Log Cabin Office or Insulated Garden Office

A log cabin office is a garden office with walls of solid interlocking timber. In Ireland one costs €6,700 to €10,500 at 6 to 9 m² and €13,390 to €16,720 at 12 to 16 m², put up. A framed garden office has a timber or panel frame filled with insulation and clad outside. The cabin looks like timber inside and out and goes up fast. The framed office is warmer for the same wall thickness. For a desk used every day in winter, either works if the floor and roof are insulated.

Two ways to build the same room.

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€6,700 to €10,5006 to 9 m², put up
€13,390 to €16,72012 to 16 m², put up
Floor and roofinsulation matters most

A timber cabin with tall windows at the top of garden steps — A timber cabin among trees. Solid timber walls are the look people want from a garden cabin office.

Cabin and framed office, side by side

	Log cabin office	Framed, insulated office
Walls	Solid timber logs, slotted together	A frame filled with insulation, clad outside, lined inside
Inside finish	Timber, as built	Lined and painted, or timber boards
Warmth	Depends on log thickness plus added insulation	Depends on insulation thickness
Movement	Timber swells and shrinks with the seasons	Very little
Upkeep	Treat the outside regularly	Depends on the cladding
Our price, 12 to 16 m²	€13,390 to €16,720	€13,390 to €16,720 put up; €25,250 to €27,500 fully fitted

What to ask about a cabin

The log thickness, in millimetres, and whether the walls are single or twin skin.
Insulation in the floor and the roof. This matters more than the walls.
The glazing. Double glazed, in frames that seal.
Fixings for shelves and screens. Log walls move, so heavy things are hung on sliding brackets.
Treatment. What goes on before it leaves, and what you do each year.

Which to pick

Pick a cabin if you want timber walls, a quick build and a lower price for the shell. Pick a framed office if you want plastered or painted walls, the most insulation for the thickness, and cables hidden in the walls. Either way, budget €800 to €2,500 for the base and €600 to €1,200 for the electrics.

Cabins and framed offices, priced

What	Typical cost	What moves the price
A one-desk office pod, 6 to 9 m²	€6,700 to €10,500	3 × 2 m up to 3 × 3 m. Insulated timber, put up. Base and power extra
An office for two desks, 12 to 16 m²	€13,390 to €16,720	4 × 3 m to 4 × 4 m. The insulation, the doors and the glass
A 20 m² office, 5 × 4 m	€15,200 to €22,000	Triple glazing and thicker insulation sit at the top
Fully fitted, 12 to 16 m²	€25,250 to €27,500	Insulated, wired, lined and floored, ready to work in
The base	€800 to €2,500	Ground screws, a slab or pads. A slope costs more
Painting, inside and out	€1,000 to €1,800	Size and colours

Our price guide for Ireland. Ask whether VAT is in the price. Many list prices leave it out. Ask what the price includes: the base, the cable from the house and the inside finish.