How to install the roof of your log cabin or summerhouse

Understanding log cabin and summerhouse roof styles

Before going ahead and installing your log cabin roof, let’s have a look at the type of roofs available so you can follow the right guide for adding the roof to your garden building.

Modern pent roof log cabins

Pent roof log cabins feature a roof with a single slope running from the front of the building to the back. These provide a more modern, contemporary style to your garden. Buildings such as the Jason log cabin use this type of roof, and this is one of the buildings we’ll be adding a roof to in this blog.

Pent roofs are popular because they provide a modern appearance for your garden and allow for effective rainwater runoff.

Hipped roof log cabins

Hipped roofs meet at a ridge at the top and slope down on all sides to create a more traditional looking appearance. This design provides a more traditional look and is found on buildings such as our Jannie log cabin. It features a central peak and all four sides slope downward towards the wall with no gables or ends.

Apex roof log cabins

Apex roof log cabins feature a classic pitched roof with two sloping sides that meet at the top. This is the style you would usually associate with a traditional log cabin.

Starting your roof installation

Before you start installing the roof on your log cabin, we recommend performing a few final checks to ensure all wall logs have been installed correctly, the building is completely level and square and that you have all the roof parts required available to you.

Jason log cabin roof installation

The Jason log cabin is a pent roof building which means it slopes from front to back. To create this slope, we need to fit the gables. The gables are built using layers of wall logs with a slope pre-cut into the top which forms the pitch of the roof. For a log cabin such as the Jason, the gable usually arrives in loose parts that you’ll need to assemble before you can install them on top of your building. 

You’ll find the gables on the plans for your building at the very top of the left and right walls. These pieces include notches for the purlins which will eventually be fitted on top. 

The longest part of the gable has notches in the top of the purlins to fit into.

You’ll then have four loose parts which will be placed in between the notches to start forming the roof shape.

Both the long sections of the roof and the smaller sections have markings to group them together in the right sections so make sure you’ve gathered the correct pieces together. 

With the longer and shorter pieces grouped together, you can start to slot the small pieces on top of the large pieces to start forming the shape of the roof.

Now you’ve identified where all parts go, the longer piece can be moved to the top of the wall.

With the longer roof piece in position, the front and rear front top wall logs can be added to the building so two of the smaller gable sections can be added.

With the very final top log on the front wall and two smaller parts of the gable fitted front and rear, you can infill the two smaller pieces left to place on top.

With all four pieces fitted, you can now secure it into place by screwing through the top log and into the log underneath. This will need to be done on the front and rear of the building

Fitting tongue and groove roof boards on a pent roof log cabin (Jason)

Once you’ve got the gables in place, you’ll need to fit the tongue and groove roof boards at the top of your log cabin. The tongue section of the board should face towards the rest of the roof and the groove should sit flush with the end of the purlins.

With the boards in place, secure the roof boards down with the nails supplied. We advise you to use two nails per board at every single junction where the roof boards cross over on the purlins underneath.

When laying the roof boards, ensure you leave a 2mm gap within the rebate of the tongue and groove to allow the timber to expand and contract naturally without popping out of place.

As you reach the last roof board, you might find you need to cut it to the right size to match the width of the roof. All you need to do is hold the board up to the roof and mark the roof board along where it needs to be cut. Remove it from the roof, cut along your line and use a saw to cut it to the correct size. This board can then be placed and secured back on the roof.

Jannie log cabin roof installation

For a garden building with a hipped roof, such as the Jannie, installation is slightly different. With these buildings, there is a pre-formed wooden gable that sits directly in the middle of the building, above the middle wall, separating the cabin space from the canopy. This gable is made using the same log cabin logs as the rest of your building and arrive angled, so they meet at the top of the roof ridge.

To fix the gable into place, drill down through the bottom layer of the gable into the top wall logs. Screw down into the log and make sure the head is embedded below the surface of the top log.

How to identify roof rafters for a hipped roof log cabin or summerhouse (Jannie)

When you have all the logs installed around the outside of your building, you can start to build up the roof structure. A hipped roof is made up of jack rafters and hip rafters that connect together and span off a main, horizontal ridge beam. There are four hip rafters which sit in each corner of the building and ten smaller rafters that connect off the main ridge beam.

When you’re fitting the roof rafters for your log cabin or summerhouse, you’ll find that one side of the rafter features a pre-drilled hole for a dowel, and one doesn’t. To install the rafters, find the dowel hole, insert it onto the dowel at the top of the roof and gently encourage the rafter into place.

Use the supplied screws to drill through the outside of the wall log and into the end of the rafter.

When you reach the final rafter, position it so that the pointed edge faces up towards the ridge. Once you have it loosely in place, drill through the top of the rafter at an angle into the other adjoining hip rafters.

Fitting the roof panels on a hipped roof log cabin or summerhouse (Jannie)

Once you have the rafters in place on the roof of your log cabin or summerhouse, you can start to install the wooden roof panels. For a building such as the Jannie, the roof arrives in pre-fabricated panels which consist of cladding mounted on a framework which sits on the underside of the panel.

When fitting the panel on top of the roof, you’ll need to ensure the tongue of the cladding always faces up towards the ridge of the roof.

Position the panel in place within the cavity and ensure it's centred on top of the rafters.

You’ll then need to use six 70mm screws to secure the panel in place, ensuring the bottom of the panel is in line with the rest of the roof.

Ensure correct installation of your log cabin or summerhouse roof

The roof of your log cabin provides protection from the elements over the long-term and gives you a garden building that you can enjoy for years to come so ensuring its installed correctly is essential. 

While, depending on the roof type you’ve purchased, installation will vary slightly but you’ll be provided with instructions specific to your model. 

For further advice and guidance on installing your log cabin roof, please contact our expert customer service team. 

If you’re installing the Jannie log cabin, please read the next blog in our series for step-by-step guidance on adding the canopy.

For other log cabins, read our blog on fitting the roof shingles.