10 Tiny Log Cabins for Mountain Living: Kits or Turnkey?

So, you want to a tiny cabin? There are so many options when it comes to tiny log cabins, it can be overwhelming.

You can choose between tiny log cabin kits or turnkey tiny log cabins for sale. Which you get largely depends on how much of the building work you want to do yourself. You can build from plans, assemble a kit, or search for-sale listing for small cabins on land.

But when it comes to mountain living in your tiny log home, you’ll have to consider numerous logistics and associated expenses.

Let’s take a deeper look. 

Tiny Log Cabins

Whether you’re looking for your vacation or dream home, there’s a tiny log cabin for you. Turn-key options from log home manufacturers and builders often come with big benefits, like available financing. Here are our top picks!

1. Sierra Tiny Log Cabin

• Size: 400 square feet
• Turnkey Cost: $48,900-$51,900

Is the Sierra the best tiny log cabin for a mountain getaway? It definitely makes the shortlist based on its traditional look with rustic style and built-in functionality.

Comfortably vacation with the extended family with the three sleeping areas, including a large loft with room for two full-size mattresses. 

Space efficiency of the kitchen design makes cooking big meals a cinch! Additionally, unlike many other tiny log cabins, the Sierra accommodates dining for six. 

Need more tiny house storage for longer-term stays? Convert the bunkroom into a walk-in closet. It could also work as a laundry room.

Practically double your living space in the Sierra with its 10-foot expansive covered, screened-in porch. You can also use this as a mudroom with additional storage for gear. 

For more details, visit Lancaster Tiny Log Cabins here.

2. Plymouth Tiny Log Cabin

• Turnkey Cost: beginning at $86,400
• Size: 480 square feet 

Do you need more space? The Plymouth tiny log cabin is family-size. Available in sizes from 364 to 720 square feet with one to two downstairs bedrooms and a sleeping loft. You can customize each layout option to meet your specific needs.

The price point is significantly higher than the other tiny log cabins for sale listed here because it gets delivered as a code-compliant, completed home. Delivery costs are included, too but vary based on your distance from the manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. 

Get a price quote from Zook Cabins here.

3. Basecamp Tiny Cabin on Wheels

• Size: 204 square feet
• Turnkey Cost: $82,000

Do you want a tiny cabin on wheels? Look no further than the striking Basecamp model by Backcountry Tiny Homes. Park at the ski resort campground, out in the National Forest, or in a mountain-based tiny home community.

Rich natural wood grain and live edge finishes create a cozy, character-rich tiny cabin feel even though it isn’t truly a log home.

The Basecamp tiny cabin for sale is packed full of storage solutions. No nook is left underutilized, allowing you to stow away all your outdoor adventure gear with ease. Live large in this tiny cabin with an impressive rooftop deck. Just imagine taking in a beautiful sunset with beers after a full day of hiking. 

Visit Backcountry Tiny Homes to learn more.

4. The Creekside Manor Tiny Log Home

• Size: 360 square feet (567 sqft with loft)
• Turnkey Cost: $67,100

Looking for a charming tiny log cabin for year-round living? The Creekside Manor tiny cabin is built to modular building code and can be used for permanent residence. So that means financing and placement are much easier.

Unfortunately, Cripple Creek Cabins currently only delivers its tiny log cabins to South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee.

As a prefab tiny log cabin, The Creekside Manor comes move-in ready. Just add a few tiny house appliances and furniture of your choice. Everything else is included—electrical, heating, plumbing, and built-in kitchen cabinets. With a downstairs bedroom and expansive storage loft, this tiny log home is well-suited for a single person or couple.

Learn all about customizable cabin options on Cripple Creek Cabins’ website.

Tiny Log Cabin Kits

If you’re looking for significant cost- savings, a tiny log cabin kit is a good alternative to a turn-key tiny log home. Here are our top picks!

1. Outdoorsman Tiny Log Cabin Kit

• Kit Cost: $32,900
• Size: 424 square feet 

Whether you want a cabin for full-time living or as a vacation home, the Outdoorsman tiny log cabin kit is a versatile and sustainable prefab cabin kit. According to the manufacturer, Conestoga Log Cabins, it is made with engineered logs using renewable forest practices.

Importantly, this tiny log cabin is rugged enough to handle extreme cold mountain weather. The Outdoorsman meets energy code standards for insulation and also any local snow or wind load building requirements.

