by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: February 05, 2008   Last Updated: June 20, 2009

Tips for building a rustic log cabin

Rustic log cabins make great garden additions and are not always homes and it would certainly take more than one article to describe the home aspects of building a cabin. Instead, cabins can be useful areas within the garden that can be used for a number of purposes, such as the following, and it is to these areas that this article is devoted:

*Play-dens
*Dens for relaxation
*Storage
*Birdwatching

Each has it's own special use and although not all the uses are mentioned above to cover every eventuality, the basic principles of construction are the same for a rustic log cabin.

Timber.

Timber to make a rustic cabin needs to be in rounds, which are sufficiently long to create walls, and the types of wood used would be conifers due to the straight growth of the timber, with a diameter of approximately 12-14 inches. The reason this thickness is ideal is because it allows for notching, which is the process used to put the logs on upon another to form a framework for the rustic cabin, and less thick trunks would be liable to damage during the preparation stages.

The timber should be dried out. Drying out naturally in an open building with lots of passage of air is preferable to drying the wood with the use of kilns or special buildings designed to dry wood at ambient temperatures, since any kind of heat will distort wood, and the drying process means that there is less likelihood of movement once the building is constructed, although wood will still have an element of movement due to it's natural reaction to temperatures.

Location and Planning.

In many areas, any building constructed over a certain square metering needs permission, and it is wise to check out on planning in your area since this may affect the size of cabin that you can construct. The idea environment for the construction of a cabin should allow for a flat surface area sufficiently large to house the cabin itself, and the area should be prepared and flattened, bearing in mind that after the cabin is constructed, planting can be done to make the surrounding area more conducive to the country location, so don't worry too much about having to remove the natural growth in the area of the base of the cabin, as this will soon grow again.

Foundations.

Here again, planning regulations matter. In some areas all constructions on a concrete or stone base are considered as permanent buildings and the planning rules vary so do check this out. The ideal foundation is

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