13 Low-cost Log Cabin Kits

For years, you’ve dreamed of owning your own log cabin, a private sanctuary somewhere in the heart of nature where you can escape the hustle and bustle of the daily grind and truly unwind.

Maybe you’ve been thinking of embracing the rustic charm of a log home cabin for your family’s vacation home, or adding a cabin to your property as a place to work in peace and solitude.

Whatever your dream may be, if the apparent costs and complications of building your own log home cabin have kept you from realizing it, then we’ve got some good news for you:

Using any one of the low-cost log cabin kits we’re about to look at today, you can finally make that dream a reality without breaking the bank.

What’s more, while assembling log cabin kits still definitely takes some work, it’s nowhere near as arduous a process as it would be if you had to start your log cabin homes from scratch.

Today, we’ll share with you our pick of the 13 very best low-cost cabin kits that money can buy, as well as explaining everything you could possibly need to know to help you pick the perfect kit for your log home.

Whether it’s a remote getaway like this one or a guesthouse extension to your home, with a low-cost log cabin kit, you can create a space that is uniquely yours.

What is a Low-Cost Log Cabin Kit?

Log cabin kits are an ideal solution for anyone who wants to enjoy the experience of building their own log home without having to fell their own logs or spend years in carpentry school first.

At a bare minimum, a log cabin kit should provide all the logs, beams, and landscaping timbers you’ll need to create your log home, along with fixings, fasteners and the blueprints or cabin plans to help you put the whole thing together. Easy to understand cabin plans are essential if you are doing it yourself.

Today, we’ll be looking at the kind of log cabin kits you can buy on a modest budget, but before we do that, we figured it’s important to look a little deeper at the average price of log cabin kits.

After all, though the options we’re looking at today may be at the bottom end of the price scale, they’re still not exactly cheap.

So, in order to put our low-cost log cabin kits into perspective, here’s what you need to know about the costs of log homes.

How Much do Log Cabin Kits Cost?

Log cabin size matters: A large-scale log home like this one could easily cost over $200,000, but many smaller, lower-cost log cabin kits are available. 

The cost of a log cabin can vary greatly, ranging from under $10,000 to in excess of $200,000 and counting.

How much you’ll ultimately end up paying for your cabin largely depends on three key factors:

Size

As the old saying goes, size matters.

Log cabin kits are often priced per square foot, so if you’ve got grand ideas of a large-scale log home similar to the one in our picture above, then you’ll naturally end up paying a lot more than you would if you decide to jump on board with the tiny house movement.

Do it Yourself vs. Outside Help

Another important factor to consider is how you’re actually going to turn that log cabin kit from a bunch of assorted logs into a beautiful log home.

If you’ve got the cash to play with, bringing in a contractor to carry out the construction for you will make the whole process much quicker and much, much easier.

However, it will also make it much more expensive. So, if you’re really serious about keeping costs as low as possible, you’d be better off going it alone and taking the DIY approach with decent cabin plans.

That is, of course, unless you can find a few buddies to help you who won’t mind accepting a few cold ones as payment once the work is done.

Where to Find Professionals

If you want to get professional help instead, use this resource to help you find the best qualified professionals in your area:

• Custom Home Builder

Types of Log Cabin Kits

Turnkey log cabin kits include many of the interior finishings, whereas shells and dry-ins typically don’t. 

The third, and perhaps most important factor to consider is the type of log cabin kit you buy.

All in all, there are three different types of log cabin kits to consider:

• Shell only
• Dry-in
• Turnkey.

Each type comes with a different amount of components, so depending on the version you buy, you may have to factor in additional costs besides that of the log cabin kits.

Shell-Only Log Cabins

Shell only log cabin kits are your basic, entry-level option for log homes that includes only the bare outer shell of your cabin. The cabin plans for this will be relatively simple.

That means that while the log cabin kits contain all the timbers, beams and logs, the log cabin kits do not include things like windows, doors, and roofs, and it certainly doesn’t include interior items like wooden furniture.

As you can imagine, this means that your average shell only log cabin kit has the cheapest off-the-shelf price of any type of log cabin kit. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that you’ll then have to pay extra for all the other essentials and that can push the price up pretty dramatically.

With that in mind, shell-only log cabin kits make sense if you’re confident that you can get a good deal on sourcing other materials for your windows and doors. Otherwise, paying extra for dry-in or turnkey log cabin kits might actually end up saving you money in the long-run.

Dry-In Log Cabins

A popular option for many first-time log cabin owners, dry-in log cabin kits are a natural upgrade from the shell-only option.

With this kind of package, you get the complete log shell along with the windows, roof, doors and floors.

