My name is Gray Anderson, and I am with Gable Log Homes, a cypress and cedar custom log cabin company based out of Sumter, SC. We have recently begun to offer an inexpensive, all materials included, cabin kit that can basically be stacked in one weekend, we call it the “Sportin’ Cabin.” The 16 x 20 cabin with a 6 x 20 porch (lofted sleeping area available to maximize floor space), are made from solid 4 x 8 precut cypress wall logs and can be assembled in one weekend. So this is not your typical wall siding made to simulate a log cabin, it is actually solid cypress logs from the base to the top of the gable! The cabins start out delivered to the site for $12,750, but we do offer package discounts depending on the number of cabins built. Basically, the more you build the more you save!

Not only is it inexpensive and simple to build, it is as sturdy as a rock. Our design for cutting and stacking removes the need for insulation, they do that themselves! I am even in the process of finding the right location to build my own Sportin’ Cabin. See construction photos here.

As fars as house specifics go:

• The Sportin Cabin is 16×20 with a 6×20 porch.
• We cut each and every piece of cypress at our on site mill that goes into each Sportin Cabin.
• 4×8 wall logs all around and up in both gables. It is a solid log cabin, there is no log siding or imitating framework.
• A sleeper loft can be added to increase floor space.
• All materials are included in kit (windows, doors, wall logs, floor systems, etc.)
• The cabin can be built on basically ANY surface and is not limited to stilts, a concrete slab would work just fine (or maybe even on a floating barge!). We would be more than willing to credit the pricing for the floor posts, if a slab is the owners choice, and reimburse them with materials for interior projects. Such as cabinets, walls, etc.
• All of the by-products from the cutting process used in other aspects of the Gable Log Homes mill. We use the remaining lumber for pallets, mulch, cypress and cedar shavings for livestock and much more.
• $12,750 plus free shipping! To anywhere in the following states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, and some parts of Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas and Indiana

We feel that this cabin would be the perfect home for someone cutting back on living expenses by living in a small house. I am anxious to have my own Sportin’ Cabin built so I will truly be able to live the lifestyle that the Tiny House Blog readers enjoy every day. Our biggest thoughts on the cabin its quality and affordability together. Those two terms are rarely paired honestly, but we are definitely the exception. We are willing to go out of our way to help out anyone who shares the same interest in the cabin lifestyle as we do!

This cabin is a 14 foot by 20 foot beam style log cabin and is the perfect size for a small cabin or small home. Here are the details of the construction and if you would like to learn more click here for Montana Mobile Cabins website.

Floor System

• 2×6 16” on center floor joists
• Rim Joists 6×6
• Solid Floor Joist Blocking
• Floor: 3/4” tongue & groove OSB wafer board

Walls and Gables

• 10” square logs/beams, hand stacked, butt and pass corner
• Gables-framed – sided with reclaimed metal; excepting interior gable in loft, wood sided-board & bat; insulated with R19 fiberglass insulation
• Chinking throughout interior & exterior
• Window & Door Jambs-Resawn Lodgepole Pine/Fir

Loft (loft area approx. 10’x13’)

• Joists – 2×4
• Decking-2×6 rough sawn pine & fir
• Railing-2×6 rough sawn pine & fir
• Ladder to loft – rough sawn pine & fir-handcrafted

Roof System (8/12 pitch) – Ceiling

• Ridge Beam: Log
• Hand stacked Exposed Roof System: 2×6 rough sawn pine & fir mix
• Felt Paper: 1 Layer 30# Asphalt
• 2” Firestone foil back rigid insulation in roof
• Delta-rib metal roofing; color – Antique Bronze

Windows and Doors

• Windows: 3 Milguard vinyl double pane – sliding windows on main floor; 2 each in gable ends; 1 Alpine garden window on main floor
• Exterior Door: 1-36” Therma Tru Factory metal door with half light

Treatment

• Montana Standard Log oil applied interior & exterior

Price is $27,500 delivered inside the state of Montana. Please contact Montana Mobile Cabins for delivery pricing and information outside of Montana.

