Timber Log Cabin Blog

Posted on March 9, 2013 by timber-cabins.co.uk
Timber log cabins and sectional timber buildings are becoming more and more fashionable on holiday sites, from small camping sites looking for accommodation that can be used in bad weather to ensure a year round income to large holiday complexes and events centers looking to add extra rooms for busy times.

There are a lot of different types of buildings out there that can fulfill these requirements, however a lot of the small features can make a big difference to your return on investment.

Section buildings:
These types of buildings are generally made from a CLS timber frame construction that is then lined clad and insulated. There are a lot of different options for all of these components to choose from.
For example should you use a rock wool type insulation, a cheaper option of Polystyrene such as Jablite or PIR boards such as Extratherm or Celotex. The initial cost will not make a huge amount of difference to the overall cost of the build, however in the long run if the site owner is paying for the heating cost choosing a cheap poor quality insulator could cost a lot in the long run. Polystyrene is fine for an occasional use building such as a home workshop that is only likely to be used during the day time. If you intend on sleeping in the building, especially in the winter months then you will need more than just this. PIR is a very good insulator giving great u-values using only thin sections so if space in the walls is a at a premium then this could be the best option. If space is not a problem then you may be able to save some money upfront using a rock wool slab of a greater depth than the PIR.
The type and depth of framework should also be considered, is it C16 or C24 grade? For some building 4×2 sections are fine however you may need 6×2 or even 8×2 on larger buildings.
Sectional building are normally fairly fast to assembly on site as most of the construction is done in a factory. Panels can also be painted or pre-finished before delivery to site.
A good breather membrane should be incorporated into the wall construction to help reduce the risk of damp and help as a vapour barrier.
Have a look at our Camping Pod Range for ideas of pre insulated panel buildings.

Twin Skin Buildings:
These use to walls sitting parallel constructed using the traditional interlocking log cabin method of notched timber sections.
The cavity between can then be insulated for added warmth.

Have a look at details of our twin skin log cabin models

Posted on January 2, 2013 by timber-cabins.co.uk
Ecofuel has been a bit of a buzz word over the last few years. alongside rising oil and gas prices the enviromental impact of getting these resources has pushed the demand for alternatives. Hallgate Timber offers a couple of great options for a cheap answer to heating your home, whilst making use of recycled waste products. Established in 1989 Hallgate Timber are a family business and have been manufacturing garden buildings including sheds, summer houses, workshops and play houses for nearly 25 years. Producing these buildings creates lots of off cut wood ideal for wood burning and multi-fuel stoves, big sacks are only £2 each and bulk builders bags are £25 each. We also machine our own cladding and create sawdust and shavings from this, we then put this through a machine that compresses this into briquettes ideal again for wood burning and multi-fuel stoves.
So if you are looking for a cheaper or enviromentaly friendly option to heat your home try our firewood or sawdust briquettes today.

You can get these briquettes from either Hallgate Timber at Long Sutton or Flamecraft at Baytree.

Contact us on 01406363978 or visit us at Limewalk, Long Sutton, PE12 9HG
Open Monday – Friday 8:30 – 5:00 and Saturday 9:00 -4:00

A log cabin should be made to last. If you use the right type of timber, site the cabin on good foundations and treat the timber regularly with a good quality timber preservative the log cabin will last forever and a day.
With that in mind you want to choose a roof covering that will last along with it and will still look the part.

so what choices do you have?
The most common choices are:

Mineral roofing felt on a roll
Felt shingles
Corrugated bitumen sheeting (Coraline/Onduline)
Metal sheeting (Metro Tiles)
Real cedar shingles (Cedar Shake)

Each has advantages and each its disadvantages. We will take a look at them in this timber log cabin blog.

Mineral roofing felt:
Possibly the most common option, especially on cheaper buildings. Roofing felt can be a cheap option in the short-term. A good quality felt reinforced with either polyester or fibreglass will normally last for between 5-10 years if it is not being rubbed upon by overhanging tress.
Felt is available in a choice of colours to compliment the area surrounding the log cabin including: Red, Green, Grey and Blue.
Felt is also an easy and fast option for covering you log cabin roof.

Felt shingles:
Felt shingles are supplied in short strip of approx 1m long. They normally have a bitumen adhesive backing that sticks them together when they get warm. This can be a disadvantage when laying them in cold weather and may need heating with hot air gun or blow torch to make them stick when very cold. Always check manufactures instruction for this as some felt shingles are specially designed not to need heating and may cause damage or be dangerous if you do heat them, also be careful of fumes from heating bitumen based products.
Felt shingles are available in a wide range of colours similar to felt and also in different shapes to suit your log cabin.
Felt shingles are normally thicker than mineral felt on a roll. The life expectancy of felt shingles can be up to 20 years (although we do have some customers that still have felt shingles in good condition on cabins we supplied almost 25 years ago.)
Felt Shingles are a slightly more expensive option than felt in the short-term (currently at around £10/m2) however due to the longevity of them they are cheaper in the long run.

Corrugated Bitumen Sheeting:
This is a popular option on stable blocks and farm buildings.
This is from the Onduline website:
“Easy to cut, shape and fix
15 year insurance-backed water proofing guarantee*
Excellent colour retention properties
Withstands windspeeds of up to 120mph (192 kph)
European CE Declaration of Conformity
High insulation and sound absorbency performance
Does not rust, rot or become brittle
Available in 4 environmentally sensitive colours
Flexible, ideal for renovation projects”

Metal Sheeting:

Metal roof sheeting is more of an industrial product however it does get used, mostly in the form of Metro tiles, on log cabins on commercial projects.
Some of the big advantages are:
The option of pre-insulated panels, saving a lot of time and effort for making the roof warm and saving money on heating
The speed that a roof can be clad with metal sheeting
A very long life span if the sheeting has a good protective finish to it
Metro Tiles have very good asthetics that look like real tiles at a fraction of the weight and cost.

The down sides can be:
If the sheeting does not have a good finish it can discolour or rust
In heavy rain if there is no insulation it can be very noisy and therefore a problem when people are using the cabin as a residential cabin on camp sites or fishing lakes.

Cedar Shingle:
Cedar roof shingles are by far my favourite option for log cabin roofs. They offer a more traditional cabin finish whilst offering very long lasting protection. Cedar shingles will start off with a warm red glow to them and then fade to a lovely silvery grey finish over time.
Cedar Shingles are also about the most expensive option costing around £50-£100 per M2

We offer most types of roofing as an option on our quality log cabins at http://www.timber-cabins.co.uk