Altogether, this might cost you anywhere between $20 – $50 more per square foot than you’d pay for shell-only log cabin kits. Yet when you consider the cost of buying those exterior finishes separately, you might end up getting a better deal by going dry-in. The cabin plans for this will include more detailed instructions versus the shell-only log cabins.

Turnkey Log Cabins

At the top end of the scale, we have turn-key log cabin kits. This includes everything you’d get with your dry-in package, plus everything you’d need for the inside of your cabin. The cabin plans for this will be quite involved.

Fixtures, fittings, and decor typically come as standard, though obviously, you do have some flexibility in terms of deciding how your new home-away-from-home is going to look once it’s all done.

In our research, most turnkey kits for log homes cost between $120 – $200 per square foot.

Again, while that seems expensive, it may actually prove to be a more budget-friendly option if you were only going to spend thousands of extra dollars kitting out the interior of your new cabin.

13 Low-Cost Log Cabin Kits

Always dreamed of owning a cabin just like this one? Build your own with one of these 13 log cabin kits. 

By now, you likely have some idea in mind of which type of log cabin kit for log homes is going to work best for you.

For some of you, it might be that going all-in with a turnkey solution provides the best value for money, whereas others may be able to get by just fine with a shell-only option.

To ensure we don’t leave anybody out, we’ve considered all three options when putting together this list of our favorite 13 low-cost log cabin kits for log homes.

1: BZB Sunset Log Cabin Kit

The BZB Sunset Model may be the best budget-friendly log cabin we’ve come across.

A dry-in solution, the log cabin kit comes with enough premium quality Nordic Spruce logs to build a one-room, 162 square foot log cabin, as well as doors, floor, window and ceiling boards.

While it may not be the biggest log cabin kit we’ll look at today, the BZB sunset makes an ideal summer house, artist studio, or garden cabin.

Our favorite aspect of this whole log cabin kit is at the front of the cabin, where the floor and roof extend to create a gorgeous shaded decking area, making it the perfect place to sit back, relax and admire your beautiful garden on a summer’s day.

2: Coventry Log Homes Getaway Cabin

If your idea of a perfect weekend is escaping to the lake for a spot of fishing, the Coventry Getaway Cabin will make a great place to call home on your trip.

Speaking of smaller models, Coventry Log Homes specialize in creating one-room log cabin kits and offer a variety of beautiful designs whose aesthetic charm are equaled only by their strength and durability.

Of all the kits that the company offers, it’s the Getaway that earns our pick as one of the best low-budget log cabin kits on the market.

Coventry Log Homes pitch this 192 square foot model as a quality recreational cabin and we have to agree that this would make a fantastic home base for a fishing or hunting trip.

Inside, there’s plenty of space for beds, tables, and other furniture, with cleverly designed storage space to keep all your equipment on a weekend retreat.

On the outside, we love the charming design of the covered porch, a feature that helps make the Getaway one of the best-looking cabin kits for log homes we’ve seen.

Cost-wise, Coventry offers several options, ranging from a basic log package at $14,000, all the way up to a complete turnkey package that will set you back between $23,000 to $26,000 depending on the size of logs you buy.

3: Jamaica Cottage Shop Timber Frame Post and Beam Vermont Cottage

Admittedly, classing this striking 320 square-foot timber cottage as a log cabin may be a bit of a stretch.

In place of actual logs, it comes with a post and beam frame made from rough sawn hemlock and Eastern White pine, as well as corrugated metal roofing.

Those technicalities aside, this modern Vermont cottage looks and feels very much like a log cabin.

In fact, in some ways, it’s even better than some of the standard log cabin kits we’ve featured here.

It may not be the cheapest log cabin kit around, but this is a complete turnkey option which, along with the aforementioned lumber and roofing, also includes a two-inch thick pine door with built-in window, barn sash windows and, of course, all the necessary fastening hardware.

There’s more too.

On the outside, this attractive cottage boasts a rustic-look covered porch, while inside there’s a loft and loft ladder that makes a great bedroom or place for storage.

Overall, the whole package represents exceptional value for money and though not strictly a log cabin in the technical sense, it is still very much worth considering as an option for a tiny home, vacation property, or simply as a stunning addition to your garden.

4: eLogHomes Elkin Silver Package

The Elkin log cabin kit comes with plenty of space to create a comfortable bedroom and is designed to meet residential codes, making it ideal if you’re buying a log cabin as a place to live.

Retailing for over $20,000, the 320 square-foot Elkin model from eLogHomes may be at the pricier end of the low-budget scale, but there’s so much to like about it that it would be criminal not to include it here.

The cabin’s exterior manages to combine the kind of traditional rustic quality you’d expect from a log cabin with a sense of modern style.

Together, these two styles create a look a look that is at once cute, homely and enchanting, though as we all know, it’s what’s on the inside that really counts.

