Other Types Of Log Cabins

THE log cabin and its modern brother, the frame house with log-cabin siding, by no means enjoy a monopoly among recreational structures. If you have a lake-share lot, an acre in the woods or mountains, or a site for a tourist camp or other commercial venture, there are many cabin types from which to make a. selection. The design and elaborateness of the cabin will be governed largely by the way it is to be used. For instance, a hunting or fishing shack in the woods need not be an elaborate structure, but may be only a wood shell to protect its occupants against storm and the night. On the other hand, a cabin in the woods, which will be used as a year-round retreat for the entire family or even as a permanent residence, will be substantial, weather-tight, and attractive.

From the rural barn, you can get inspiration for a very cheap type of cabin or cottage, yet one that will not be an eyesore and will be staunch and comfortable, if well built. Being "well built" does not mean that it will be costly, but only that its parts are assembled in a workman-like manner. This cabin has simple walls of boards set vertically, the cracks between them covered with battens—strips of wood nailed securely in place.

A framework of 2-in. lumber-2 by 4's for small structures—is built, to form a support for the wall boards. This frame is the essence of simplicity, con­sisting of sills along each wall, corner posts and wall plates at the top. For added stiffness, 2 by 4's can be set diagonally, and arranged so that they will miss window and door openings; or these openings can be placed where they will not interfere with the braces. The sills rest on low piers, which can be flat stones laid on the ground. Joists, massive enough to support the floor, extend across the structure, and are spaced every 20 in. or so. By generous placing of piers beneath the floor, 2- by 4-in. joists can be used. They are fastened to the sills simply by being laid on top of them and toenailed in place, the ends of the joists being even with the outer edges of the sills.

Ordinary sheathing boards 1 in. thick and about 12 in. wide are employed for the walls. They are nailed to the sills, plates and corner posts. At door and window openings, 2 by 4's are used for framing, to in­crease the rigidity. After the boards are set in place and fastened to the frame as firmly as possible, the cracks are covered on the outside, and on the inside as well if desired, with battens or strips 3 or 4 in, wide and ½  to 1 in. thick.

As for the roof, it can be of the gable type already described, or a simple shed roof made by laying the 2- by 4-in. rafters across the plates and spiking them in place. The shed roof has to have some pitch, some­thing like a rise of 1 in. per foot, to enable the water to drain off; so it is necessary to make one of the side-walls lower than the other, and slope the tops of the end walls. Composition roll roofing is suitable for such roofs, and is applied over sheathing made of the same kinds of boards that were used for the walls. Windows of the casement type, swinging inward or outward, are easy to make. Simply set the sash in a frame made of 2- by 4-in. boards, hinging it at one side and pro­viding a fastener at the other, and nail stops all around, to keep the weather out. Slope the sill—the lower part of the window frame—downward, so that water will not stand on it. The door frame can be made of 2 by 4's or 2 by 6's, suitable stops being provided. At the outside wall corners, two battens of different widths should be nailed together to form a trough-like covering, and placed so that the joint be­tween boards is covered by the wider batten.

"Such a cabin would be an eyesore," you may ex­claim.

True, there are thousands of such buildings that are most objectionable eyesores. The reason is not primar­ily with the method of construction, but with the general state of disrepair, the lack of paint or other decorative material, and junky surroundings. By judi­cious use of paints or stains, you can employ the board-and-batten arrangement as the basis of an in­teresting wall design. For instance, the boards may be painted a light buff, the battens, window flames, win­dow sash, and door frames a rich brown, and a dark brown roof installed. Another combination would be light green or straw-colored boards with dark green battens and trim and brown roof. Still another com­bination particularly for a lake-shore cottage, would be white boards and blue battens and trim, with a brown or red roof. In the woods, various tones of brown, in stain or paint, can be used all around.

Additional improvements in appearance can be made by adding a stone or brick outside chimney, and by judicious use of shrubs, vines, and flowers about the structure. In fact, by exercising a little care, this simple board-and-batten cabin can be made charming and livable. The matter of interior finish and arrangement is one that can be settled according to personal tastes.

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How To Build A Log Cabin