Is a Log Cabin Right For You?

Everybody loves log cabins, and this post is dedicated to this building archetype. I have yet to meet anybody who can honestly say that they do not like log cabins. It creates a warm sense inside you, and it invokes feelings of patriotism.

Early log cabins were used widely in Europe, especially in Germany, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian countries. Swedish settlers built log cabins when they came to Delaware in 1638. Other colonists followed their example. When great numbers of settlers began to move westward after the Revolution, they found thick forests in Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Northwest Territory, and the log cabin became the typical home of the pioneers.

The crudest log cabins were built like palisades, with logs of various sizes set vertically in a trench to create the walls. Later log cabins were built from logs laid horizontally and interlocked on the ends with notches. Many log cabins had a sleeping loft in the roof peak and some even had a substantial second story. Most had dirt floors, but wooden plank flooring was often added later along with room additions as families grew and became more prosperous.

Log cabins were never meant to be permanent, but many log houses were. The difference between the two was primarily one of size and attention to detail. Most pioneers preferred "flat" walls to rounded log walls, and so most used hewn logs for building. These not only made the houses look (from a distance) more "real," but also withstood the elements much better, since the bark and the decay-prone outside wood were removed from the logs. When milled lumber became available either from a local sawmill or by railroad transport, most people chose it for their homes.

Log cabins are known to be versatile buildings. William Henry Harrison even tried to use a log cabin to impress political voters. William Henry Harrison and his political party, the Whigs, used the log cabin as a representation of the fact that he was a man of the people. Other political figures in America that have also used log cabins for the same idea are Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. They were born in a log cabin and statistics say that a total of seven American Presidents were born in log cabins! It is no wonder that the Lincoln loyalists of the Republican Party preferred to be called the 'Log Cabin Republicans'.

Log cabins reached their peak of complexity and elaboration with the Adirondack -style cabins of the mid-18th century. This style was the inspiration for many United States Park Service lodges built at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. Log cabin building never died out or fell out of favor. It was surpassed by the needs of a growing urban America. During the 1930's and the Great Depression, the Roosevelt Administration directed the Civilian Conservation Corps to build log lodges throughout the west for use by the Forest Service and the National Park Service . Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon was such a log structure, and it was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt .

Log cabins are, simply put, smaller log homes. They reflect the individuality of the people who build them and also the location in which they are placed. From vintage cabins to luxury log mansions, many people just simply call them all Log Cabins.

Today, log cabins can be anything from a beautiful vacation house with a rustic feel and charm, to a small cabin in the back yard to add greater space to your home and buildings to your property. They make the ideal garden retreat for work or for play and they are a comfortable recluse which can be fun and exciting. The key is making your log cabin as comfortable as possible.

There is an increasing massive choice of layouts, materials, finishes, windows and more. With a wide range of woods and layouts, there is a building to meet everyone's needs.

Recently I've stumbled upon an incredible web site where you can get instant access to well over 12,000 plans for woodworking projects including how to build your own Log Cabin.

Information like this will help you discover the perfect Log Cabin just for you that you'll love!