Log Cabin Plans Have Evolved A Lot Recently

Many people across the world are making log cabin plans as an alternative method for building their homes.

Yet while the trend for using renewable sources is growing, log cabins have of course been around for a very long time.

History tells us of their great popularity in North America during the 18th and 19th centuries, but their beginnings are believed to have gone back as far as the Bronze Age around 3500 BC.

Logs were used to build one and a half storey structures in Northern Europe at this time and went on to be fairly widely used in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Log cabins play an important part in the political history of the United States of America too after William Henry Harrison was elected as the “log cabin candidate” in 1840.

Seven Presidents were born in log cabins including James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield.

Log cabins could be built in just a few days where timber was readily available and proved to be sturdy, rainproof, and inexpensive. Some of the oldest occupied buildings in North America are made from logs.

Modern Log Homes vs Traditional Designs

They tended to be at least ten by twelve feet in size with at least one glass window.

They were very basic types of accommodation compared to what we see these days, but they made up for it by being built in beautiful locations with great views.

The spacious log cabins built these days are much bigger than earlier renditions and are designed with energy efficiency in mind.

Log cabin plans are likely to include skylights, whirlpool tubs and countless other luxuries, whereas in the early days they may only have had a single gabled timbered roof, small windows and definitely no luxuries.

They provided sleeping, cooking, living accommodation and possibly a lavatory inside.

The planning now is important, starting with the type of wood used to create a new log cabin.

A good quality wood can make a big difference, and allows the cabin room temperature to be more consistent throughout the year warm in winter and cooler in the summer.

People looking to build a log cabin have to take in to consideration various aspects such as how many floor stories the new build should have.

It is important to consider the land around you and where the best places are for access.

In spite of the differences of the old and modern cabins, the old techniques are still often combined with newer methods in log cabin plans.

They are constructed from natural and renewable materials, which can of course be reused should the cabin be deconstructed.

Related Articles

Log Cabin Kit Homes

Log Home Price Guide

More reference

100 Best Log Home Floor Plans, by Roland Sweet who has been writing about log homes for 20 years. He gives many floor plan of different log homes

Log Cabin Classics, Robbin Obomsawin's latest book inspired by nostalgic moments, a desire to be in harmony with nature and local materials.

---

Follow Plan and Build a House

---

---

Main Categories:

Plan and Build A House Blog | House Plan Ideas | Small House Plan | Green House Plans | Plan A House | Extension Plans | Draw House Plans | House Blueprints | House Construction Plan | House Floor Construction | Window Detail | Roof Construction | Small House Designs | House Design Plan | How to Build A Wall | Framing Walls | Roofing Materials | House Window Design | Basic Electrical Wiring | Interior Wall Insulation | How to Install Drywall | Build A House | NBS Complete Buildings | Insitu COncrete | Kitchen Floor Plans | Bathroom Plans | Home Solar Power Kit | Build Cost |

---

Top of Log Cabin Plans