Fortunately, the Elkin delivers there, too.

A spacious living and dining area leads into a small kitchen, with a comfortably-sized bedroom and bathroom attached.

Having said all that, the one thing we like best about the Elkin actually has nothing to do with any of its features. No, our favorite part is that all eLog Cabin models are designed to comply with the 2015 International Residential Code.

Not every log cabin you come across is designed in this way, which means that while they may make a nice little summer house or fishing hut, they’re not a viable option for long-term residence.

With that in mind, if you’re looking to build your own log cabin as a place to call home, then you’d definitely benefit from at least considering the Elkin or one of the other eLog Cabins models featured in our guide.

5: Allwood Dreamcatcher Cabin

We love Allwood cabins so much that we’ve featured no less than three of their log cabin kits in today’s guide.

When you take a look at the quality, the aesthetic charm and, of course, the price, we’re sure you’ll understand why we’re such big fans of this particular brand.

A complete dry-in solution, this log cabin kit is built from solid Norway Spruce and comes with attractive french doors and windows that help give it a friendly, inviting appearance.

Though you might struggle to make this work as a tiny home, the Dreamcatcher does work perfectly well as a family guest house, home studio, or simply a place to rest and recharge while working on your garden.

All that aside, our favorite part of this model is just how easy it is to assemble. Whereas some log cabin kits and packages will take you the better part of three or four days to finish, two adults should be able to put the Dreamcatcher together in under 11 hours.

So, you want all the convenience of a log cabin with none of the inconvenience of actually building it, this may be a top contender.

6: Battle Creek Log Homes Heavy Timber Dry-In Package

Battlecreek cabins are built from premium Eastern White Pine – chosen for its energy efficiency and long-lasting durabilty

Tennessee-based Battle Creek Log Homes have been creating quality log cabins for years. In that time, they’ve managed to develop and fine-tune a winning formula for safe, solid cabins that are designed to stand both the test of time and the elements.

As with all their models, their standard heavy timber dry-in package is constructed from premium Eastern White Pine, chosen for its energy efficiency, stability, and shrink-resistance.

Meanwhile, structural integrity is maintained thanks to TPI-Graded Wall Log 40 Logs, with a double seal system providing the added peace of mind that comes from knowing your cabin is built to last.

While this commitment to top-grade materials is commendable, it isn’t the only thing that BattleCreek Log Homes have going for them.

The company offers a range of different designs and floor plans that are as delightful and practical as anything we’ve looked at here today.

Designed in accordance with residential codes, many of their designs come with built-in stairs and an extra floor, making them a good long-term investment for a family home.

7: Allwood Ranger Cabin

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Didn’t we tell you Allwood would make a reappearance on this list?

This time, the company present their impressively sized 259 square foot Ranger log cabin kit that comes with a 168 square foot loft and one of the more unique-looking log cabins we’ve found so far.

Inspired by Scandinavian cabin design, the Ranger is built from slow-grown Nordic Spruce and comes with roof construction materials, a pre-hung and glazed door and windows, as well as all fixings and fastenings, a door lock, and other essential details.

Though you might want to stain the exterior of the cabin to create a more appealing finish, you don’t need to paint the interior as it comes pre-treated and looks good just as it is.

All of this comes in at just under $20,000. While there are certainly cheaper log cabin kits and packages out there, that price tag does get you a truly beautiful cabin with two spacious floors that would prove to be a great choice for a vacation home, weekend retreat, or family guest house.

8: Jamaica Cottage Shop Vermont Cottage with Loft Kit

Yes, Jamaica Cottage Shop are back with another one of their wonderful timber frame post and beam Vermont cottages.

If you liked the idea of the earlier cottage we looked at but weren’t quite smitten with the design, this may be worth a look.

A variation on a theme, the A-model boasts a different design than the previous cottage, making it much more in keeping with the kind of traditional look you might expect to find if you stumbled across this cabin out in the middle of the woods.

Naturally, we mean that as a compliment. The whole design of this cottage is incredibly alluring, but, as always, there’s more to this than just the design.

Inside, you get the same 320 square feet of space as the previous model for at least a thousand dollars less, with corrugated metal roofing, windows, and a single pine door, along with all necessary fastening hardware included as standard.

The kit for log homes is built from rough sawn, true-dimensional lumber to ensure it can withstand the harshest of weather for years to come, while the post-and-beam construction means that the whole thing should take two adults no more than a weekend to put together.

9: Merrimac Ayers Pond Model Kit

Merrimac’s smallest log cabin kit is inspired by the beautiful surroundings of Ayers Pond in New Hampshire

At 1,026 square feet, this lovely Ayers Pond model is the largest log cabin kit that we’ll feature today, but it’s also the smallest one offered by its designers, Merrimac Log Homes.