*Updated with interior photos and more details

This cabin was built with “skinny-D” (my term) logs, cut on site, laterally down the center, to make two logs. The cabin is twelve foot by twelve foot, and the log work was done in less than six days. From standing timber to a log set in the wall takes an average time of one hour per log. If you are in a remote location, and have good timber, this is about the cheapest way to build a small cabin. This cabin is located about two miles off the Yentna River in Alaska.

You can see that the Skinny-D logs give a nice flat surface, and can be made smooth with a planer and sander, but I have left it rustic. The wood stove is made from a 55 gallon barrel with the middle section cut out and re-welded. The chinking is primarily with a regular latex caulk, and a few areas are stuffed, but gaps are less that 1/2 inch. The logs are attached with 4″ self tapping screws driven at an angle from one log to the upper and lower log. The top logs are pinned with 1/2″ steel pins and 1/2″ hardwood dowels. The roof is an 8/12 pitch, with 2 x 4 rafters on 24 inch centers with 90 pound mineral roll on the outside.

The loft is 8′ x 12′ and can sleep three. There are two bunks on the main floor, plus a small dinner table, a kitchen area and some shelves. Access to the loft is by a ladder at the end of the bunks. Lighting is from a 12V system with 3 8 watt fluorescent lights power by a car battery that is charged with a Black & Decker jump starter unit that is good for about 3-4 days in the winter.

We have stayed nights when the temperature dropped to -25 F and stayed plenty warm. Two people is max for comfort, although it will sleep 4 without being crowded.

In the summer we go by boat about 35 miles from the closest launch in Willow, and then ride the half mile from the dock by ATV. In the winter we go by snow machine, right to the cabin door.

Lakefront has sent their cabin kits all over the country including Alaska. They are also working with customers in Canada and Panama. Each standard cabin kit is created from fresh milled logs and then precut by Amish craftsmen in Kentucky. The precutting process takes approximately 3-4 weeks to complete. Lakefront will arrange for delivery of the kit, but off-loading, zoning, permits and construction are up to the customer. Prices for the cabins start at $8,960 for the 12×16 foot cabin to $17,425 for the 18×32 foot cabin. They also offer a smaller 10×12 foot cabin. The prices include:

• All tongue-and-groove white or yellow pine
• Pressure-treated foundation runners
• Two insulated Pella windows
• One steel entry door
• #1 metal roofing with R11 insulation
• Three-year warranty on stain with Watershield and UV protectant
• Caulk, nails, and screws
• Sub-floor and wood floor
• P2000 insulation with R27 value

Electrical and plumbing hookups are not available because of the difficulty of including them in the kits.

12x30 Log Cabin

10x12 Log Cabin

12x24 Log Cabin

A loft for each cabin can be added starting at $648 for the 12×16. The lofts include:

• Tongue-and-groove white or yellow pine
• Support beams
• Railing
• Pre-built ladder
• Trim

Lakefront Log Cabins also offers several new designs including an extended corner porch model and small, home-sized cabin kits. The home-sized cabin kits are 28 feet wide with a front door on the long side. They also include as standard:

• All tongue-and-groove white or yellow pine
• Pressure-treated foundation runners
• Eight insulated Pella windows
• Ttwo steel entry doors
• One rear entry door
• #1 metal roofing w/R11 insulation
• Three-year warranty on stain with Watershield and U.V. Protectant
• Caulk, nails, and screws

When you purchase a cabin kit, you can also get a matching outhouse! The inside of each outhouse is approximately 4×4 feet with dual seats. Buckets are used under the seats for tidy, quick disposal. The price of each outhouse is $925.

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)

On my road trip to the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, I had to stop and take some photos of this darling little log home just outside of Cedar City, Utah. The Mini Pine Hollow log home by Pine Hollow Log Homes is 11 by 16 feet with a full loft and a 4 by 16 foot covered deck.

