Log Cabin on the Lake – Exterior Ideas Complete with Photos!

Nothing says log cabin like our lake cabin with authentic log siding, rich brown trim, and chili pepper red windows and doors. The front porch is anchored with heavy log posts connected with maritime rope. The location is, as the Minnesota locals say, “Up North”.

It is nestled in towering trees with enticing views of the beautiful blue lake beyond.

The rustic moose on the welcome sign and and the moose in the carriage light have just the right amount of whimsy.

When my friend, Jeanne, and I were driving to the title company to close on the sale of our cabin we took a wrong turn and ended up passing a garage sale. Of course, we had to stop to check out the goods and that is where I found the perfect front door sign.

When we bought the cabin in 2014 not all the windows were chili pepper red and framed in rich dark brown. Instead they were white and a hodgepodge of vinyl, wood, aluminum, single pane, double pane, rotten (we did replace those), etc. It was not in the budget to replace all the windows because after all, “it’s a cabin”. However, I wanted the exterior to feel like a cohesive unit. Paint is much cheaper than windows. So, every window and door received a fresh coat… or two… or three… of paint.

At first I painted the trim brown and red, but left the window and door white. I soon realized this was not the look I was after. Then I painted the window and door chili pepper red and surrounded it with rich brown trim. I loved it! So, I did the same for the rest of the cabin.

The best part of this log cabin is the spectacular lake view.

The second best part is the upper covered deck and lower porch spanning the full length of the cabin.

On the covered deck there is a wicker loveseat, a dining table, a wicker couch and chair, and two wood chairs with a round table between, perfect for morning coffee or evening wine.

For the dining table we ordered the metal table base online and my husband, Daryl, made the top out of old dock planks found in the yard. I wanted each of the dining chairs to be different for a casual eclectic vibe. I scored the red lantern for $5 at a garage sale when out for a Minnetonka walk with my friend, Anne.

The cabin is very close to the neighbors on one side. While sitting in our ‘coffee drinking chairs’ we looked directly onto their porch. After much thought, we decided to angle wood slats along the upper half. It not only added privacy for both homes but still maintained airflow on hot summer days.

The lower porch has a picnic table and two lounge chairs which I have dubbed the Titanic chaises. They are entirely made of wood and look like they came straight off the deck of a turn of the century cruise liner.

The back yard slopes to the lake and I always wondered about the round concrete patches peeking beneath the grass. I decided to make them into a feature. Once I cleared the grass and dirt I built a small retaining wall with pavers on the upslope and covered the pads with small stone.

I added whiskey barrels and planted a very exotic grass called King Tut. It grows 4-6 feet tall and the green flower spikelets can measure 1 foot across. Just the statement I was looking for.

The cabin came with log chairs at the fire pit. I loved the authentic look, but the logs were rotting and close to collapsing and dumping a guest onto the ground.

Originally I thought I only needed to replace the legs, but after taking them apart we ended up saving only 2 pieces per chair. I am grateful for my husband’s patience and skill with a saw as I soon realized I was way over my head. After much work and a total rebuild I now enjoy sturdy authentic looking fire pit chairs.

Another dilemma was what to do with the two kayaks. Once again Daryl came up with the answer. He built a rack that easily stores the kayaks and oars off the ground. I love it when form meets function.

The rock bed along the back porch was overgrown with weeds and was not wide enough to catch the water from the deck roofline. So I removed all the rocks, expanded the bed, installed a new border, re-added the rocks, and then planted an assortment of hosta.

The sides of the cabin also had the landscape beds reworked and planted with hosta.

On the rear downslope of the yard was an overgrown landscape bed. After removing the smaller rocks, adding a new border, planting more plants, and laying down rich brown mulch it looked beautiful.

The Log Cabin did not have a garage, so we purchased a wood shed to store our lawnmower and lake toys. I chose one with a rich brown exterior and red roof to tie in with the cabin colors. Of course I had to add a little landscaping with daylilies and striped grass.