A Frame Log Cabin Kits and Designs

For those who love the look of an A frame home placed in the country, you may find an A Frame log cabin even more desirable. A traditional A Frame home is one that has the sides of the roof extending all the way down to the ground. When you cross an A Frame with a log cabin, you end up with an A Frame log cabin. To make this possible stacked logs are used for the first level of the home. Then a very steep 12/12 or 12/14 pitch roof is placed on top of the logs.

An A frame is a tall structure which does not have extra roof lines for dormers, wings, or porches. All of the flow of the home is retained within the general A shape. Often an exterior upper balcony is added to the A frame cabin. This allows the sweeping views that are visible from the upstairs to be enjoyed from the balcony. A balcony is often 6 to 8 feet wide and is covered by extending out the main roof line of the home. Corner support posts are added to carry the load of the extended roof line. Directly under the balcony is the ideal place to add a first level covered porch. To tie the front of the A frame together visually, matching log railing can be used for each.

Designs focus on the exterior appearance of the home and also on the floor plans. Within an A frame it is important to remember that the steep pitch roof does allow headroom upstairs, but the roof angles down steeply, limiting the usefulness of the sides of the upper floor. To help remedy this dormers can be added (which may take away from the A shape feel) or a better option is to add extra rows of logs. For some cabins we have added 4 to 6 rows of extra logs on the loft level. This raises the roof by anywhere from 2 to 4 feet providing a knee wall around the perimeter of the loft. This adds head room and more wall space.

Purchasing an A Frame cabin kit allows you to get all of your blueprints and materials from the same company. A typical kit would include your construction drawings customized to your specific needs, log shell materials, and other dryin materials. The idea behind a dryin material package is to purchase all of the materials necessary to keep the weather out of your home, at the same time. Dryin package materials are usually items such as exterior doors, windows, roofing, soffit, fascia, interior framing lumber, first floor and upper subfloor materials, exterior door and window trim, and 1x6 pine for the ceilings. Some A Frame cabin kits are more complete than others, so be sure to get a detailed list of what each company supplies. It can be deceptive if you only look at the total price tag and overlook the specific package inclusions. Cowboy Log Homes is a full service log home company that offers a full array of cabins.