Mobile log homes and fixed log cabins compared
A mobile log home and a fixed (static) log cabin can come from the same factory and still follow two different routes in law. Which rules apply depends less on the material of the building than on what is done with it, where it stands, and whether it is a building or a caravan in law. Eurodita, a timber building manufacturer in Lithuania, manufacturing timber buildings since 1994, makes both.
This page compares the two for dealers, park operators and private buyers of a larger home. The legal part follows the page on planning permission for holiday log cabins, which summarises the position in England as at September 2026 and is not legal advice. Eurodita manufactures timber kits and does not obtain consents; nothing here claims that any product needs no permission.
At a glance
When is a log home a caravan in law in England?
Under section 29 of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 a caravan is any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another, excluding tents. Section 13 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 extends this to a twin-unit structure of not more than two sections, assembled on site by bolts, clamps or other devices, provided it is physically capable of being moved by road when assembled and does not exceed 20 m in length, 6.8 m in width and 3.05 m in internal height. A structure outside that envelope falls outside the caravan-route assumption and is checked as a building-route project with the local planning authority and a building control adviser.
Where a project calls for it, Eurodita can design and manufacture a mobile log home within the dimension limits of section 13(2) of the Caravan Sites Act 1968; the 7 m wide catalogue models exceed the 6.8 m width. This is a manufacturing brief, not a certification or legal classification claim: whether a specific unit qualifies as a caravan is confirmed by the buyer and their advisers.
What does each route ask of the site?
The caravan route does not remove planning control; it moves the question from the cabin to the land, which must hold permission as a caravan site before a licence can be issued. Local authority guidance commonly treats the caravan unit itself as controlled through site licensing rather than the building regulations, but bases, services, drainage, amenity buildings and any non-caravan structure still need separate checking.
A building-regulations project needs foundations, insulation and services approved through a local authority or registered building control approver. On either route, foundations, utilities and approvals stay with the buyer's local team. Installation is agreed per project, and turnkey delivery is not part of the standard supply.
Mobile log home and fixed log cabin compared
The mobile log homes run from a 1 bedroom unit of 8 x 5 m to 4 bedroom units of about 20 x 7 m, all in external sizes. Eurodita residential log cabins are single and two-storey timber house kits with one to four bedrooms; glulam log houses are built single storey or two storey.
| Point | Mobile log home | Fixed log cabin or house |
|---|---|---|
| Route in law | Caravan route only where the unit is inside the 1968 Act envelope, as confirmed by the buyer and their advisers; otherwise building route | Building route, with the local planning authority and building control |
| Storeys | Single storey | Single or two storey |
| Walls | Glulam, catalogued in 88 mm | Solid log, twin-skin or glulam |
| Supply form | Kit, or a factory-assembled transportable module where the project allows | Flat-packed kit |
| Site side | Base, utilities, site licence and planning stay with the buyer's local team | Foundations, utilities and approvals stay with the buyer's local team |
Which walls are used, and how does the building arrive?
The mobile range is catalogued in an 88 mm glulam wall profile, and a glulam model can be made in any glulam profile from 70 x 130 mm to 220 x 260 mm; the profiles are set out on the page wall profiles. The residential range is catalogued in solid 44, 58 or 70 mm wall logs or in twin-skin cavity build-ups; a twin-skin wall is two solid log skins with a cavity for insulation.
On either route the structure can be prepared for insulation sourced locally. Preliminary U-values are published for the timber wall element alone, none for a finished wall or building and none for a twin-skin wall. They are not a figure for a finished building and not a compliance result.
A Eurodita kit ships flat packed. A mobile glulam home can be supplied as a factory-assembled transportable module where the project allows, otherwise as a kit, confirmed per project.
Who can buy, and how is an order quoted?
Mobile log homes are bought by holiday parks, glamping sites and dealers selling under their own name, and by private buyers planning a larger annexe, with each project assessed on its own terms. Eurodita mainly supplies trade partners; larger homes can also be quoted directly to private clients. For standard models, the supply route is confirmed project by project.
Every order is quoted in writing, in EUR, excluding VAT and delivery, EXW Eurodita factory by default; there is no price list and no published lead time.
For trade buyers: quotations, drawings and documentation can carry the partner's brand, as agreed per order. Park buyers will find a tender checklist in the holiday park lodge procurement guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is a mobile log home a caravan in law in England?
Section 13 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968 extends the caravan definition to a twin-unit structure of not more than two sections, assembled on site by bolts, clamps or other devices, provided it is physically capable of being moved by road when assembled and does not exceed 20 m in length, 6.8 m in width and 3.05 m in internal height. Where a project calls for it, Eurodita can design and manufacture a mobile log home within the dimension limits of section 13(2) of that Act; the 7 m wide catalogue models exceed the 6.8 m width. This is a manufacturing brief, not a certification or legal classification claim: whether a specific unit qualifies as a caravan is confirmed by the buyer and their advisers.
Does a mobile log home need planning permission in England?
A lodge that is a caravan in law still needs the land to hold planning permission for use as a caravan site before a site licence can be issued. A structure outside the caravan envelope is checked as a building-route project with the local planning authority and a building control adviser. Eurodita manufactures timber kits and does not obtain consents; nothing here claims that any product needs no permission.
What is the difference between a mobile log home and a fixed log cabin?
A Eurodita mobile log home is a single-storey glulam log home built to a mobile-home brief, in 25 catalogue models from 8 x 5 m to about 20 x 7 m external. Eurodita residential log cabins are single and two-storey timber house kits with one to four bedrooms, in solid, twin-skin or glulam walls. Which rules apply depends less on the material of the building than on what is done with it, where it stands, and whether it is a building or a caravan in law.
Does a mobile log home arrive assembled?
That is confirmed per project. A mobile glulam home can be supplied as a factory-assembled transportable module where the project allows, otherwise as a kit. Eurodita kits ship flat packed.
Does Eurodita install the building or deliver it turnkey?
Installation is agreed per project. Turnkey delivery is not part of the standard supply. Foundations, utilities and approvals stay with the buyer's local team.
Who can buy a mobile log home or a log cabin from Eurodita?
Mobile log homes are bought by holiday parks, glamping sites and dealers selling under their own name, and by private buyers planning a larger annexe, with each project assessed on its own terms. Eurodita mainly supplies trade partners; larger homes can also be quoted directly to private clients. Every order is quoted in writing, in EUR, excluding VAT and delivery, EXW Eurodita factory by default; there is no price list and no published lead time.
How does a buyer start?
Settle the route with the planning authority first, then send Eurodita the points below through the contact form. Eurodita replies with a written assessment and, where the project fits, a written quotation with drawings.
- The route, caravan or building, and the planning status of the site.
- The bedroom count and external footprint, or the catalogue model under consideration.
- How the building will be used, where it will stand, and the wall profile if already chosen.
- Whether a dealer will hold the order and whether documentation should carry the dealer's brand.