Log cabin insurance & 3 tips how to keep it dry!

Ahoy Cabins & Gardens lovers!

In today’s email:

• 🏡 Log Cabin Insurance: Our recommendations where to insure your cabin

• 💧 Keeping It Dry: Tackling Damp and Moisture in Your Log Cabin

• 🎁 Deal of the month - LAST DAY!

Log Cabin Insurance in Ireland

Its not a secret that log cabins is a big investment and when it comes to protecting your investment - insurance is your best option. As log cabins are not the standard properties (although it might soon become) finding the insurance to cover your cabin is a challenge on its own. So to save you some time, we selected few for you to get quotes from!

OBF Insurance Group: Experts in non-standard home insurance, they offer coverage for unusually constructed properties, including log cabins.

Arachas: They provide a unique log cabin insurance policy, negotiated with Lloyds of London, offering protection for your timber building against various risks like fire, storm damage, and theft.

Britton Insurance is a long-established Donegal-based insurance broker that offers log cabin insurance among its range of home and property cover options.

Frost Insurances Ltd is a long-established Limerick-based insurance broker that offers log cabin insurance as part of its cover for non-standard and timber-framed homes.

Check them out and get your cabin covered!

Keeping it dry: Tackling Damp and Moisture in Your Log Cabin

If you live in a log cabin in Ireland—or you're dreaming of one—you’ll know that keeping moisture out is nearly a full-time job. Between the rain, mist, drizzle, and the occasional biblical downpour, your timber walls are under constant siege from the elements.

But don't worry, you’re not alone. Today we’re diving into practical, down-to-earth tips to help you keep your log home warm, dry, and snug all year round. Let’s beat the damp, one trick at a time!

💧 Why Moisture Is a Big Deal
Moisture’s a bit like that persistent Irish drizzle—always showing up when you least want it and hanging around far too long. Left unchecked, it can cause no end of hassle, including:

• Mould and mildew (not exactly the rustic scent we’re after)

• Wood rot (a real heartbreaker for your timber)

• Poor air quality (cue the sniffles and sneezes)

• Expensive repairs (because soggy logs = sad bank account)

🪵 Tip #1: Get the Right External Insulation – It’s a Game Changer

If you do one big thing for your log cabin, let it be this—proper external insulation. Not internal, mind you. We’re talking external insulation with treated timber, uPVC, or steel cladding. It’s hands down the best defence against Ireland’s wet and wild weather.

Here’s what your wall should look like (from inside to out):

1. Your structural log wall – this stays dry and toasty on the inside.

2. External wall insulation – either 100mm wool or 100–150mm PIR board for top-notch thermal protection.

3. A vapour-permeable membrane – lets moisture out, but not in.

4. 2"x1" battens or cross battens – creates a ventilated facade so the wall can breathe.

5. Your external cladding – treated shiplap timber, uPVC panels, or even steel.

Even in the harshest downpour, this setup keeps your logs bone dry. Any rain that sneaks past the cladding will hit the membrane and drain out the bottom through the ventilation gap. It’s clever, tidy, and can easily make your cabin last 10 times longer. Now that’s a solid return on investment!

🌬️ Tip #2: Ventilation Is Vital

You might think sealing everything up keeps moisture out—but the truth is, poor ventilation traps damp air inside, and that’s bad news for your cabin and your lungs. Moist air leads to mould, rot, and all sorts of unpleasantness.

Make sure you've got extractor fans in your kitchen and bathroom, crack open windows when you can, and look into proper air vents or a mechanical ventilation system for long-term peace of mind.

🛠️ We Recommend 3 Types of Ventilation (Depending on Your Budget):

💶 Budget Ventilation (€10–€50):
The classic “hole in the wall” vent—a time-honoured Irish tradition. Just a simple opening with a controllable flap to let in air.
Pro tip: It’s cheap and cheerful at the start, but you’ll lose a good bit of heat (and money) over the long run. Better leave this kind of ventilations for sheds only.

💰 Mid-Range (€100–€150):
Thermostatic ventilation—a smart vent that opens fully when it’s warm outside (rare, but it happens!) and gradually closes as it gets colder.
This helps retain warmth and saves you a tidy sum on heating bills, without sacrificing fresh air.

💎 High-End (€200 per vent or ~€1,500 for full system):
Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV)—the Rolls Royce of air systems.
It pushes fresh, filtered air into all your living areas, while removing stale air from bathrooms, kitchens, and utility rooms.
The magic? A central unit recovers up to 95% of the heat from the outgoing air, using a clever heat exchanger (no air mixing involved).
It’s brilliant for your health, comfort, and energy bills—and your logs will thank you too.

☔ Tip #3: Gutters, Drainage & Foundations – Keep Water in Its Place

Gutters aren’t just for show—they’re your cabin’s first line of defence against water damage. Without them, rain pours straight off the roof, hammering the ground and splashing up onto your lower logs, speeding up rot and wear.

But even the best gutters won’t help if your foundation is letting water sneak under the cabin. One of the most common mistakes? Sitting your cabin on a concrete slab that sticks out past the walls. That overhang acts like a landing pad for rainwater, letting it creep underneath the cabin—a nightmare for timber over time.

Instead, the ideal setup is this:
Rainwater runs off your roof, into well-positioned gutters and downpipes, which are then connected to a proper drain or soak hole. From there, water should fall past the edge of your foundation, straight into a French drain or gravel trench that wraps around the cabin. This keeps the base of your logs dry and safe from splashback or pooling.

Pro tip: Never let rainwater drip onto the concrete base itself. If it can’t drain away properly, it’ll sit there and slowly seep into your cabin’s foundation. A bit of smart planning with gutters, drainage, and foundation layout will hugely extend your cabin’s lifespan—and save you a world of hassle later on.

OUR TAKE

Moisture is the silent enemy of every log cabin in Ireland—but with proper external insulation, smart ventilation, and well-thought-out drainage, you can keep your timber home snug and dry for decades. Don’t cut corners with your foundation or let rainwater hang about—plan it right, and your cabin will thank you every rainy day.

🎁 Deal of the month! Last DAY!

We’ve scored a €500 discount on any garden log cabin and a €1,000 discount on any residential log cabin from MyCabin.ie! (valid until end of March 2025)

Here’s how to claim it (visible to newsletter subscribers only):