Log cabin advice wanted

abbeyjoll

I am thinking about purchasing a log cabin (70 mm think wood ,not real logs just wood to look like logs) to use as a home office in the bottom of the garden. I would insulate the roof and floor and have double glazing. I would also like a separate bathroom in it so when i have guests I can use it as a spare room.
My questions are:
1) What is a log cabin like in winter? Would it be like heating a house in cost? What is the heat retention like?
2) Would the bathroom get moldy and start rotting the wood? I plan to have a small window in it. Would this be enough to prevent the wood rotting?

Thank you in advance for any reviews and help you may be able to offer.

AndyMc.....

abbeyjoll wrote: »

I am thinking about purchasing a log cabin (70 mm think wood ,not real logs just wood to look like logs) to use as a home office in the bottom of the garden. I would insulate the roof and floor and have double glazing. I would also like a separate bathroom in it so when i have guests I can use it as a spare room.
My questions are:
1) What is a log cabin like in winter? It would be like a garden shed. Would it be like heating a house in cost? It won't be too hard to work out the cost once you decide how you're going to heat it. What is the heat retention like?No that good without insulation in the walls.
2) Would the bathroom get moldy and start rotting the wood? It could if you don't do it right. I plan to have a small window in it. Would this be enough to prevent the wood rotting?

Thank you in advance for any reviews and help you may be able to offer.

So are you going to bother with planning and building regs?

TheCyclingProgrammer

You'll need planning permission and building regs approval if you want to build an outbuilding with sleeping accommodation.

I suspect you'll have a hard time making a log cabin meet building regs.

You'd be better off looking a proper garden room which comes already insulated but it will cost more.

Davesnave

Beware, you are entering a murky area of planning law here and there will be plenty of people advising what you can or can't do!

People's understanding of what a log cabin is will be limited by their experience. It might be like a shed, or it might be more fuel-efficient than many houses, because the term 'log cabin' covers a range of very different buildings.

There will also be those who will say you can pass a structure like a cabin off as a 'caravan.'

As in many things planning, you'll be governed by what your own property allows you to get away with to some extent. For example, I stuck a fully serviced caravan in my back garden and never asked anyone's permission, because I knew I could just do it, but I don't live in a conventional kind of property.

However, if you are intending to put in separate facilities, like a toilet connected to the mains drains, then you are into building regs, and if you're going to spend a lot of money on a well insulated structure, then you might as well do it right and start by checking at the Planning Portal to see how what you want to do might gain the necessary permissions.

Sorry, but your question just opens a huge can of worms!

abbeyjoll

Thank you for your time and responses . Planning not a concern (I have done a lot of research). It is just I really need it to be warm in winter and not be astronomical to heat. It will be mainly used in winter. I do not want it to be moldy either. If any one else has any other experiences in log cabins your advice is highly appreciated. Thank you again Abbey

System

Planning might not be much of an issue, but building regs will, you really have to research that heavily to see what is required for outbuildings...
What have you found in your research about planning permission for adding an outbuilding as an extra bedroom?