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Log Cabin Summer Houses
- Do you need planning permission for a log cabin summerhouse?
- What are your best log cabin summer houses?
- What is the best wood for a log cabin summer house?
- Can you put a toilet in a log cabin summerhouse?
- How thick should a log cabin summer house’s walls be?
- How to insulate a log cabin summer house
- How do you treat log cabin wood?
- How to build a log cabin summer house
- What do you use a summer house for?
- Where should I put a summer house in my garden?
- What colour should I paint my summer house?
If your log cabin summerhouse doesn’t exceed 50% of your garden size or the front of your house, it should fall under ‘permitted development’, meaning you wouldn’t require planning permission. However, we’d still advise checking with your local planning authority first. Or you can read our guide to log cabin planning permission.
We offer a large range of log cabin summer houses with sleek and elegant designs that also offer practicality and endless opportunity. Below are some of our top log cabins if you want to get some ideas:
The Winchester is a traditional alpine-style cabin summerhouse with opening windows and windowed double doors that give you a bright and airy interior. Customise your building to suit you. Complete with floor, roof and felt as standard.
The Darcy log Cabin Summerhouse has been designed to provide an ideal and comfortable space you can relax in. With a modern reverse apex design and contemporary style windows and doors, the Darcy makes for a stunning addition to any outdoor area. The summerhouse features fully glazed doors and opening windows, allowing for lots of natural light and helping to create a light and airy space for you to enjoy.
The Tianna log cabin summerhouse has a modern pent design and long windows, which look fantastic in any contemporary garden setting. This stylish summer house has multi-purpose uses, with a spacious main space and a side storage unit attached to the side of the building. It’s great for storing all your gardening items and equipment in one place, safely out of sight.
The Carmen is an affordable and quality summerhouse that comes with all the perks of a BillyOh log cabin, with optional 19mm or 28mm wall cladding and tongue and groove construction. Complete with floor, roof and felt as standard.
There are several different types of timber which log cabins are commonly made from, each offering a unique set of features.
- Spruce - Aesthetically pleasing option. Structurally strong. A more expensive option.
- Pine - Cheaper option. Less dense than spruce. Requires less treatment to prevent rotting.
- Cedar - Softwood. Easier to work and offers a long lifespan. Weather resistant. A premium timber.
- Douglas Fir - Durable alternative. Fairly resistant to rot. Doesn’t fully accept treatment causing increased maintenance and reduced lifespan.
That’s why our BillyOh garden cabins and summerhouses only use high-quality European sourced timber, with the additional option of pressure-treatment.
Yes, you definitely can. With some planning and either know-how or hiring a plumber, you can install a variety of bathroom options in your garden building. Just remember that converting your log cabin into permanent living quarters may require planning permission. So check with your local council. Otherwise, check out our quick guide to installing utilities in your garden building.
The ideal thickness for your log cabin depends on where you live, the weather you experience, and how you plan to use it throughout the year.
Our BillyOh log cabins vary in thickness from 19mm to 44m. Each of these offers a different level of durability and strength. The thicker the log, the stronger and insulated your log cabin will be. This means you’ll be able to use it more often throughout the year, even in harsh and cold weather.
However, thinner log cladding can be better for summer use. Either way, all our log cabins are built from high-quality materials with a strong tongue and groove seal that ensures long-lasting quality.
Insulating a log cabin is by no means an essential. Depending on your chosen log thickness, and what you intend to use it for, your log cabin will be sufficiently insulated for most usage.
However, if you plan to spend a large amount of time in your log cabin i.e. during winter, for work, or even overnight, then it’s worth considering. You can insulate your log cabin by laying Celotex boards underneath flooring and under roof cladding. For more, read our guide on insulating a log cabin.
There are a number of different ways in which log cabin wood can be treated. They include:
- Water-based treatments - This requires no primer and can be applied directly onto wood, after first removing any grease, wax or dirt from your cabin’s exterior. This treatment should be applied every year.
- Solvent/spirit-based treatments - This is an effective form of treatment which involves a gentle application to ensure it is smooth with an even coating. It is recommended to apply this every three or so years.
- Oil-based treatment - The UV-protection ensures that this is a long lasting treatment type, only requiring retouching every five or so years. The treatment soaks into timber, providing strong weather protection.
Pressure treatment - This introduces wood preservatives deep into pre-cut timber in a vacuum, ensuring excellent protection against harsh weather conditions. Pressure-treated wood requires little maintenance and can save you money in the long run. That’s why we offer it as an option on many of our garden buildings.
Our BillyOh garden buildings are made with high-quality materials and designed to be easy and simple to assemble. Simply follow the digital assembly instructions included in your order confirmation. With a team of at least 2 people, you can fit the interlocking tongue and groove logs together and have your cabin sumer house up in no time!
A summer house offers a whole host of potential uses, varying from the common and conventional to the decidedly outside of the box. If you’re looking for summer house ideas, you could use it for:
- Garden storage if you go for a summer house with shed
- A workshop or tool shed
- A room for relaxation
- Outdoor dining
- A garden office
- A home gym
With even a small summer house, the possibilities are endless.
When it comes to a wooden summer house, positioning and planning requires some thought. Preferably, you’ll want your summer house to be south-facing. Though, you should observe how the sun moves through your specific garden throughout the day, as well as the times of day you’ll be using your summer house most often. The spot for your summer house may get a lot of sun in the morning and little in the evening, or vice-versa, which will naturally influence your decision. Then, be sure to position your summer house (if possible) away from hazards and overhanging branches and to build on level, dry ground that allows for water runoff.
Ultimately, this is an issue of personal preference! Take a look at your garden surroundings and think about what colour would best compliment your pre-existing aesthetic. As a result of varying weather conditions, summer house timber tends to contract and expand. Luckily, our tongue and grooves panels allow for this natural occurrence. But, to ensure that you keep your summer house moisture-free, prime, treat, then paint it. We even offer paint and treatment options as add-ons to our BillyOh summerhouses.