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Summer houses and log cabins are both types of garden buildings, which can be used in similar ways. In some cases, a garden room can be both a log cabin and a summerhouse at the same time, but the words still have their own distinctive definitions.
How is a summerhouse different from a log cabin?
A garden summer house is generally meant for the purpose of leisure or relaxation. Families typically furnish their summer house with armchairs and sofas, facing out to enjoy the view of the garden and oriented in a circle so that the occupants can talk to one another. Summerhouses are great for garden parties, playing games, having a chat, or just watching the rain (while staying dry).
The term ‘log cabin’ refers to the way a building is constructed and the materials used. Garden log cabins are typically made from lengthy log boards that are stacked atop one another. A log cabin is also recognisable by the way the boards overlap at the corners and form a distinctive 90-degree crisscross on the exterior. This type of building method offers a good amount of thermal insulation and high resistance to penetration by rainwater.
Most summerhouses don’t feature this; they are made of panels. While the panels are made of wooden planks that fit together with a tongue and groove or shiplap arrangement that is sturdy and efficient at keeping out rainwater, these offer different qualities to a log cabin. For starters, logs are thicker than any tongue & groove panel, although the logs often have tongues and grooves holding them in alignment as they are stacked.
The best way to remember the difference is: a log cabin is defined by the style of building, whereas a summerhouse is a purpose that the building is used for.
Should I get a wooden log cabin or summer house?
This depends on the purpose you have in mind for your new garden building. Your ideal summerhouse might be one that features log cabin construction if you want the increased insulation that comes with it, which expands the potential as a garden room. In fact, you can even find log cabin sheds that are technically log cabins but would not be used as summerhouses.
The main feature that would allow a log cabin building to be used as a summerhouse is large windows, some of which are set into the doors, to give the occupants a good view of their garden and an abundance of natural light. If a log cabin has large windows in its walls and doors, it will function as a summerhouse; all you need to do is furnish it for the purpose. Alternatively, it could be used as a garden office, outdoor gym, an entertainment room, or a whole host of other purposes. You could even put a garden bar inside it for hospitality.
For children’s play there are also log cabin playhouses, which combine the qualities of a log cabin build with the classic Wendy house designs.
If you plan to use your garden building as a summerhouse, you should consider having this insulated, or purchasing a pre-insulated summerhouse. This regulates the internal temperature of the building, meaning that it is more comfortable for use through both summer and winter.
Which wooden summerhouse or log cabin should I buy?
In conclusion, not all log cabins are summerhouses, and not all summerhouses are log cabins. But if a log cabin is used as a summerhouse, then you have a building which is both.
For more details on which garden building you should get, check out our log cabin buying guide and our summerhouse buying guide.
