building a log cabin from landscape timbers

BUILDING A LOG CABIN FROM LANDSCAPE TIMBERS HOW TO
BUILDING A LOG CABIN FROM LANDSCAPE TIMBERS PORTABLE

Today I didn’t do much since I was busy with work but i did do a little more planning in the evening. Today I also made a note to myself to go and take inventory of usable materials that I have already in my shop. There are quite a few more supplies I’ll need, but I think a trip to lowe’s and mueller buildings for metal roofing will take care of it. I didn’t mean to put it off so long, but I was making sure that I had the budget. Today I finally ordered a couple of bundles of untreated landscape timbers. I’ll be testing chinking on this corner sample this week. The way they they fit together was great and the process was fairly easy and not overly time consuming. I decided on a but and pass style which doesn’t require notching the timbers to fit over each other, however because of the rounded sides it’s best to notch the side for the end to fit in. I built a sample corner to test notching and how they fit together. This means I won’t use inferior techniques or materials but will keep affordability in mind. The plan is to keep the budget as low as possible, while building the best product I can. Making lists of supplies and budgeting the project begins. They are just two dimensional but it’s a good start to show what I’m trying to accomplish. This evening I start sample designs on the computer. She is wonderfully supportive of the plan and I’m excited to get started. That evening I tell my wife that I want to build a cabin for myself and then build them for others. I got good feedback and they want to see a sample.

BUILDING A LOG CABIN FROM LANDSCAPE TIMBERS PORTABLE

Then I called a small portable building company to see if they would be interested in carrying a line of small cabins. The price is good so I have a supplier now. They can get me all I could ever want as long as I buy them a bundle at a time, and give them about a week to get them in stock. After hearing a lot of “no”s I finally got a call back from a small lumber yard about an hour from my home. Today I called many different lumber yards and hardware suppliers to find untreated landscape timbers. This meant since my timbers will act as my outer and inner walls then I would have to use untreated timbers. The most important information I discovered is something I already knew but really needed it reinforced: do not finish out a living area with treated lumber. I learned a lot and took lots of notes and saved a bunch of resources onto my computer for reference.

BUILDING A LOG CABIN FROM LANDSCAPE TIMBERS HOW TO

But on this day I browsed online to decide what materials to use, how to construct a cabin, and even the feasibility. Research is one of my favorite area and never really stops. Here is a picture of the stack that gave me the inspiration. As I finished attaching the timbers to the side of the fence he was getting out I decided to stack the rest so that they wouldn’t kill off more grass and get saturated when it rained.Īfter they were stacked I realized how it would make sense to build a small cabin out of landscape timbers. I originally planned on using decking because it would look nice, but it would have cost over twice as the landscape timbers. So I stopped by the hardware store, and bought an entire bundle of 77 landscape timbers to attach to the bottom of my wire fencing. My dog had discovered that he could push his way under the fence recently and I’d tied him up for a few days.

The idea springs into my head and I won’t stop obsessing until I’ve started.

When it’s finished I’ll offer them for sale to anyone who wants one. So… Where am I in the process? Let me switch to a timeline format so that you can follow along with the progress of the project. Maybe when I’ve picked a permanent location for a cabin I’ll make a stone and mortar foundation. I think a stone and mortar foundation would be awesome for a cabin and the stone floor would be awesome. I’ll probably put a trailer axle mount underneath so I can move it to different places on the farm.

This will allow me to move the cabin easily from place to place. I’ll build mine on a wooden beam foundation which is basically built like a wooden deck. The design that I am working on can be built on any type of foundation as long as you can make it level. If you want a strong small building this cabin plan of mine will work great for you. These “portable” buildings are usually made with the least amount of material possible and the cheapest supplies that can be purchased. I’ve seen the small cabin kits, and pre-made ones you can buy from the storage building companies, but they just don’t have the quality to last for the long haul. I have decided to build a small cabin to show how you can build a sturdy structure for shelter and or storage on a slim budget and have something that you can be proud of for decades.

Building a log cabin from landscape timbers