How to Build a Log Cabin First you cut down trees with an ax, and take the bark off. You cut notches in the logs so that they fit together. The logs for the house floor are cut in half and smoothed so that you don't get splinters. Cracks are filled with clay and mud. The door is hung on hinges.
Hinges make the door easier to use.
A wooden latch holds the door shut. This mallet was used in building log cabins. How to Build a Dugout Another kind of house is a dugout. It's a hole in a hill that they dug out. That's how they got the name for the house.