Like a traditional A-frame tiny house, the roofline has a steep pitch. It’s ideal for handling snowy conditions while creating a vaulted ceiling space with loft space. This can be used for storage or as a second bedroom.

Good news for novice do-it-yourselfers! A crew of three people can assemble this prefab log cabin kit in about three weeks by following the included how-to manual.

Learn more about Conestoga Log Cabins options here.

2. Mountaineer Tiny Log Cabin Kit

Timbertrail

• Basic Kit Cost: $24,950
• Size: 567 square feet 

If you’re looking for a comprehensive and convenient tiny log cabin kit experience, look no further than Coventry Log Homes has got you covered. Their order process is almost as easy as ordering a pizza. 

As the name implies, the Timber Trail tiny log cabin is made for mountain living. Its efficient layout packs a big punch with two bedrooms plus a second story. The spacious loft that’s perfect for storage of adventure gear, canning materials, or other off-grid living needs. 

Though it lacks built-ins, I appreciate how easily this tiny log home can accommodate full-size furniture. Extra space for creature comforts is precious when living in remote areas.

With your tiny log cabin kit, you’ll receive pre-cut and clearly labeled logs to exactly match your plans. An inexperienced builder can feel confident with a “Lincoln Log” like assembly for the shell. Coventry also offers a free construction how-to video series.

Keep in mind, that your total cost for building any foundation-based tiny log cabin includes much more than the kit itself. You need to plan on buying land, preparing your homesite and completing the foundation-system. Fortunately, Coventry provides an estimated construction cost calculator to help you come up with a more realistic budget.

Learn more about Coventry Log Homes here.

3. Allwood Timberline Tiny Log Cabin Kit

• Size: 483 square feet
• Kit Cost: $34,900

Looking for an affordable tiny cabin? As the largest of Allwood’s tiny log cabin kits, this is well-suited for a family. It would make an ideal rustic vacation home. 

The Allwood Timberline tiny log cabin features a downstairs bedroom and a loft with room for two double beds–great for young kids. 

Otherwise, for an individual or couple, the loft can be used for storage. Additionally, to optimize for full-time living, you can add a compact galley kitchen. Entirely possible but not included in the floorplan or kit materials.

In fact, this prefab cabin kit is like a blank canvas with Nordic Spruce bones that you can transform into a beautiful living space. Start collecting your Pinterest ideas now. But remember to budget for the cost of any additions, including insulation. 

Learn more about the Allwood Timberline kits here.

4. Parkside Tiny Log Cabin Kit

• Cost: varies 
• Size: 396 square feet 

Mountain living is all about enjoying the great outdoors. Tiny log cabins with both a deck and a screened-in porch allows you to do just that all year-round. 

The Parkside is one of the smallest available tiny cabins by Southland Log Home, America’s most award-winning designer and largest manufacturer. Outdoor living spaces are the main attraction of this minimalist one-floor design.

Do you want any changes to the layout? Customize with their online design tool or create your own design. Southland’s team will then generate construction blueprints based on your selection and budget. 

From there, they gather materials for your prefab tiny cabin kit. You can build it yourself or hire one of their local certified builders. Learn more here.

Learn more about Southland Log Homes.

5. Vermont Cottage A, Prefab Tiny Log Cabin Kit

Size: 336 square feet

Embrace the rustic mountain lifestyle with the Vermont Cottage post and beam tiny cabin kit. This style of construction is known to be sturdy and durable–perfect for remote living.

High ceilings and an open layout make this one-room tiny cabin feel bigger. Once the kit is completed, you can customize the interior any way you like. But as you might guess, the kit cost excludes appliances and tiny house furniture.

You can easily make the Vermont Cottage off-grid capable with a solar package, tiny wood stove, and composting toilet through your own product sourcing.

Jamaica Cottage Shop offers various tiny cabin kit levels, all created with the inexperienced builder in mind. A frame-only precut kit provides the most savings, but I recommend considering the more expensive 4-season kit. With this option, you get everything you need to create a year-round livable tiny cabin.

Learn more about Jamaica Cottage Shop’s available tiny cabin kits and plans here.

6. Glen Echo Cabin Kit

• Size: approx. 80 square feet
• Kit Cost: $4,826

The Glen Echo Cabin kit exudes fairytale cabin charm with its red cedar siding, gable roofline, and loft. What makes it stand out is its spacious 3’ overhang. This results in extra interior storage space, as well as an inviting covered porch.

