I Want To Build A Log Cabin!

We all dream from time to time about having a log cabin in our backyard, but is it difficult to turn that dream into a reality?  There are many kits on the market, but the best and most satisfying way is to build a log cabin yourself.  This is the way to do it.

The traditional log cabin design is rectangular or square, with only four corners.  Any other shape will lead to extra corners and therefore more complication and cost.

Even though they are simple to build, log cabins must be designed properly from the foundations up and you are strongly advised to seek expert help and professional blueprints before you begin.  Consider getting the vital materials list prepared for you – this is a tricky job which is easy to get wrong if you choose to do it yourself.  Top quality plans are worth their cost many times over, and will include all the necessary design calculations.

Log cabin homes should be at least 20 x 30 ft for proper enjoyment.  Choose a part of the garden that is slightly raised to avoid damp and make a reasonably level area a bit larger than the proposed building.  

Traditional garden log cabins either have a hard-packed earthen floor or wooden planked flooring.  The latter would be better and easier to keep clean.

The plans will show you what size and type of logs to use, and these could be a bit rough and ready.  You should realize that this is the basis of log cabin charm!  The method for joining logs at each corner is called the lock-joint.  To form this joint a notch is cut at each end of the log and about one foot in.  Side and end wall logs are mated in this way, notch on notch, to produce the characteristic appearance of traditional log cabins.  

Fix the first course of logs to your foundation, if you have one, by anchor bolts and make sure these logs are properly levelled.  Set floor joists into the side logs at about two foot intervals. Continue to build courses of logs in this way until you reach the planned height of the door (about 6ft 8in).  Make the door and window openings at this stage – fastening wood battens to the logs to ensure stability – and fasten door and window jambs in place.  Then take the log courses up to the final wall height.

Shorter logs will now be laid at each end, still mated to side logs, to produce the roof pitch found in the plans.  Top off with the ridge pole.  The roofs of garden log cabins can be planked (shiplap being the most common) or laid with shingles.  The plans will have various options and how to build them.  Fill in the gaps between logs by caulking with a mud and moss mixture – the kids will love to help at this point!

Lastly fit the floor planks, door and windows to your log cabin.  You might want to make your door from spare planks and battens, but these often warp badly over time and it is more sensible to search for an old antique or salvage piece and customize your log cabin to fit it.  You could decide to have unglazed windows since many garden log cabins merely have shutters but, if not, your plans should indicate the proper style and type of windows to fit.

You can use all kinds of ideas when building a log cabin interior. Part of the dream is to have a fire or stove to sit in front of during those stormy winters!.  Be very careful about including such things, however, because of the very real risk of heat damage to the walls of the log cabin.  There are often local regulations about fitting fires in wooden buildings, and you are the one responsible for complying with these.  Again, good plans will include full details if you decide to go this route.

Also, it is worth considering making and fitting solar electricity panels and solar hot water heaters to give your cabin a zero environmental impact.

Remember to plan ahead when building a log cabin, so that you finish it well before winter arrives!

Finding The Best Chicken Coop Plans

There are many offers of chicken coop plans online, but which of these will result in a good-quality working chicken house? If you are already familiar with keeping hens, are good at detailed planning, making your own blueprints from basic plans or sketches, generating a comprehensive materials list before starting to assemble your chicken coop, as well as being an experienced woodworker, then you will probably get by with any general chicken coop plans you come across.

On the other hand, you might just be wasting your time and money if you get indifferent guidance, and you could end up building a hen house that proved to be a very unhappy and unsafe environment for your poultry. Careful, accurate planning and proper blueprints are essential to making a good chicken coop.

Good planning for making a working chicken coop will include as a minimum:

• Selecting a suitable site for the chicken coop in your yard or garden

• Calculating the right size of chicken house for the number of hens

• Ensuring there is adequate ventilation and lighting in the coop

• Choosing the nesting box and feeder arrangements

• Designing adequate protection from predators

• Considering any services to the chicken coop such as electricity and water supplies

Most people will need expert advice and guidance to do this planning thoroughly, and will depend on good blueprints rather than sketchy plans and vague layout drawings to build a proper hen house. Without such blueprints there is a good chance you will not produce a satisfactory hen house, it might not be strong enough and it might give ready access for predators.

If you adopt a trial-and-error approach you will certainly cost yourself in wasted materials and effort, your enthusiasm will take plenty of knocks and – perhaps most importantly – you will not get the enjoyment and satisfaction you should be getting. In addition, unhappy or unhealthy hens are poor layers, so you will be denied those lovely free-range eggs you had so eagerly anticipated.

A full list of materials for the assembly must be prepared before starting to make the coop. This is essential, otherwise you will come up against inevitable problems during the build when you discover you have missed some bracket or fastener and your local hardware shop has already closed! Making a comprehensive materials list is quite difficult to do properly, and we really recommend that you let a chicken coop expert do it for you.

It is so easy to make mistakes without this expert input. Often these will not become apparent until you have completed the hen house, and by then it could be too late to rectify any problems. Good chicken coop plans are certainly worth the small investment, and usually these come with the step-by-step instructions provided in top-quality chicken coop planning kits. We have discovered that good blueprints and clear instructions actually save money and time in the long run.

We have located and strongly recommend a very experienced chicken expert, Mary Nelson. She can supply the best chicken coop plans, in our opinion, including the all-important step-by-step instructions, lists of materials and professional advice for you to plan and make a hen house that will be exactly the way you wanted it. She will help you avoid all those common errors made by beginners, and also show you how to make a happy, safe and healthy home for your birds.  Mary Nelson is the best source of good hen house designs for making a wonderful chicken coop.

We hope you really enjoy making your chicken coop, and wish you lots of luck!