Log cabin office

[British Red]

Sorry Santaman2000, but I laughed. It's cool and damp here, even in the height of Summer it's damp. I want moisture out of the house not adding more. I want a vented cooker hood so that steam goes straight outside and not running down the windows and doors…..and I live in a relatively modern, well insulated, double glazed house.
I sometimes think it was easier pre central heating with open fires and draughts….folks just wore more clothes and expected frozen pipes and ice on windows.

M

I think modern hermetically sealed houses have a lot against them (as well as some things going for them). Condensation not least. Our home is single glazed, and mostly heated by multifuel burners (although we have central heating its rarely used). We don'y have draughts but we do have good air circulation - I think thats more healthy. My neighbour sleeps with the window open and no central heating. She is in her sixties and just completed a 75 mile cycle race!

 

[John Fenna]

Sorry Santaman2000, but I laughed. It's cool and damp here, even in the height of Summer it's damp. I want moisture out of the house not adding more. I want a vented cooker hood so that steam goes straight outside and not running down the windows and doors…..and I live in a relatively modern, well insulated, double glazed house.
I sometimes think it was easier pre central heating with open fires and draughts….folks just wore more clothes and expected frozen pipes and ice on windows.

M

I had to smile ...
We have a couple of radiators linked to the Rayburn in the kitchen ...but they rarely get warm as most of the heat goes to give hot water before serving the heating, we have no double glazing, we have a woodburner in the livingroom that does most of the heating (until a couple of years ago we just had a fire), no cooker hood thingy, no "Xpelair" jobs. We have 3' thick solid stone (and Mud) walls except in the kitchen (single skin brick) the bathroom and workroom (cavity wall - over the garage no floor insulation) and insulated cavity wall in the front porch (see how planning regs change over 200 years?)
The back door is often left open, my bedroom window does not understand the term "closed" no matter what the temperature... we do not have "draughts" we have "Fresh Air" and no condensation build up except in the bathroom when someone has a bath or shower and that is quickly dispersed by opening a window..
OK - we sometimes get iced up windows in the bathroom and bedrooms - but the water is hot and my duvet snuggly
At present - despite there having been a couple of frosts already - I am still using my lightest of Duvets...
I only live a handful of miles from Tony - I think that he can handle the temps expected in his cabin....

 

[Toddy]

It's not so much the temperature, I too grew up in houses with 'fresh air' (Himself constantly complains that I leave doors and windows open it's the damp and the mould.

M

 

[John Fenna]

Never had a problem with mould nor the damp ... it would seem that they come in modern (as opposed to those over 100 years old) houses....

 

[dewi]

We've got a 6m x 5m log cabin in the garden... it's water tight, not had any problems with it at all... heat wise they will hold heat, and my wife uses a small electric fire to get it up to temperature. We've considered fitting a log burner in the corner of it, but its comfortably warm with the electric heater for now.

One thing we did invest in was have proper electrics installed on a separate fusebox from the house to the cabin... meant they had to dig a trench, bit of messing around, but its now fused in the house and it has it's own fusebox in the cabin as well. Mind you, it was necessary in our case because we run kilns... they tend to use quite a bit of power.

Next job on it is guttering and water butts... the roof area is huge, so it seems daft not to take advantage of it for watering the garden.

 

[Toddy]

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/dwelling-condition-and-safety

One of the ladies I knew called in the Council Inspector because of the damp in her bedrooms. He said, and I jest you not,
"Try not to do any heavy breathing in there"
You can imagine Linda's reply

It's a known issue, and folks generally don't like to admit that their house has a problem because it affects the perception of value.

Our house was built with a warm air central heating system, but has been replaced by radiators. It changed the atmosphere inside very quickly, and to be honest, I think the moving air was much the better system.

Each to their own. Me ? I don't grudge a penny we spent on the dehumidifiers

M

 

[Gailainne]

Tony
It aint ecological, but you may want to look into SIP construction. laminated insulation and waterproof exterior osb, does the roof as well.

Stephen

 

[demographic]

I've built one of those (or one very like it with the notched together wall timbers) for a customer and absolutely hated the kit.