Beware, this prefab cabin kit does not include everything you need to complete the interior, like electrical and plumbing supplies. Learn more here.

For more cheap tiny house kits under $5,000, check out my round-up post here!

Things to Consider Before You Buy a Tiny Log Cabin

Ready to embrace mountain living in a tiny log cabin? Beyond the romance and lifestyle perks, you need to consider all the elements required to achieve a livable structure. Create a realistic budget based on the costs of various options and the level of creature comforts you desire.

Here’s a breakdown of top tiny log cabin considerations:

Bathroom VS. No Bathroom

Everybody poops. But not everyone does it inside their house. For ages, tiny log cabins and outhouses went hand in hand. It’s a long tradition born from the lack of access to indoor plumbing. 

Dry cabins still exist, either historic houses still standing or a modern lifestyle choice. 

A tiny log cabin with no bathroom can allow you to live in incredibly remote areas, like the Alaskan wilderness. Why this means trekking out in the cold when nature calls, an outhouse does have perks.

Firstly, it frees up interior living space for other uses. Second, after the initial setup, maintenance is significantly less frequent than an indoor composting toilet, and any smell is kept further away.

Go months without needing to move and dig a new hole for your outhouse. It can even stay in the same spot for years with proper care. However, this means bagging your toilet paper. 

What about a shower? A tiny log cabin sans bathroom means embracing full-time outdoor bathing or indoor sponge baths. You can use a solar or portable propane water heater with a shower attachment or a gravity-pressure shower system.

Depending on your sensibilities, a cabin with a bathroom might be worth it for the sheer convenience and increased comfort.

Off-the-grid or Connected to Utilities?

For those who value self-reliance, an entirely off-grid cabin means freedom. Live remotely as you desire when you’re not dependent on utility connections. Creating your own power also provides security if the grid goes down due to natural disasters or other kinds of emergencies.

Both off-the-grid tiny log cabin living or connecting to utilities come with significant costs and potential complications. 

It comes down to your piece of mountain land. Uber-remote properties typically don’t have access to the grid. Off-grid utilities are the only option. 

If county utility hook-ups are available, costs will vary depending on proximity to utility connections. The further the power lines or water pipes have to be run, the pricier the hookup fees. In most cases, it will cost $10,000-$30,000 for both country water and power connections. 

Likely, you will need to drill a well or truck it in and store it for water access. Well, development cost anywhere from $1,500 to as much as $10,000. 

For off-grid power options, you can choose from a wind turbine, solar power system, and propane generators. A combination of these is probably your best bet to keep your tiny log home running. 

Consider the upfront costs and required on-going maintenance for each to determine what makes the most sense for you.  Don’t forget that off-grid living involves a lot of hard work and manual labor.

Keep your power needs minimal to minimize the required capacity of your off-grid power sources. A tiny wood stove, for instance, is basically free heat after the initial purchase. 

With low power needs, you can utilize a smaller, more affordable off-grid power setup. You can always add to it over time to increase power generation and storage capacity. 

Don’t forget sewage! Installing a septic system can cost upwards of $5,000. Smaller houses require smaller systems, and the good news is that translates to significant cost savings. 

As discussed above, you can also opt for an outhouse or a composting toilet. Create a greywater filtration system for household water and urine management. But be aware: your county may not allow this kind of water and waste management. Check your local regulations to know for sure.

Tiny Log Cabin Kits VS Turnkey Tiny Log Cabins

Tiny log cabin kit assembly makes building accessible for the inexperienced do-it-yourselfer. You can expect to finish within three months by yourself, or in as little as a month, with a few helping hands.

Turn-key tiny log cabins come as completed homes. Convenience can definitely be worth the higher price point. 

Frankly, the quality and building code compliance vary greatly with both options. Don’t skimp on product research, as well as local requirements!

Choosing the best tiny log cabins for mountain living

When choosing the best tiny log home for your mountain lifestyle, begin by considering where you want to put it. Determining land costs, local regulations, and available utilities will help you create a realistic budget. 

Next, consider the amount of time and money you want to spend building your dream cabin. Savings comes from doing it yourself.

However, if you have more available funds, buying a ready-made prefab cabin might be worth it. Manufacturers often offer financing. 

Did you fall in love with one of the tiny log cabins in this article? Let us know in the comments below.

Check out these related posts!

• 5 Amazing Tiny House Kits Under $5,000
• The Top 9 Tiny Homes for Sale