The summer months are well and truly upon us, and the lucky ones amongst the population are currently living it up in their home cabins. Unfortunately, we aren’t all that lucky. Some of us just don’t have the funds to be able to afford one, or time is against us and it’s impossible to find a person or a company to build one for us. 

There is a potential solution that may suit you, however- you could build your own. This has become more and more common in recent years, with a lot of home owners opting to scrap the tried and trusted companies and taking over the creative process themselves. Not only does this save you a fair amount of money, but it also gives you complete creative control over the full process. 

Not everyone can be an expert and coming up with the design ideas for a cabin, however, and it’s a lot more difficult than people think. What do you build different parts of it out of? Where do you put the pool table and couches? How many windows do you need? I know how hard it can be to come up with the answers to these questions- my family built our garden cabin just a few years ago. Luckily my dad is a bit of an expert with these kinds of things and he took control of it all, and I offered very little help if any at all. However, I was able to pick up on some of the design ideas he used, and that’s why I’m able to help you out. So sit back and relax as I tell you the top 5 design ideas you should use in your home built cabin. 

1. Use a classic wood colour and don’t cover it up with paint. There are a lot of different things to construct your cabin out of, with wood obviously being the most commonly used choice. However, a lot of people are opting for different kinds of materials these days. These can differ from plastics which resemble woods to substances which are very similar to wood. This is because they read a lot of things about the longevity of these materials and believe they are a better option that actual real wood. They also use these because of the range of bright colours they come in- there are a lot of bright red and blue cabins out there. I don’t agree with this kind of design, however. Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always been a big fan of a classic wooden cabin with a real golden brown colour to it. I just think it looks so much better it a garden; it fits right in with the surrounding scenery and just looks cosier. Don’t worry about adverse weather conditions ruining it either; as long as you take the proper precautions and varnish it properly it’ll last just fine. 

2. Build a small balcony area to sit out at on sunny days. Of course with warm weather you could always just sit inside and open the doors and windows. However, it’s always nice to actually sit outside on days like this and actually work on your tan (in a safe manner!). Building a small balcony that’s even a few feet in in size will open up so many avenues for you. You’ll be able to purchase deckchairs and a small table to sit at with some chilled drinks and really enjoy the summer sun. It’ll also make the cabin look really good and natural too, and will act as a natural stepping stone up into cabin. 

3. Make your windows nice and big. You can’t even start to underestimate how important the windows are for the look and feel of your cabin. If your windows are too small, barely any natural light will make it inside and it’ll feel too synthetic; I always believe part of the magic with a cabin is how natural and real it all feels. If they’re too big, it’ll look silly from both the inside and the outside and will take away from the actual presentation you’re striving to perfect. Make sure you have just the right size of windows and make the glass lovely and see through- this will let in the perfect amount of natural light and will really add to the design aspect of your cabin. 

4. Consider installing a form of sun roof. Considering you’re building the cabin yourself and have total control, this could actually be a fun piece of construction to undergo as well as a good design idea. For really sunny days where windows and having the doors fully open just won’t do the bright sunshine total justice, you could have your very own sunroof. You can dictate how big it is and could even have a cover for it. This means that on days where you don’t want to look outside and want to shelter from poor weather, you can block it out.Then on sunny days where taking advantage of the weather is your main priority, you can open it right up and expose your cabin to the heavens. It’ll add to the overall fun you’ll have in the cabin and will add an extra dimension to the overall look. 

5. Place your furniture wisely. The actual floor space inside your cabin also plays a huge part in the design of the place. If it’s littered about randomly and looks uneven, this could detract from all the hard work you’ve gone through to make the outside look the part. Place couches, chairs, cupboards and mini fridges around the outside of the indoor area, which will leave a nice space in the middle of the floor. This could then be covered with a nice rug or even a pool table or something. This means all the sitting areas are situated around this form of entertainment and everyone can enjoy it even if they aren’t playing. 

If you’re looking for more information about building your own cabin at home, check out Riverwood Home Built Cabins for more help.