Photo: FWStudio

Is it worth insulating a log cabin?

Insulating a log cabin is energy-efficient and by default cost-efficient too. An insulated log cabin is cheaper to maintain and won't sting you for as high an energy bill. Heating a log cabin can be a losing game if you don't have a proper base or floor insulation.

gardenbuildingsdirect.co.uk - Why You Need an Insulated Log Cabin - Blog

Can my Neighbour remove my fence to build an extension?

Paula Higgins, chief executive of HomeOwners Alliance, told The Sun: "If you own the fence and it is on your property, neighbours have no right to...

Last updated Sep 19, 2018

How do truck drivers not get fat?

It's essential for drivers' health and safety to avoid obesity and keep their weight in check. Short periods of regular exercise, eating fresh...

Last updated Jul 3, 2021

Can I build my own shed?

Yes, with the right plans you can build your dream shed.

Learn More »

Promotion

We’ve already done a post breaking down all the benefits of owning an insulated cabin. Still, from log cabin owners and people looking to buy one, we keep hearing the same question.

Do I need to insulate a log cabin?

So we’re going to put it to bed once and for all and break down the importance of insulation. Below, we’ll go through the benefits of insulating a garden cabin, how to insulate one, and whether or not it’s worth doing.

All that and more after the jump!

Key takeaways:

In a traditional log cabin, the logs are the insulation

You need to insulate every point of heat loss in your building’s thermal envelope

Insulating your log cabin starts with a good base and flooring

Insulating a garden cabin might cost a bit more upfront but it can save you money in the long term Insulating your cabin is a good idea if you use it year-round or as a home office

Why buy a log cabin?

A garden log cabin can be whatever you want it to be. It can be a place for work, for working out, or simply to relax. Plus, being out in the garden and sunshine could even positively affect your physical and mental well-being. Log cabins make for energy-efficient garden buildings. The timber in a log cabin acts as a natural insulator with thermal properties which slows heat transfer between the interior and cold temperatures outside. Timber’s thermal mass varies with log thickness but can reduce heating and energy costs in your choice of garden cabin. And a garden log cabin can be the perfect place for a gym, home office, or little salon. This is especially true if you do want to use your garden cabin year-round. If that’s the case, then keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer is something log cabins excel at. This is because the wood itself is a natural insulator. Not only that, direct light from the sun can actually heat your log cabin (somewhat).

This means that:

Wood gets warmed by sunlight

Wood retains warmth well

Wood insulates your log cabin’s interior temperature against the cold

Wood slowly releases warmth due its thermal mass

Now, granted, even thick logs aren’t enough to fend off harsh winter temperatures alone. But you’re probably not looking at a ‘proper’ log cabin like in the movies – dusted with snow and made from freshly felled trees.

So how do you get those insulation properties without using 50mm-thick logs?

Insulated Garden Cabin

As we say, chances are you probably don’t live in the arctic circle. So you probably are looking at a range of reasonably priced log cabins. Still, you might be wondering – why insulate a garden cabin? After all, it rarely snows in England, and the weather isn’t that bad. (Yeah, right!). Well, even for the inclement weather and temperatures that we face, insulating your log cabin can help you get the most out of it.

Insulating a garden cabin can:

Allow for efficient year-round heat exchange

Keep your log cabin warm in winter and cool in summer

Boost your log cabin’s usability (and potentially even value!)

So if you want a warm and cosy garden building for winter, it’s worth considering. If (like so many of us) you’ve transitioned to working from home and you don’t want to freeze, insulation might be the answer.

Why Insulate a Log Cabin?

To explain objectively why anyone might want to insulate a log cabin, we’re going to have to get a bit technical.

So bear with us; we’ll go slowly.

For a start, a wooden log cabin will naturally contract and expand slightly with climate changes throughout the year. So your best bet is to start with a log cabin made from tongue and groove panels. They offer a water- and airtight seal with enough room to accommodate expansion without warping or splitting. Next, by insulating a log cabin, you could reduce the energy consumption you spend heating it. In turn, you’ll give off a smaller carbon footprint. (And probably get a smaller utility bill in the long run). But the main reason you’d want to insulate your garden cabin is to because of something we call the thermal envelope.

Thermal Envelope

The thermal envelope is everything about your building that shields it from the outdoors. This includes:

Vapour membranes

Walls and roof assemblies

Insulation (roofing and flooring)

Window glazing

Caulking

Basically, anything that aims to stop heat from moving from your garden cabin to outside. All these elements make up the thermal envelope.

