A log cabin is a small to medium house constructed from logs or timber. It is a fairly simple type of home; log homes were built both in rural areas and in cities especially where timber-rich regions were abundant, around the world, but particularly in the northern hemisphere. Log homes in the Americas were first built by Swedes in what is now south-east Pennsylvania, c. 1640. Some older structures in the American Midwest and the Canadian Prairies are actually log homes that are covered with clapboards or other materials. Only few log cabins that date from the 18th century still stand in the United States; a majority were not intended as permanent homes and were often converted into out buildings for tools, animal shelters or other storage uses as time passed.

When log cabins were built with the intention of introducing siding, logs were usually hewn on the outside to accommodate the application of siding. Logs that were hewn on the inside were also often covered with a variety of materials used as siding, ranging from plaster over lath, or wallpaper. Nineteenth century log cabins that were used as homes were occasionally first plastered on the interior.

The single most important aspect of log cabin construction is the site upon which the log home was built. Site selection provided the cabin with both essential sun, light and drainage to make the inhabitants better able to cope with the rigors of wilderness or rural life, but selecting a proper site location also placed the home in a location that was best suited to manage the farm or ranch of the owners. When the first pioneers built log cabins they were able to "cherry pick" the best timber for log cabins. These would be aged trees with little to no limbs (knots) and be straight with little to no taper. Logs of this kind didn't need to be hewn to join well together, as careful notching would reduce the size of the chink and minimize the amount of chinking or daubing needed to fill the chink.