Wooden Log Cabin Layout

Stuart1986 · May 20, 2022

Hi all
We ordered ourselves a large log cabin to go into our garden 18 months ago, and it was finally time to have it all built in our garden, everything was arranged for an electrician to come.

The electrician came few weeks prior and fitted all the armored cable from our fuse box to the cabin prior to the base going down. it was arranged that the wiring would be put it during the build so the wiring could be put between the double skin wall so all the wires are hidden unfortunately the electrician had an unfortunate accident breaking his leg and had to cancel at last minute.

Unfortunately as the build was booked in for the next day the work couldn't be cancelled and if it was could be another 12 months before they could get us in... not their fault I know. anyway I have since had another electrician come and he said the only real option is to run the wiring on the inside of the cabin but on the surface of the wall which I think would look horrendous as we are having 2x double sockets on every wall and also two sets of ceiling lights.

just wondered is this true?

pc1966 · May 20, 2022

I guess it would depend on the construction of the wall, in particular if it is filled with insulating material that would make it difficult to feed any cables through, and if it is easy to tell where cable routes could be made.

Do you have any information on the walls, or any photos taken during the construction showing it being put together?

It is also possible it is a lazy offer, in which case you might as well get a 2nd electrician's opinion before deciding.

Surface wiring methods are always going to be visible which is usually undesirable. However, some folks make a feature of it, for example using galvanised conduit and metal style sockets for the steam-punk look.

Bare copper MICC cable (as originally used for industrial plants and fire alarms) can also look good and is quite thin for its rating, but expensive and again only for certain aesthetics. It has been used on old buildings like churches as it looks "old world" even though in reality it is centuries younger than the building.

The white plastic used for offices is OK for work environments but not likely to fit with a recreational area, but you could also consider getting a jointer to make a wooden trunking arrangement if that blends better and hidden wiring really is impractical.

Stuart1986 · May 20, 2022

I know it's a pain and yes it's insulated with foam sheets, could they not drill all the way through put the cable on the outside and either use conduit to protect the wires or armoured cable and fix it around?

SJD · May 20, 2022

I inspected a cabin recently that had all the sockets & lighting wired in external conduit. It looked OK inside but really naff outside because the conduit was not secured in enough places, and had expanded in the heat and buckled. So various sections of conduit were half hanging off, with large bulges here and there. The conduit was also white, except by now it was quite dirty.

So yes, it is possible, but needs doing with some care, enough fixings for the conduit, consideration that the conduit will expand.

SWA could be used instead, but needs glanding at the junctions, not just poking the cable into the socket mounting box, and all that takes time (and knowledge that some don't have).

OnlQQker · May 20, 2022

You could do a pine cladding upstand say 900mm high around the walls. Finish the tops with a bit of 50mm pine D trim or similar. The small shelf created comes in quite handy!
I did something similar in the log cabin I built here but used old pallets on some of the inner walls.
If you can get old pallets (from builders merchants who are happy to give them away) then I pulled all the wood off, cut this into 250mm lengths and did the walls in herringbone, ripping down the trim sat on the top from the pallet wood itself!
Extremely cheap to do and affective. And creates the void you need without destroying anything.

pc1966 · May 20, 2022

SJD said:
SWA could be used instead, but needs glanding at the junctions, not just poking the cable into the socket mounting box, and all that takes time (and knowledge that some don't have).

Flexishield is neat for such jobs, UV and fairly rodent-proof, and can be used with east IP68 style plastic glands.

littlespark · May 21, 2022

A good joiner could maybe deconstruct the inner skin, allowing access for running cables… if it’s plain wood or something… not finished plaster for example…

A really good joiner could then reinstate the walls.

If wired outside in hituff or something not so “armoured” then it could be clipped low, and only come up to socket height where needed.
Hide it with some potted plants.

freddo · May 23, 2022

We wired a large log cabin in bare MICC and it looked good, the cable being easy to dress around the full size logs used in the construction. The bright copper will dull down to a very similar colour to wood. The cable and fittings are sadly quite expensive.