Pine Hollow offers this tiny cabin as a kit and will deliver it within 250 miles of Cedar City. It takes about two weeks to have a kit delivered. This particular home was unfinished inside, but the Pine Hollow website should have updated photos of the Mini log home soon.

The Basic Package includes:

• Blueprints
• Treated skids
• Floor framing
• 6″ starter/finish logs
• 6″ wall logs, gable ends
• 8″ oly screws/construction adhesive
• Calking for windows and doors
• Loft floor joists
• 2×6 rough sawn window/door bucking
• Windows and door
• Deck framing
• Roof framing with OSB sheathing
• Porch posts
• Porch framing with OSB sheathing
• Milled 3×2 handrail
• Dormer framing with 1×6 tongue and groove siding

Cost: $8,781.00 (plus 6% Utah sales tax)

The Deluxe Package includes:

• All of the above items
• 1×6″ tongue and groove soffit
• Batt insulation
• 1×6″ tongue and groove ceiling
• 2×6″ tongue and groove loft floor
• 1×6″ tongue and groove porch sheathing
• Tar paper
• Steel roof, trims, flashing and screws

Cost: $10,865.00 (plus 6% Utah sales tax)

Pine Hollow offers other log home kits, most around 1,000-2,000 square feet.

By Christina Nellemann

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Aaron and Jill Bork have done what many of us dream of, running off to the wilds of Alaska and building a log cabin.

The couple fell in love with each other and the state and decided to build their own home. Armed with only a book and no prior knowledge of log cabin building, they purchased five acres of land with a spectacular view in their favorite area of Alaska and began to build a log cabin by hand with trees from their property. They built the cabin over the course of one summer, and spent the next year finishing up the inside.

Just about everything in the cabin came from the land: the countertops were built with rocks from a local creek, the deck from local saplings, the spiral staircase going to the loft is made of local timber and even the toilet seat is made of a tree trunk.

In order to simplify their lives and live in the area they loved so much, they decided to do without some of the luxuries. They built an outhouse, do their laundry in a Wonderwash, and warm the cabin with a donated woodstove. They don’t have running water and use a cooler and dry ice to keep their food cold. They also cook on a Coleman stove and use a generator for their electricity.

The cabin is furnished with furniture the couple built themselves and decorated with found objects. They own a small company called Alaska Antler Works where they create furniture and home accessories out of antlers.

This beautiful, hand crafted home is an impressive example of what can be done with determination, a few friends and love and knowledge of the outdoors.

By Christina Nellemann

Photos by Aaron and Jill Bork, Alaska Antler Works

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For our friends across the pond and for ideas for the rest of us, I found this website for Tay Log Cabins in Scotland that sells and builds small Finnish pine cabins. Most of these cabins are meant to be used for camping or as an income generating property, but I can see myself living in one of these pretty cabins. Tay Log Buildings are made from the very best slow growing Finnish pine from the forests of North Karelia, Finland.

These cabins are another example of when you build smaller, you can build with beautiful details. The Hobbit cabin with the use of reclaimed tree stumps and branches really fits in with the surrounding area.

Tay Log Cabins offer:

• Custom made cabins from wood so any design can be achieved
• Planed logs (95mm x 120mm) which can be assembled in standard designs measuring – 3m x 3m or 4m x 4m
• Precision manufacturing for ease of building and come complete with all wooden components and shingle roof
• Free design service

Most of these homes can be built for between £13,000 and £35,000 or $20,000 and $55,000.

By Christina Nellemann

Also in the UK is the Log Cabin and Offices Company which builds cabins out of Baltic timber from managed and sustainable forests. Their cabins can be used for summer houses, fishing lodges, garden buildings or offices.

All the cabins are available as supply only, supply and erect, or as a fully finished “Turn Key” project.

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