For a start off it wasn't even close to being as warm and efficient as a timber kit made with panels, the floor was so thin that it was a complete joke, it took me and another carpenter a lot longer to build than suggested and was waffy as fook. You couldn't give me one.

SIP construction absolutely urinates over them from a great height.

 

[Tony]

Floors and roof are 19mm, walls 58mm

Yeah Steve, I've got a mate that built one like that, bit pricy, I was just thinking easy life with a timber kit, sort of the same I know

at the moment it's all theory, I've not got the money but i'd like to know what i'd do if the opportunity comes up

 

[woodstock]

We erected one at Lammas eco village recently no screws nails or bolts, under floor was filled with wool as was the cavity walls, it is built of the ground by about 2ft on columns, it will have a windy smithy fire and 2 water heater panels that will supply approx 95% of hot water in summer and around 60 to 65% in the winter im thinking around 40%,
but the space itself is dry warm and livable we have added a porch to the front and rear for extra space and it has a straw bale roof with pond liner beneath very warm and cosy.
cost around £1800 in total.

 

[dewi]

Cavity walls?

 

[Ogri the trog]

Tony, I think a man of your calibre should be able to build something much more bespoke and for less than any standard "kit". After a few visits to places to see what features you really want and what you can do without, I reckon you could do better just buying the timber!

I've never been fantastic at carpentry, but I'll give you a hand when the time comes.

Pete

 

[mrcharly]

Thing is, those kit cabins are often cheaper than buying the timber.

 

[Tony]

Ha ha, thanks for the ego boost Pete, yeah, I could build one, it would just take longer and there's a good chance that as mrcharly is right in that it would cost more than buying it in kit form.

woodstock, that sounds fab, what sort of size is it? £1800 is great value...

 

[Chris 88]

The easiest would be to timber frame and clad with log effect ship lap. If you screw and plug it or buy board where you can hide the nails in the tongue it'll look the job. IMO these kits are thin and the roof overhang is crap. We live in a wet country and you want a steeper pitch and a good overhang.If you want I can send you some info on overhangs recommended for log houses/buildings.
You could also go the route of making one from logs bought from a forester. You can get a good deal if you buy cash from the feller. As a carpenter you can pick up what you need to know about building with logs quickly. The issue with this route is time. Peeling logs, working out tip/butt sizes, cutting your v groves and joints all take time. Plus if you don't have a decent chainsaw, drawknife,axe it will be a nightmare.
I'm at work the now but can give more info about log building like book recommendations, tools etc if you are interested in that avenue.
If not I would go the route of timber frame, building paper, straps and log effect cladding. Insulate between studs and sheet or clad the internal wall. Living in the west coast of Scotland I recommend Butinox 2 over most things for wood treatment.

Source: Scottish joiner who spent a year in Finland building/restoring log houses.


Sent from my XT1092 using Tapatalk

 

[santaman2000]

.....You could also go the route of making one from logs bought from a forester. You can get a good deal if you buy cash from the feller. As a carpenter you can pick up what you need to know about building with logs quickly. The issue with this route is time.....

A very real issue with this route is allowing for the logs to settle over time.

 

[Robson Valley]

Log home building is alive and well, here. Fairly specialized businesses as well as a few brave DIY souls.
This catalog should give you an idea of the tool choices. I would not know where to begin.

http://www.logbuildingtools.ca/contact.html

 

[Robmc]

Bear in mind that you will need to keep below 2.5 metres high if within 2 metres of a boundary.

We have just had a 'log' building built in my daughters garden as an office. So far she is very pleased with it. She is planning a small log burner to be installed before winter.

 

[Chris 88]

Settling isn't an issue, its part of the design. Accomadating for settling is something that is explained in books/online and isn't anything difficult for a carpenter to grasp. Having the free time and having access/skill to use a chainsaw & axe are the biggest issues with log buildings. That and moving the dam things about



Sent from my XT1092 using Tapatalk

 

[Tony]

very good of you Chris, I can't see my self doing it though, I can see myself to stick building it but not going town the full log route, I've not got the time, there's so many other things to be doing as well, if I do change my mind i'll be in touch though. The overhang info would be good to have if you could let me have that.

Thanks
T