Is a 19mm log cabin warm enough for a UK office?

No. 19–24mm logs are a summer building, typically single glazed, at about £180–£260/m². A year-round office in the UK is a 44mm cabin with double glazing, plus insulated floor and roof, at about £310–£450/m² before electrics.

What does Shed Deal Hub do with 34mm and 70mm?

34mm is grouped with 28mm as the three-season grade. 40mm, 44mm, 45mm, 58mm, 66mm, 68mm and 70mm are grouped under the 44mm filter so heavy cabins can be browsed together. The original millimetre figure is kept on the deal when the title states it.

Do thicker logs remove the need for planning permission?

No. Thickness does not change the 2.5 metre boundary rule, the 4.0 metre apex limit, or the 15m² and 30m² Building Regulations thresholds. A thick cabin is more likely to be tall enough or large enough to hit those limits.

Guides · 2026-10-26

Log Cabin Wall Thickness Guide: 19mm vs 28mm vs 44mm+

How 19mm, 28mm, 44mm and 70mm interlocking log walls compare for UK heat, structure, glazing and foundations, with 2026 £/m² bands.

Log thickness is the specification that decides whether a cabin is a summerhouse with a different joint or a room you can work in during January. Shed Deal Hub groups the common millimetre sizes into three buyer buckets: 19–24mm as 19mm, 28–34mm as 28mm, and 40–70mm as 44mm. The raw thickness is kept as well, so a 70mm cabin is not pretending to be a 44mm one.

19mm logs — summer use

19mm, 22mm and 24mm interlocking logs are for May to September. They are single glazed or styrene, they warm up quickly on a sunny afternoon, and they lose that heat overnight. Think of them as a tighter summerhouse, not an office. In 2026 they typically land at £180–£260/m². A plastic grid or bearer base is usually enough, provided the maker agrees.

28mm to 34mm — three seasons

28mm and 34mm logs are the hobby grade: a gym, a workshop, a studio from spring through autumn. You can add a heater for cool evenings. You should not expect the walls alone to hold a comfortable office temperature in January. Budget £240–£340/m². Double glazing starts to be worth it here. The base can still be a heavy plastic grid or slabs for a modest cabin; ask the manufacturer once the building is long or has a lot of glass.

44mm and double glazing — the UK office standard

44mm logs with double glazing are the usual year-round garden office and the point where a single-skin cabin becomes plausible through winter, especially with 50mm Celotex or Kingspan in the floor and roof. The walls themselves are still solid timber, not a twin insulated skin, so the floor and roof do as much work as the logs. Expect £310–£450/m² before insulation and electrics. This grade wants a concrete pad. A grid base will move, and the doors will tell you.

68mm, 70mm and twin-skin

68mm and 70mm logs, and twin-skin walls (often described as 44+44 with insulation between), are four-season residential spec: annexes and heavy multi-room studios. They are Building Regulations territory once you pass 30m² or once anyone sleeps there. Foundations are concrete, and the price leaves the garden-shed conversation.

What the thickness is actually for.
Grade	Millimetres	Realistic UK use	Glazing	2026 £/m²	Base
19mm	19–24mm	May–September	Single or styrene	£180–£260	Grid or bearers
28mm	28–34mm	Three seasons, hobby rooms	Single or double	£240–£340	Grid, slabs or bearers
44mm	40–58mm	Year-round office	Double	£310–£450	Concrete pad
70mm / twin-skin	66–70mm+	Four-season annex	Double, insulated roof	Above the 44mm band	Engineered concrete

Joints, roofs and wind

Interlocking cabins stand up because the corners are notched, not because the walls are nailed to a stud. Look for a proper chalet corner and for storm braces on long walls. A shingle roof looks traditional and needs a steeper pitch. EPDM rubber is the calmer choice on a pent office roof: one membrane, fewer places for wind-driven rain. Either roof still needs gutters into a water butt if you do not want a trench beside the base.

Questions buyers ask

Is a 19mm log cabin warm enough for a UK office?: No. 19–24mm logs are a summer building, typically single glazed, at about £180–£260/m². A year-round office in the UK is a 44mm cabin with double glazing, plus insulated floor and roof, at about £310–£450/m² before electrics.
What does Shed Deal Hub do with 34mm and 70mm?: 34mm is grouped with 28mm as the three-season grade. 40mm, 44mm, 45mm, 58mm, 66mm, 68mm and 70mm are grouped under the 44mm filter so heavy cabins can be browsed together. The original millimetre figure is kept on the deal when the title states it.
Do thicker logs remove the need for planning permission?: No. Thickness does not change the 2.5 metre boundary rule, the 4.0 metre apex limit, or the 15m² and 30m² Building Regulations thresholds. A thick cabin is more likely to be tall enough or large enough to hit those limits.