Holiday Winter Cabin: Basic Structure and Logs

Since I have no supplies because of a big move, I had to first go to the store to begin replenishing. This means buying the basics including Xacto knives, glue, paintbrushes, etc. I forgot how much I love craft stores and how inspiring they can be. I also forgot how expensive everything can be, but that’s to be expected since I’m starting from scratch.

I bought everything I thought I needed to at least make the basic structure with logs. First, since I forgot to print out the template, I traced it onto paper and then used that to cut out my foam core. All of the pieces looked nice and I did a dry fit to make sure they were all the right size. I figured it would be easiest to lay the logs before assembling the house. I also thought I could cut out the windows and doors after placing the whole logs. I was wrong on both counts.

Trying to cut out the windows with my little knife was impossible. It might have been easier with a stronger blade, but the wood dowels I bought for the logs was thicker that I thought. This meant taking off the glued pieces of log that needed to be refit and recut to allow windows and doors.

Once assembling the house, I noticed that because I had to go back and refit some of the logs, the interlocking pattern I wanted for the corners was completely off. Luckily this is supposed to be a very rustic and old cabin, so having the logs be out of place makes sense. But I would recommend gluing the logs after the house is assembled.

A lot of the sides and corners of the cabin will have moss on them, so I filled in some of those corner gaps with wood glue to create a surface that I can eventually add moss onto. It will also help fill in some of those seams after it’s sanded and shaped a bit.

Progress is going well, but I’m already in need of more supplies, so off to the store I go.