Preparation

• 1). Clear the location of your log cabin and remove any bushes or tree stumps to expose the ground underneath. Plan for your window to face north or south for an even, continuous light source throughout the day.
  
  
• 2). Dig 2 1/2-foot holes at each of the four corners of your cabin site. Put 10-foot logs in each hole and fill the holes with concrete.
  
  
• 3). Shape the four logs largest in diameter with an adze to make them flat. These logs should be at least 12 inches wide. Two should be 10 feet in length and two should be six feet in length.
  
  
• 4). Create four notches along the sides of the two longer logs you have flattened. Measure four thin logs six feet long to run across the notched logs. These thin logs will be floor joists to support 1-by-4-inch floor planks.
  
  
• 5). Use an axe to carve notches in each log you will use for the two shorter walls. Measure the notches against the logs you will use in the longer walls so they fit when layered together. Keep in mind that wall logs should decrease in diameter from the base of the wall to the ceiling.
  
  
• 6). Put four notches in the thinnest, uppermost logs for ceiling beams. Use the same method for ceiling beam notches as you used for floor joist notches. When you build the walls, your ceiling beams can support a second level of floor planks for a loft-style bedroom.
  
  

Building

• 1). Use ropes to lift each log into its place in the walls. Reduce the logs' weight with ramps made from other logs leaned against the wall you are building. Depending on the size of the log, another person may need to help with this step.
  
  
• 2). Leave space for a door in one wall and a window in another wall by building each wall in two separate sections. Nail 1-by-4-inch planks into the openings for door and window jambs. The size of the openings should measure approximately 2 1/2-by-6 feet for the door and 2-by-2 feet for the window.
  
  
• 3). Lay slender logs descending in length on the short walls to create gables for the roof. Attach a log to the uppermost points of the gables to create a support beam or roof purlin.
  
  
• 4). Cover the roof with a vertical layer of slender logs nailed to the purlin and ceiling support logs. Leave an opening for the vent of a wood-burning oven. Cover the layer of vertical logs with a horizontal layer.
  
  
• 5). Use self-tapping wood screws to attach the door hinges and window to their respective jambs. Attach the door to its hinges.