So why is insulation so important?

Well, various studies have shown that:

Walls, windows, and gaps Account for around 35% of heat loss Floors Account for about 10% of heat disappearing Roof and floors combined Account for as high as 70% of heat loss in your cabin

So are you doing anything to combat that?

If not, then at best, you might be a bit chilly. At worst, you could be pouring money down the drain on heating or even putting clients off from coming to your home office. But how do you figure out a suitable level of insulation to combat this? Well, this is where it gets technical. It’s all down to the R- and U-value of your outdoor garden building.

What causes condensation in a shed?

Condensation is what happens when water vapour reaches a temperature low enough to turn back into a liquid. This is called the dew point and...

Last updated Apr 25, 2018

How many hinges should a shed door have?

two hinges Most shed door design doors require at least two hinges: one located about 7 inches from the top of the shed door frame, and the other...

Last updated Feb 7, 2018

Promotion

R-VALUE Is a measurement of heat flow resistance through a given surface (like wood). Once you have your R-value, you can work out your U-value. The higher a buildings R-value, the better. U-VALUE Is a measurement of heat loss in watts when the temperature outside your building is at least one degree lower. Your U-value will take into account the sum of certain parts. For example, your double-glazing’s U-value will account for glass and air. In this case, the lower your U-value the better.

Ok, so you want a high R-value and low U-value in garden cabin. But what does that really mean?

R-value is the thermal resistance properties of your building’s envelope materials (like walls and insulation).

U-value is the insulating performance of elements like glass.

So you want thick or insulated walls to retain heat in winter and double-glazed windows in your log cabin to let it out gradually in summer. Take a look at the table below for R- and U-values by log thickness. Realistically, we wouldn’t worry about trying to work out your cabin’s values too much. Simply put, for a better energy rating in your log cabin, you want to slow down the escape of heat through surfaces.

In general, insulating your log cabin can be a one-time outlay that improves practicality without compromising on aesthetics. So how do you go about doing it?

How to insulate a log cabin

If you can’t find a ready-insulated garden log cabin you could always check if your supplier sells insulation kits. Below, we’ll break down into section what this entails for insulating each part of your cabin’s thermal envelope.

But an insulation kit (depending on how comprehensive) might include:

Stanley knife for cutting

Foil tape to cover gaps and joins

Foil-backed insulation rolls

Heavy-duty staple gun for application

Kingspan or Celotex insulation boards

Vapour or dampproof membrane

Fibreglass rolls or batts

How to insulate a log cabin roof

We’ve written before about how to damp proof and insulate a shed. A lot of these general rules will apply to your log cabin also. But the reason your log cabin’s roof is such a problem area is that hot air rises. And while timber has a high thermal mass, heat will still dissipate quicker in an area with a bigger heat difference.

So to insulate a log cabin roof:

Opt for tongue and groove roof cladding for a tight seal

Lay a vapour barrier

Create a roof batten frame to hold insulation in place

Cut and fit insulation boards

Seal gaps with insulation tape

Place and fix roof cladding over insulation boards

Affix roofing: shingles, felt, or EPDM (a waterproof rubber polymer sheet)

You may have to adjust this if you still want visible trusses in your log cabin.

How to insulate a log cabin floor

Our log cabins floors are made of tongue and groove boards that slot together and are nailed to wooden floor joists. This creates a thermal barrier. But, between your flooring and the ground, there are still opportunities for significant heat loss. This is because the ground is essentially infinite. So it can keep absorbing heat away from your garden cabin. You can slow this process by building your log cabin on a concrete base (which also has a high thermal mass). However, this is more costly than a typical wooden sub-floor. So instead, think about laying a damp-proof membrane beneath your log cabin. This will help to stop rising damp and be the first building block in insulating your floor. On top of that, lay your timber sub-floor with a gap to allow for airflow. However, in the gaps between your floor joists, you might think about laying more Celotex insulation sheets. Cut them to size so that they fit flush with no gaps. Then seal the joins between sheets with foil insulation tape. Make sure there’s no ground contact and then either screw into or glue the Celotex. Once you’ve properly insulated your log cabin floor you can help reduce heat transfer by laying carpet or rugs. This will all help to combat heat transfer to the ground, which is a massive heat drain.

