When investing in a log cabin it is important to know whether or not you can drywall some or all of the walls inside. I know that this was a question that I had when my wife and I were first looking at what kind of cabin to build and the topic of drywalling became an important conversation in our house. We did some research together and made sure that our cabin would be perfect for both of us.
So, can you drywall inside a log cabin? Not only can you drywall inside a log cabin, but it is actually very popular. A lot of people are into the rustic chic look and using drywall on some of the walls can help create that design.
Drywalling inside your log cabin can sound fun and daunting all at the same time, believe me, I’ve been there, so I decided to write down some helpful tips of things you’ll need to know and great hacks you can try. There are a lot of questions that come with adding drywalling to your log cabin like, “Can I install it myself or do I need to hire a contractor?” “Will adding drywall improve or inhibit the energy efficiency?” and “Why should I consider drywall for my cabin?” I hope to be able to help answer any questions you may have and maybe spark some exciting new plans for your log cabin.
Drywall CAN BE Added to Log Cabins
Lots of people want to make their log cabins more efficient or more stylish and so drywall is usually one of the best ways to accomplish this. It can be hard to add kitchen appliances and bathrooms into log cabins because of the log walls so adding drywall into these rooms is not only possible but is very useful.
There are a lot of ways to go about adding drywall into a log cabin. You can hire contractors to do it for you or if you feel you have the skills necessary you can tackle the project yourself. If you feel like this is a project you can handle on your own there are a few things you might want to know before beginning down that path.
Can I Install Drywall to My Cabin by Myself?
There are a lot of people who are trying to modernize and update their log cabins but they don’t really want to higher a contractor because they would rather do it themselves. Luckily adding drywall to your cabin walls is one at home project that can be solved by you without needing to higher workers. This job will probably take a bit of time but will end up looking great and can help the function and flow of your home.
Before you add drywall to your home it is important to understand that most modern log homes go through a settling period. This happens because the logs used to build log cabins now of days aren’t completely dry all the way through. This is pertinent because if your home is newer than about 3-4 years it means that you have to go through a few extra steps so that your drywall can settle with the rest of your cabin.
The first thing that you need to do when installing drywall is to put in studs or furring strips. You shouldn’t ever put drywall right against the logs of your cabin because there needs to be a buffer in between them. When you are putting in studs it is generally good to place each stud about 16 inches apart. If your log cabin still has some settling to do you can attach the studs using lag screws. You cut verticle slots into the studs that way when the logs continue to shrink the lag screw will just slide down its slot and there won’t be any pulling and buckling with your studs.
There are other techniques that can be used if applying drywall to an exterior wall or another log wall. You have to do research and find which way seems to suit you better and will give you the look that you are going for. Some of these techniques can get rather complicated so it is important to pick whichever one you feel confident in being able to achieve.
Can Adding Drywall to My Log Cabin Improve the Energy Efficiency?
It is well known that log cabins are not the most energy efficient homes out there. Actually, in a lot of states, log cabins are under the required building code energy standards and a few states have made exceptions just for these cabins. Log cabins tend to be the most expensive to build and are by far the most expensive to heat and maintain. Adding drywall to your log cabin can help with this problem if you add insulation and make sure that you seal all of the joints first with caulk. This is never going to be a full proof plan unless you insulate all of the walls and ceilings which most log cabin owners don’t want to do because they bought a log cabin for a reason. So in the end if the only reason you want to add drywall is so that you can save money on your energy bill it probably isn’t the best solution, but if you are planning on adding some drywall as accent walls then for sure throw in some insulation and it can help a little bit with heating costs.
Why Should I Consider Drywall?
There are a lot of reasons why people add drywall to their log cabins. One of the main reasons is that it is easier to put kitchens and bathrooms in when the wall is drywalled, but another great reason that people are starting to add drywalled walls into their log cabins is for design effect. Sometimes the overwhelming amount of wood in log cabins can be a little bit hard to handle and can make it hard to decorate, but adding a drywalled wall in a few places can help the log cabin feel more open and can create vast amounts of design improvements.
Some of the best design opportunities that are offered by adding drywall is getting a blank canvas. You can paint that drywall any color you want and turn it into an accent wall. It is also nice to have a flat surface to be able to hang pictures and decorations on. People are finding that mixing the look of the rustic log walls with just a splash of the modern drywall creates this new aesthetic that is becoming very popular. Plus it helps with sound barriers and heat control, so your accent piece can actually be functional as well. That’s why a lot of people are adding drywall to their chic log cabins.
Related Questions
How Much Does it Cost to Build a Log Cabin? Wherever you decide to build your log cabin is really going to determine the price of how much it costs to build, but a good estimated number for a very basic log cabin is around 20 thousand dollars for just the building. That price wouldn’t include purchasing the land or anything in the interior of the cabin. It would be the cost of the basic build basically just the walls and the roof.
How Much Does it Cost to Purchase a Log Cabin? Just like building a log cabin it buying prices for log cabins are going to differ extremely depending on where it is located and the square footage of the building. A good estimate price for how much log cabins normally sell for would be around 500 thousand dollars.
What is a Log Cabin? A log Cabin is a home or dwelling place that is built by place logs intricately on top of each other. Log cabins have a rich history in Europe and America and were the types of homes that the settlers would have built when arriving in America.