of drawers. .

Wow! The first ad I see is a double bed for €60. I’ll take it!  And a single bed for free! There’s a nice large wardrobe for €30. Throw in a lamp or two and a chest of drawers. Shall we say €250 in total?

Bedrooms: €250

stove

Heating your log cabin

There’s a gas stove for €50 on Donedeal! including a necessary flues etc. It’ll cost you €250 to get that fitted if you’re not up to doing it yourself.  It’s a Tiger gas stove, which cost about €1,000, and you’re not doing too badly with this one!

You’ll have to get someone to put the flue out through the wall or roof, and make sure it’s fireproofed. You’ll also need tiling on the wall behind in order to protect the wall from the heat. Your plumber should be able to set up the gas connection and ensure its safe. If we add on the €250 for fitting, and let’s say €300 for a hearth and tiling, you’re on fire for a total of €600.

Stove: €600

Keep hunting! There are loads of bargains out there!

 

 

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Some interesting Log Cabin options

wooden cabin blueprint

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 extend the 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.

We have an excellent blog about window choice here: https://timberliving.ie/which-windows-for-your-log-cabin

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.

Tullow: 05991 81039

Boyle: 086 817 0429

Cork: 087 6464 280

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How long do residential log cabins last?

Easkey Log Cabin

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.

Comfortable residential log cabins

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…)

All you need in a residential log cabin
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

But with residential log cabins, built with the highest quality timber, and with the highest quality design, will last you a very long time. As long as you maintain the exterior of your log house, keeping it dry, it will last a lifetime.

They make boats out of wood

Spacious log cabin kitchen

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

Warm, easy to heat log cabin
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?

Cosy Log Cabin Kitchen
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

  1. Tullow, County Carlow (Phone 05991 81039)
  2. Boyle County Roscommon, (086 817 0429)
  3. Carrigaline County Cork. (087 6464 280)
If you’re looking for a quality log cabin, we are the company to contact.

We have a wide range of cabin styles, from garden offices to Granny flats to 1, 2 and 3-bed log cabins, And we can also produce bespoke designs. If you’re going for planning, we can provide you with a long-term residential cabin with an A3 BER rating.

So do yourself a favour and visit us today to see Ireland’s finest and best-value log cabins.

#logcabinfinishes #logcabinquality #howlongwillalogcabinlast #logcabinmaintenance #logcabindurability

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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!

file 3 1

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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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.