When purchasing a bespoke log cabin, one of the primary things to consider is plumbing. Access to clean, running water is a comfort, but also a necessity. There’s an added layer to your plumbing plan if you want that water to be hot. Any way you look at it, there’s work to be done and decisions to be made.
At Eurodita, in our 27 years of experience, we have produced many glulam log houses and small cabin kits. Because we also deal in bespoke log cabin projects, we have prepared these units for many solutions. In this post, we will go through some aspects of plumbing in a glulam timber house that every owner or businessman should consider.
Plumbing usage
First question that should come to your mind is: how much use will the plumbing see. This can depend on several factors. How big is your family, how long or how often will you be staying, how big is your log cabin. Will you be using your log cabin home just during summer, or will you want to stay in every season.
Answering these questions will determine how elaborate your plumbing plan should be. Also, it’s important to research weather patterns. How cold does the winter get, how warm the summer gets. Are there any extreme weather conditions that your log hut will need to go through. Geography is another important factor. How far away from any amenities is your property. Will you be able to connect to local plumbing. All in all, first step is always research. Depending on that, you can make decisions regarding your plumbing.
Outdoor plumbing
This solution fits many log cabin designs. They can be large or small, but usually outdoor plumbing is used for smaller properties. This means that your water will be coming to the inside of your log house through piping that’s attached to the outer walls. The source of water varies depending on your location, but a simple way to solve this one is collecting rainwater. Then place piping from the collection point that leads into the hut. However, this will require additional filtering of said water, so make sure you have sufficient power for a filter. This solution is relatively simple, requiring only one access point for the pipe. You will also have control over hot and cold water if you install a boiler that will heat up the water.
There are a couple challenges that this type of plumbing must overcome. One of them is the cold season. Low temperatures threaten the water inside piping to freeze. This can damage the entire plumbing system and stop you from getting water altogether. One solution is to separately insulate the piping outside your glulam log home. Keeping the water from freezing in below zero temperatures is crucial.
Another challenge to overcome is installing a good drainage system. Whatever water comes inside your hut, it must also come out. In case of outdoor plumbing, because it’s so simple, the drainage can also be equally simple – just another small hole in the wall and a drop point. However, you must make sure it’s an efficient drainage and be careful to not clog it. Since all your drainage will immediately go outside, watch out for leaves clogging the drainage, regularly remove all fodder that comes from the nature around your custom log home. The use of this system should be much lighter than a regular, urban home system.
Indoor plumbing
This type of plumbing is more elaborate and usually is installed in bigger glulam beams houses. It’s very similar to standard urban set ups and will require you to connect to the local grid. If there is an option for this type of plumbing, you should definitely go for it, even if your log cabin is small. There are clear benefits that outdoor plumbing just doesn’t offer. You won’t need to worry about winter time freeze and or additional filters. A boiler for hot water might not even be necessary in this setup, if it’s provided by the local system.
Indoor plumbing can be elaborate, however. If your cabin in a small one or you don’t plan to stay in every season, full indoor plumbing can be too big an investment. We at Eurodita do prepare all our log homes and huts for such projects, but we only recommend it if you’re looking to set up a full bespoke timber home.
Plumbing can greatly affect the comfort of your stay in your new log home. We hope that this article can help you make the best choices and elevate your log cabin experience. Good luck!