How to insulate a log cabin’s walls

Anywhere where there is a gap in your log cabin ideally needs to be insulated. Of course, this is more likely with ‘proper’ traditional log cabins out in the wilderness. For example, Garden Buildings Direct’s log cabins use tongue and groove panels to create a tight seal. Any gaps around your garden cabin’s door/s or window/s should be sealed, though. To do this, use an expanding insulation foam or caulk around the frames. You can also reduce heat egress by opting for double glazing on your log cabin. You’ll also see the benefits of double glazing in the summertime – when your log cabin doesn’t heat up like a greenhouse! Make sure to also use a draught excluder at the base of your door frame. (Even adding curtains can help to insulate your log cabin!).

As for the walls, you can:

How do you plan a workshop layout?

How to create and structure a productive design workshop Start with an overview. Determine the goal. Decide who needs to come. List the tangible...

Last updated Jun 11, 2022

Can you make a living selling furniture?

Is Furniture Flipping Profitable? Yes, furniture flipping can be profitable. Your profits are determined by your ability to source inexpensive...

Last updated Sep 17, 2021

These are the Best Shed Plans!

Comprehensive and Intuitive to follow. Build That Shed!

Learn More »

Promotion

Check whether you need a vapour membrane:

Use fibreglass or natural wool batts or foil-backed insulation roll

Fill the cavities in between your wall studs

Cover with MDF boards or plasterboard nailed to your studs

How to heat a log cabin

Now, depending on where you live or even just how cold you get, you still might want to heat your log cabin. This should be part of your bigger plan to insulate your cabin rather than a last-ditch attempt. This is because heating alone will inevitably cost you more over time than the initial outlay to insulate your log cabin. And if you don’t insulate it, it’s a bit like pushing water uphill. You’ll be creating a greater heat differential between your log cabin’s inside and outside. On top of that, you won’t have anything to regulate this temperature. Running something like a tubular heater or low-energy radiator might be a good idea. If you’ve done all that, you might be thinking you could start to live in a log cabin. And you wouldn’t be far wrong. Insulating your log cabin can help you make the most of it with year-round use. By regulating your garden cabin’s interior temperature, you can reduce heat loss and potentially save yourself heating costs.

To recap:

Insulated cabin = Higher thermal density

On its own, wood has impressive insulating properties. As an insulator, it prevents heat transfer between your log cabin’s interior and the external environment. This means that when the temperature outside dips, the heat from the interior of the insulated cabin remains stable.

That ultimately means a warmer log cabin even when it’s cold out.

On the other hand, wood also has a high thermal density. And the thicker the timber, the better it retains heat itself. Adding to your log cabin roof, flooring, and walls with insulation only increases its R-value.

Log cabins in general are a healthy space

If you feel like you need to get away from the family or work without going away, an outdoor building is a perfect getaway. Or, if you want to add value to your property, an extra room, and a new space to hang out with your family, it fits that bill too. If you run a home business or work from home, you don’t want to be freezing in winter and sweating in summer. Simply insulating your log cabin can help with that. And an outdoor building, in general, can get you out into the garden and sunlight and give you a bit of peace!

Insulating your log cabin is cost-efficient

Insulating a log cabin is energy-efficient and by default cost-efficient too.

An insulated log cabin is cheaper to maintain and won’t sting you for as high an energy bill. Heating a log cabin can be a losing game if you don’t have a proper base or floor insulation. That’s because the earth is a massive heat drain and will draw heat away from your cabin.

An insulated cabin means less humidity

If you’re storing things like gym equipment or electronics in your log cabin, the last thing you want is moisture. And that’s exactly what humidity leaves behind. So instead of allowing your log cabin to turn into a sweatbox in summer, think about insulating it. Small hacks like adding double glazing or a draught excluder can help to regulate interior and exterior temperature. This makes it harder for condensation to form, which can be a problem with wooden structures in hotter weather. Top tip: We suggest investing a little extra to add roof gutters. Not only are they easy to install, but they also do a great job in keeping your log cabin dry, ensuring it’ll last longer.

Should I Insulate My Log Cabin?

Hopefully, this guide has given you even food for thought to come up with an answer to that question.

But just to reiterate:

If you’re planning to use your log cabin year around

If you’re storing valuables in your garden cabin

If your log cabin’s timber isn’t thick enough to properly insulate it

If you want to add value to your log cabin

If you intend to have people stay over in your log cabin

And if you just don’t like being cold!

Then the answer to that question is probably yes. But it’s not a necessity – you could always save yourself some trouble and buy an insulated log cabin. Just make sure to follow this guide and add to all areas of your garden cabin’s heat envelope. Insulate your floors, walls, and roof. Then, caulk and seal where necessary and install rugs, curtains, and a draught excluder.