A log cabin is basically a small house that has been built from logs. It is usually a fairly simple type of Log House which were built in both rural areas and within cities in areas of great timber-richness all over the world, but particularly in the northern hemisphere.

History of Log Cabins

Log cabins became extremely popular in the 17th century, but nowadays few remain intact from that era, the earliest being from the 18th century.

This is because most log cabins were never built as permanent dwellings and so as time passed they were often converted into outbuildings for coops, animal shelters or other utilitarian uses.

Log Cabin Construction

Original log cabin construction focussed on the intention of applying siding. Logs were usually hewn on the outside to facilitate the application of the siding.

When logs were hewn on the inside as well they often were covered with a variety of materials, ranging from plaster over lath, or wallpaper.

Some older buildings in the American Midwest and the Canadian Prairies are actually log structures covered with clapboards or other materials. Nineteenth century cabins that were used as dwellings were occasionally first plastered on the interior.

Log cabins are traditionally built from logs laid horizontally on top of one-another and interlocked on the ends with notches.

However, some log cabins do have notches, but are held together at the ends by spikes, but this not commonly found as it is not as structurally sound as the notching method.

Modern buildings design are now able to accommodate the use of spikes over notches to ensure the structure remains safe.

Log Cabin Location

The most important section of Log Cabin Construction is choosing the right log cabin location. Site selection should provide the cabin with both sun and shaded areas giving plenty of light throughout the day.

Drainage is a very important factor as deposited water can be a lethal aspect of cabin life causing wood to rot and become unsafe.

Because of the nature of log cabins (i.e. for farming) log cabins had to be positioned close to manageable farming land and area to graze cattle and grow crops depending on the type of farming.

Being nearby to a good supply of logs to use helps a great deal in building a safe and secure cabin. Picking the correct logs to use makes the building process both easier, and more durable in the long-run.

Picking old, hard, straight trees was the key to success as long as the trunk didn't contain too many notches or tapers. This meant there was less need for daubing (with mud) or chinking (with sticks) up the chinks (spaces between logs).