The New Hampshire based company offers several beguiling designs inspired by the natural beauty of their home state, but it’s this one, named after the haven of tranquility known as Ayers Pond, that proves to be their most affordable option.

Prices range from just $13,000 for the shell-only option, all the way to $30,000+ for the complete turnkey package, with a dry-in option in between setting you back a little under $25,000.

Most of the first floor is taken up by a large living room and dining area, with a small kitchen, bathroom, and comfortably sized bedroom to the rear of the property.

There’s also a loft area that can be utilized as a second bedroom and which comprises its own dedicated storage space.

A stunning vacation property, the Ayers Pond model is surrounded by a large porch which is perfect for whiling away the hours surrounded by nature and wildlife at its most resplendent best.

10: Allwood Estelle 5

OK, we promise this is the last Allwood cabin we’ll feature, though we’re sure that when you see how gorgeous it is -and how little it costs- you’ll be glad we decided to include it.

The Estelle 5 boasts 157 square feet of cabin space with two interior sections.

The larger section is 106 square feet, making it a great choice for a summer room, home office or studio. The smaller section measures 51 square feet and is primarily designed for storage, though you could always get creative and convert it into a bathroom or a small place to take a nap.

Though the Estelle 5’s small stature does rule it out as a residential option, this charming cabin would make a wonderful addition to any garden space, especially when you consider the very agreeable price tag.

11: Conestoga Durango Log Cabin

If you’ve always dreamed of owning a hunting cabin like this one, the Conestoga Durango Log Cabin may be just what you’re looking for.

Conestoga pitch this handsome, 232 square foot log cabin kit as a hunting cabin, with a generously spacious living area, covered porch, and a small-yet-comfortable private bathroom including shower, basin, and toilet.

A complete turnkey solution, the Durango kit includes two beds and mattresses which fit snugly along with a small table and other essentials.

Throughout the cabin, Conestoga have captured the spirit of the old wild west, with saloon-style porch balconies and a magnificent design that manages to blend good, old-fashioned ruggedness with contemporary charm.

Combined, this will cost you the better part of $20,000 though if you need a little more space for a kitchenette or an extra bedroom then you might want to consider upgrading to a higher-priced log home model.

Take a virtual tour of the Conesta Durango hunting cabin

12: eLogHomes Pawnee

Warm, cosy interiors like this one are what make Pawnee log cabin kits and packages so special. 

Built for the tiny home enthusiast, this adorable cabin measures 414 square feet and comprises two-floor, both of which have been cleverly designed to make maximum use of the space.

On the first floor, you’ll find a warm and cosy living area, a large dining area, kitchen, bath, and small sleeping nook with ample room for two sets of bunk beds.

Meanwhile, up in the loft, there’s all the space you need to create a proper master bedroom.

While the number of rooms immediately makes the Pawnee cabin kit an attractive option, it’s the style and attention to detail of the interior that really made us fall in love with it.

There’s a certain warmth and coziness about it that makes you feel right at home the moment you step inside the log home.

13: Alaska Edition Log Cabins – The Trapper

Need a place where you can be completely off-grid and enjoy being out in the heart of nature? The Trapper may be just the thing

Finally, we come to the Alaska Edition series from Log Cabin Homes, whose log cabin kits and packages all have names that conjure up romantic imagery of remote wilderness and of spending time deep in the heart of nature.

You could choose from models like The Grizzly, Kodiak, or The Yukon, but there’s a couple of reasons why we prefer The Trapper.

For one thing, there’s that name, which is entirely fitting for what is essentially a hunting cabin.

Then there’s the design.

The Trapper manages to be bold and rugged while at the same time having a quaint, traditional look about it, as though it’s the kind of cabin specifically designed to be placed deep in the middle of nowhere for those times when you really just want to get off-grid for a few days.

At 144 square feet, this one-room cabin may not be the biggest on our list of log homes, but if you’re looking for something with a back-to-basics feel to it, then it’s definitely worth a look.

Low-Cost Log Cabins – Our Final Thoughts

If there’s one thing we want you to take away from today’s log home guide, it’s this:

The definition of a low-cost log cabin is going to be largely dependent on what you’re planning to use that cabin for.

As you’ll see, we’ve included as many quality options for under $10,000 as we could find, though it’s worth keeping in mind that these are generally only suitable as an addition to your existing property, perhaps as a summer house or home studio.

If you’re getting into the tiny home movement or are in the market for a decent-sized vacation log home, you should expect to pay a lot more which is why we’ve also included options that run between $20,000 – $30,0000. While that may not be a small amount of money by anyone’s standards when you consider that many larger log cabin kits can run into the hundreds of thousands, we’re confident that even the most expensive log kits featured in this guide represent fantastic value for your money.