If you haven’t already checked out our tips on buying a cabin in Utah, be sure you look over our buying guide here.

Log Homes vs. Cabin Kits vs. Prefab Cabins – Which Is Best?

If you’ve done any amount of internet searching, the chances are that you’ve come across a handful of differing options and a bunch of results that sound very similar. So first things first, let’s get a little terminology straight.

The term “log home” typically refers to a bigger house (think 1,500+ square foot structure). These are houses that people usually live in as their primary home. More often than not, they have all the amenities that a normal house would, and are connected to grid utilities–they just happen to be made out of logs. Some people just like the aesthetic of a house with a timber frame or log walls (although if you just want the look of a log structure from the exterior, it is possible to clad an ordinary “stick home” in log siding). People will sometimes refer to the “log package”, which is basically just referring to the actual logs used in constructing the home.

Log homes are built on site by general contractors and subcontractors that are (hopefully) licensed, insured, and do construction as their full time job. A log home like this usually isn’t templated in any way, and can be customized infinitely, because really, it’s just a house like any other house is a house.

On the other hand, “log cabin kit” is the term people usually use when referring to a complete set of building materials that is sent to a location to be assembled in a particular order. Kits are a standardized thing, that are made to be built exactly the same way, to a specific floor plan.

Log cabin kits can be put together by contractors, or ambitious DIY homeowners with a couple friends (if the kit is simple enough and the owner is ambitious enough). They usually won’t come with any kind of foundation, finishing materials like floors and cabinets, or anything to do with utilities (like plumbing or electrical). Cheaper than log homes, but usually less customizable and smaller floor plan.

Prefab cabins or modular cabins offer a pretty cool middle ground alternative. They are usually offered by manufacturers in standard designs and floor plans. They are built almost entirely in the manufacturer’s factories, and then shipped to the site and assembled by a professional crew.

They are more expensive than cabin kits, but potentially cheaper than a custom-built log home. Because they are assembled on site by a crew that is extremely familiar with them, the build can be done quickly and very well. Specifically, the terms “prefab cabins” and “modular cabins” are used interchangeably, and essentially mean the exact same thing.

Full Size or Small Cabin Kits

One of the first decisions that you need to make is how big your cabin kit needs to be. It used to be that your range of sizes in kit cabins was somewhat limited, but these days, you can find tiny home kit cabins, as well as full-sized, multi-story options.