Editing Log cabin (section)

===Europe===
Construction with logs was described by Roman architect [[Vitruvius Pollio]] in his architectural treatise ''[[De Architectura]]''. He noted that in [[Pontus (region)|Pontus]] in present-day northeastern [[Turkey]], dwellings were constructed by laying logs horizontally overtop of each other and filling in the gaps with "chips and mud".<ref name="De Architectura">{{cite book|last=Pollio|first=Vitruvius|title=Ten Books on Architecture|year=1914|publisher=Harvard University Press|page=39|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20239/20239-h/29239-h.htm#Page_42}}</ref>

Log cabin construction has its roots in [[Scandinavia]] and [[Eastern Europe]]. Although their precise origin is uncertain, the first log structures were probably being built in [[Northern Europe]] by the [[Bronze Age]] around 3500 BC. C. A. Weslager describes Europeans as having: 

{{blockquote|The Finns were accomplished in building several forms of log housing, having different methods of corner timbering, and they utilized both round and hewn logs. Their log building had undergone an evolutionary process from the crude "pirtti"... a small gabled-roof cabin of round logs with an opening in the roof to vent smoke, to more sophisticated squared logs with interlocking double-notch joints, the timber extending beyond the corners. Log saunas or bathhouses of this type are still found in rural Finland.

By stacking tree trunks one on top of another and overlapping the logs at the corners, people made the "log cabin". They developed interlocking corners by notching the logs at the ends, resulting in strong structures that were easier to make weather-tight by inserting [[moss]] or other soft material into the joints. As the original [[Temperate coniferous forest|coniferous forest]] extended over the coldest parts of the world, there was a prime need to keep these cabins warm. The [[Thermal insulation|insulating]] properties of the solid wood were a great advantage over a [[Timber framing|timber frame]] construction covered with animal skins, [[felt]], boards or [[Roof shingle|shingles]]. Over the decades, increasingly complex [[Woodworking joints|joints]] were developed to ensure more weather tight joints between the logs, but the profiles were still largely based on the round log.<ref name="Wes">Weslager, C. A. (1969), ''The Log Cabin in America, New Brunswick, New Jersey'', Rutgers University Press, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071113164228/http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/4logcabins/4facts1.htm]</ref>}}

A medieval log cabin was considered movable property, evidenced by the relocation of [[Espoo|Espåby]] in 1557, where the buildings were disassembled, transported to a new location, and reassembled. It was also common to replace individual logs damaged by [[dry rot]] as necessary.

The Wood Museum in [[Trondheim]], Norway, displays fourteen different traditional profiles, but a basic form of log construction was used all over North Europe and Asia and later imported to America.

Log construction was especially suited to Scandinavia, where straight, tall tree trunks ([[pine]] and [[spruce]]) are readily available. With suitable tools, a log cabin can be erected from scratch in days by a family. As no chemical reaction is involved, such as hardening of mortar, a log cabin can be erected in any weather or season. Many older towns in Northern Scandinavia have been built exclusively out of log houses, which have been decorated by board paneling and wood cuttings. Today, construction of modern log cabins as leisure homes is a fully developed industry in Finland and Sweden. Modern log cabins often feature [[fiberglass]] insulation and are sold as prefabricated kits machined in a factory, rather than hand-built in the field like ancient log cabins.

Log cabins are mostly constructed without the use of nails and thus derive their stability from simple stacking, with only a few [[dowel]] joints for reinforcement. This is because a log cabin tends to compress slightly as it settles, over a few months or years. Nails would soon be out of alignment and torn out.

Log cabins were largely built from logs laid horizontally and interlocked on the ends with notches. Some log cabins were built without notches and simply nailed together, but this was not as structurally sound. 

The most important aspect of cabin building is the site upon which the cabin was built. Site selection was aimed at providing the cabin inhabitants with both sunlight and drainage to make them better able to cope with the rigors of frontier life. Proper site selection placed the home in a location best suited to manage the farm or ranch.  When the first pioneers built cabins, they were able to "cherry pick" the best logs for cabins. These were old-growth trees with few limbs (knots) and straight with little taper. Such logs did not need to be hewn to fit well together. Careful notching minimized the size of the gap between the logs and reduced the amount of chinking (sticks or rocks) or daubing (mud) needed to fill the gap. The length of one log was generally the length of one wall, although this was not a limitation for most good cabin builders.

Decisions had to be made about the type of cabin. Styles varied greatly from one part of North America to another: the size of the cabin, the number of stories, type of roof, the orientation of doors and windows all needed to be taken into account when the cabin was designed. In addition, the source of the logs, the source of stone and available labor, either human or animal, had to be considered. If timber sources were further away from the site, the cabin size might be limited.