Log cabins are small houses built from logs. These houses can usually be seen in regions with a high concentration of wood. Log cabins were famous in North America during colonial times due to the lush wood in the area.
The architecture of a log cabin may seem simple but it is not. Builders must first carefully choose the right log for the hut. It should be straight with a manageable taper and should have few branches or knots. Depending on the size of the cabin, old growing trees are preferred for a large size cabin.
Log cabin construction is also highly dependent on location. The site must have sufficient sunlight and the soil must be flexible enough for good drainage. This is because they do not follow the usual architectural structures of concrete houses. They depend on nature for most of their functioning.
Frontier living is highly dependent on nature and log cabin builders strive to maximize natural structures. For example, a moderately rocky area would be suitable for a log cabin compared to soft ground. Also, the cabin must be strategically built with at least one of its corners resting on a large rock. The large rock can be used as a foundation for the house.
Cabins can be built with dirt floors. However, people use foundations to prevent soil moisture and also to make additional storage or cellar under the cabin.
As sturdier homes were built, log cabins were converted to animal shelters or used as storage for equipment or tools. There are parts of Europe that use log cabins as summer houses or as an extra room in a garden.
But more recently, people began to build so-called log houses. Log houses are houses built from ground logs and therefore can be mass-produced. There are many resorts that built log houses instead of the usual concrete houses. Typically, these log houses are built with additional stone furniture as opposed to log cabins which are built entirely from wooden logs.