Wednesday 9 May 2012

Choosing a Log Cabin

I spent a LOT of time researching which log cabin I wanted. The biggest issue I found was getting answers to a few critical questions:

1) How thick is the wood used?
2) Does the thickness of the wood really make that much of a difference?
3) What kind of windows and doors do I need?
4) What sort of insulation do I need?
5) Will this be way too cold to use in the winter?

I joined several DIY forums including DIYBanter and DIYNot. I got some awesome advice from people on there who were a lot more experienced than I was (the most DIY I've ever done is fixing a bedroom door that wouldn't close!) who were able to point me in the right direction.

Picking The Log Thickness


I opted for a 44mm wood. Whilst I've seen some others get away with 28mm, I wanted the extra thickness as you get an extra groove out of the wood. Take a look at the picture below and you'll see what I mean.

If you look at this picture, you'll see that the 28mm and 34mm wood, only has a single tongue and groove system, whereas the 44mm and 70mm have a double T&G system. This not only makes the wood stronger, as it locks together better, but also adds an extra water barrier, and basically provides a better outer insulation layer.

Initially I looked at a 28mm cabin from Tiger Log Cabins, however ended up opting for a Shire Dean Log Cabin from Elbec Garden Buildings (also sold by Summer Log Cabins). This allowed me to go for the 44mm wood.

Windows & Doors

Since this room is going to be used as an office, I need it to be relatively secure. Generally sheds (and even log cabins) come with either plexiglass/plastic or single layer glass windows. This really wasn't going to be secure enough. The same usually happens with the door. You generally get a thin, flimsy wooden door that really is next to useless if you plan on using the building as anything other than a shed.

As I mentioned above, I chose a Shire Dean Log Cabin. The great thing I found about this model is that you can have double glazed windows and doors. Thats not to say that this is the only model that offers this. Tiger Log Cabins offers it across most of their cabins, and a number of cabins from Dunster House and Garden Buildings Direct also offer full double glazing.

Ultimately you should go for Double Glazing (or toughened double glazing if offered) and it'll not only improve security but also insulation.

I'll be covering the base and insulation in my next post so stay tuned!

1 comment:

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