8 Log Cabin Garages Made From Logs and Timber

It’s likely that if you’re living in a log cabin, you love the natural and rustic look of solid logs. So why settle for anything less for your garage?

Or, you might live in a traditional home and want a garage made from logs. Log cabin garages fit in well in most surrounding landscapes.

‘Garage’ derives from the French word, garer, meaning shelter.

In today’s age, garages have a much wider purpose than just providing shelter.

Garages provide additional storage areas for cars, tools, and odds and ends that we don’t want to keep in the house.

They can also double as guest quarters, a man cave, a workshop, gym, an office, or even a games room.

Garages can be built into the house or detached. They can be small enough for just one car, or large enough for 4+ cars.

The beauty of designing your own log cabin garage is that you can create the exact space you need to suit your requirements.

Let’s take a look at some different log cabin garages to get you thinking about some of the factors that you should consider when designing your own garage.

1. Detached Log Cabin Garage

One of the first considerations should be whether your log cabin will be attached or detached from your home.

When cars were first developed in the late 1800’s they were either stored in the open or in adapted carriage houses.

As time passed, detached purpose-built shelters began to be built to store cars, especially after the 1920’s when the overhead garage door was invented.

By the 1960’s, 60% of homes were built with garages; this figure was up to 80% by the 2000’s.

There are benefits and negatives of both attached and detached garages. To figure out which is best for you, you should think about the purpose of your garage.

Will you need access to it throughout the day, what will you be using it for?

If your garage is attached to your home, you will have quick access to everything you store in there.

It might make more sense to have the garage detached from your main home if you intend to use it for additional purposes such as a workshop or guest sleeping quarters. A detached garage helps to keep noise levels and fire hazards away from the main residence.

This particular garage is a single-story, one-car garage with additional storage space in the loft.

You may want to consider a garage like this if you just have one car and minimal belongings to store.

2. Attached Log Cabin Garage

If, unlike the last garage, you would prefer a garage that is attached to the house, this garage is likely to appeal to you.

In the 1940’s, people began integrating their garages into their homes.

Attached garages offer a lot of benefits and are very convenient, especially if you live in a cold climate.

To ensure easy access to the garage, it is common for an entrance door to be placed in the main house into the garage; a popular place to have this is in the kitchen.

If you have already built your log cabin and want to add an extension to your home, this is a great example of how it could be achieved.

This garage is large enough for two cars.

In 2007, 63% of homes had a two car garage.

The framing feature around the garage doors adds a nice touch if you view aesthetics of a building as important as the purpose.

3. Drive-Under Garage

Many garages are built into the house, either just attached to the side of the home or built underneath the home.

Integrating your garage underneath your home can be great if you live on a graded piece of land and want to make full use of the surrounding land.

Many people who build log cabins also like to make use of the natural surrounding materials, and there is no better complementary material to logs, than stones.

Using stones to build the lower level and garage of the home is a great way to distinguish it from the rest of the house.

4. Guest House Log Cabin Garage

If you choose to design a detached garage, the next thing you will want to give your consideration to is how many floors you want.

Will it be single-story, single-story with a loft space or two stories?

If you choose a log cabin which is double story, how will you access the first floor?

Will it be through the main garage or will there be a separate door with private access upstairs?

Creating loft space in your garage means it can function as a number of things, one of the most popular being a guest house.

This multi-purpose guest house and garage has plenty of headspace inside the A-frame roof.

Some of this is created by the dormer window which also leads onto a beautiful balcony area, something you don’t usually see on garages.

5. One Car Garage

This building was actually built to function as a boat dock; however, it would also make a great small garage.

The building is a smaller replica of the main house which sits behind it and uses a mixture of stone and logs.

Perhaps the most important consideration when designing your log cabin garage is the size.

How many cars do you need to fit in, and how much additional space do you need?

This garage is a perfect size for a family with one car and few additional storage needs although it may be surprising to hear that only 7% of houses have a one-car garage.

Another design consideration for your garage is the doors.

What is the best way to make use of your available space with regard to the doors?

On this particular garage, the doors open outwards rather than sliding across or upwards.

If the doors open outwards you will not waste any of the interior space, but you need a large enough outdoor space for the doors to swing freely.

If the doors open inwards, you lose a lot of space inside your garage.

For the doors to slide open, you need to ensure the walls are long enough to do this, and you lose storage space on that wall.

Alternatively you could opt for roller or retractable garage doors which allow you to keep plenty of storage space.

6. Two Car Garage

This is a great sized cabin for up to two cars, with extra space above which could either be used for storage or to accommodate extra guests.

A two-car garage is the most common size garage and is the minimum standard in new property development.

Other considerations for your garage are how many windows you want to include. This garage has windows above each of the garage doors as well as windows on the sidewall of the cabin.

When you think of a typical garage, you probably imagine dark and windowless places; lit up only by interior lights or through natural light only when the doors are open.

Garages don’t have to be like this though; you can create a light and airy space by choosing to add windows both in the garage itself and in the loft areas.

7. Large Treble Garage

It may be surprising to hear that 17% of homes have a garage which is big enough to store three cars.

These large garages are very typical of high-end developments.

With three separate doors, the internal garage above could either be split up to allow for a room for a car and the other two for another purpose, or the whole thing could be left open to create a large car storage/workshop space.

With a garage of this size, you can double the floor space by adding a second floor, or a dormer window like in the picture above.

This could be used as a granny annex for guests or provide permanent accommodation for older teenagers or perhaps elderly parents.

8. Open Garage

Unlike any of the other garages we’ve seen in this article, this garage is split into an open and an enclosed section.

The beauty of a garage like this is it offers protection from the elements to your car, and it is very easy to access. They are also cheaper and quicker to build.

No buttons, no fobs, no manually opening doors at the end of your workday, you can simply just drive into the garage and park up.

The open area might also be referred to as a carport rather than a garage.

Summary

We’ve shown you a wide variety of different log cabin garages, from single story one-car garages, to large 3+ car garages with guest living quarters above them.

If you are thinking about building your own log cabin garage there are a few important points that you should take away from this article.

1. Consider whether you want your garage to be attached or detached?
2. Think about the purpose of your garage and how many cars you need to store?
3. How many stories do you want?
4. What kind of access door do you need?

We’d love to hear from you if you have your own log cabin garage or if you’re in the process of planning on. Drop us a comment below or get in touch with us on our contact page.