Cabin life is all about immersing yourself in your surroundings while enjoying the comforts of home. Personalizing your cabin can help you and your family enjoy your new home to the fullest.

If you plan to build a log cabin off the beaten track, certain upgrades and additions can make your home more self-sufficient. That means fewer trips into town to load up on supplies.

Keep reading for seven log home addition ideas to make your home more functional and beautiful. Some additions are best done during initial construction, while others can be added later. We’ll indicate the optimal timing for each addition.

1: Install a deck.

Adding a deck or porch is one of the easiest and most cost-efficient ways to add hundreds of square feet of living space to your home. This additional space is especially useful for vacation cabins with small interiors.

A deck provides a versatile area for al fresco dining, socializing, or simply enjoying the outdoors. A well-designed deck also gives your cabin a more finished appearance and improves its aesthetic appeal, which may increase the property value of your home.

Best time to install: During initial construction for best value. However, decks and porches are relatively easy additions to existing structures.

2: Build a fire pit.

There’s just something about the warm glow of a fire that brings people together. Roast marshmallows with the kids, hang out with the guys, or snuggle up with your sweetheart around an outdoor fire pit. This relatively inexpensive addition provides a great excuse to throw a party.

Fire safety is of paramount importance, so find a flat spot for your outdoor fire pit that’s far away from overhanging branches, structures, or shrubs. Follow local codes for building a fire pit, which usually involves digging a pit at least 12 inches deep lined with gravel for drainage.

Best time to install: During or after initial construction.

3: Install energy-efficient lighting.

Replacing outdated lighting is a quick and easy project anyone can do, especially if you don’t need to swap out lighting fixtures. LED lights use much less energy and have a much longer lifespan than old-school incandescents.

If you’re worried about your house being lit up like a hardware store with ultra-bright LEDs, there’s good news. Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, as they’re commonly known, have improved hugely in the aesthetics department in recent years.

Today you can find them in a range of colors and brightness levels, from bright white to warm yellow. So, you don’t have to give up that warm glow you know and love.

Best time to install: During or after initial construction. However, if you have specific lighting fixtures in mind, it’s best to install them during initial construction.

4: Build a garage.

Adding a garage to your home provides secure storage for vehicles, tools, and other belongings, protecting them from theft and the elements. If you get snow in the winter, a garage will provide easy access to your vehicles in winter without the need to scrape ice or endure extreme temperatures.

Beyond vehicle storage, a garage is a multi-purpose space that can serve as a home gym, workshop, hobby space, or music room. Many garages today are even finished and heated. It pays to invest in a garage, which will likely only increase your property value if you decide to sell your cabin in the future.

Best time to install: During initial construction. However, an attached or detached garage can be added later if there’s room on the property.

5: Install a smart home system.

Log cabin living doesn’t have to mean giving up modern conveniences. Smart home systems make it easy to manage lighting, temperature, appliances, and security systems from your smartphone or other connected devices.

A smart thermostat can learn your preferences and adjust the temperature accordingly, reducing your utility bills, while a smart lighting system can turn lights on and off based on your schedule.  Smart locks provide keyless entry and let you remotely lock or unlock doors, while smart refrigerators send shopping reminders. It’s all part of modern cabin living.

Best time to install: During initial construction for a fully integrated system. Smart systems and appliances can be installed after construction, but you may need several different apps.

6: Set up a rainwater collection system.

If you’re planning to live off grid in a remote location or just want to use water more wisely, a rainwater collection system is a great project for DIYers.

A rainwater system can be as simple as a few barrels collecting rainwater runoff from your roof or as elaborate as an irrigation system that waters a large food garden or supports an aquaculture (fish farming) system. You can also use the water for drinking with the right filtration system. Installing a rainwater catchment system is a simple step towards sustaining living at your log cabin.

Best time to install: During or after initial construction.

7: Build an outdoor kitchen.

An outdoor kitchen is ideal if you love to cook or barbecue. It expands your living space beyond the confines of your home, allowing you to enjoy cooking and dining al fresco when the weather’s fine. An outdoor kitchen also creates a spot for socializing. Guests can gather around the kitchen and interact with the chef.

You don’t necessarily need to make structural changes (like building a permanent grill into a masonry structure) to create an outdoor kitchen. A portable grill, pizza oven, and sous chef island table on wheels can serve as your base, finished with a seating area for guests.

Best time to install: During initial construction for permanent structures. However, an outdoor kitchen can be added anytime.

Build Your Dream Log Cabin with eLoghomes

eLoghomes is here to help you build your dream log home. Our log home kits streamline the home-building process, cutting out the time-consuming and costly step of hiring an architect.

Our energy-efficient log cabin models have already been expertly engineered and designed by professional architects, yet each one is fully customizable. We offer a variety of upgrades and additions, from decks and porches to garages and handcrafted accents.

Search our portfolio to find your perfect floor plan, then contact us for log cabin pricing.