Hello all! This Instructable is a guide on how to build a Log Cabin in minecraft. It maximizes storage, and size, while taking advantage of the commonly found resources found in survival. Lets get started!

This has also been submitted to the Minecraft Contest. If you enjoyed it, please leave a vote!

Step 1: Location Is Everything

First things first, you need a decent plot of land. You can build on a slope, but in survival, when time is everything, you need to be quick. Fortunately, the map I played on had a large, flat piece of land not far from where I spawned as seen in the 1st Picture above. So, first scout the area. Then once you find a spot that grabs your attention, start collecting DIRT blocks from the surrounding area, and fill in any dips, or levels so your spot for your house is completely flat, as seen in the 2nd Picture

Step 2: Masonry and Floor

Materials for this step

41 COBBLESTONE

28 Wood PLANKS (your choice of wood)

After you have shaped the piece of land to your desires, you are going to want to dig out the basic shape of the house you will be building. Again, time is everything, so my layout is fairly simple. The grid is a 6 X 9 rectangle, with a smaller 3 X 5 rectangle offset on one of the 9 brick long sides. This gives you a simple house design, with room for a porch.

Next you will need your cobblestone. After mining the amount required, rim all the edges with it. This will help you when you're building the walls later. Next, take your planks, and fill the rest of the hole so it is flat once again.

Step 3: Framing and Walls

Materials for this step

53 WOOD LOGS (your choice of wood)

50 WOOD PLANKS (Your choice of wood)

Now you will need to build the frame of the house. On the 9 X 6 Rectangle stack 4 WOOD LOGS in each of the corners 4 blocks high. Then connect the 4 corners to each other using the the rest of the WOOD LOGS. When you are finished there should be 9 LOGS left over. Use these to make the porch, and follow the pattern of the 1st floor to make it identical to the COBBLESTONE pattern.

After you have completed the frame, you need to start building the walls. For the first stack, build walls (as shown in the pictures) within the frame, leaving a 1 block space for the front door on the porch, and a 1 block space for the back door (note that both doors are on the longer 9 block sides of the house)

For the second stack, you will leave a block open on either sides of both door as these will serve as windows. For the front side of the house (has porch) place 1 WOOD PLANK 2 blocks to the right of the door. On both sides of the house (shorter 6 block sides) place 2 blocks, 1 in each corner so they sit by the WOOD LOGS. For the back side of the house, it will be built very similar to the front side, on this time, place 2 blocks to right if the door, so they sit 3 spots over, leaving space for the windows.

For the Final stack, simply fill in the 3rd row completely.

These steps can seem confusing if you get lost with the numbers, so take your time and look at the pictures if you get confused!

Step 4: 2nd Floor

Materials for this step

31 WOOD PLANKS (your choice of wood)

Most likely the easiest step in the whole build. Fill the second floor with your choice of WOOD PLANKS to create a roof for the 1st floor, while building a floor, for the 2nd floor. You can see in the pictures I took out the log that divided the porch to make it blend easier. I enjoy the look better but make it your own!

Step 5: 2nd Floor Framing and Walls

Materials for this step

44 WOOD LOGS (your choice of wood

51 WOOD PLANKS (you choice of wood)

This level in nearly identical to the 1st floor level, except for the porch. Build 4 blocks up in each corner using WOOD LOGS, then connect all the corners with the remaining WOOD LOGS.

The walls are exact same as the 1st floor, except that there is no back door. Follow the same pattern you used to build the 1st floor walls, adding in an extra block to for the pace that would be the back door.

Step 6: Roof

Materials for this step

36 WOOD LOGS (your choice of wood)

4 WOOD PLANKS (your choice of wood)

54 WOOD STAIRS (your choice of wood)

You're almost finished with your new house!

The roof is very easy to make. Once you have the materials, on the top of the wooden frame, build 4 rows of WOOD LOGS travelling diagonally upward to get the crude shape of a roof. Take your 4 WOOD PLANKS, and fill in the 2 gaps left by the shape of the slant made by the WOOD LOGS.

For shingles, we are going to use WOOD STAIRS. Simply stack the stairs following the same pattern of the WOOD LOGS, to get a more tapered, roof shape. Refer to the pictures if you get confused!

Step 7: Railings, Windows, Doors, and a Porch Roof

Materials for this step

23 WOODEN FENCE (your choice of wood)

25 GLASS BLOCKS

3 DOORS (your choice of wood)

15 WOODEN SLABS (your choice of wood)

First lets do the railings. Follow the pictures to place the WOODEN FENCE pieces in the appropriate places on the porch, and the deck, making sure to stack FENCE pieces on the corners to help support the house.

Next, create GLASS BLOCKS which will then be placed in the appropriate slots meant to hold them, across both floors of the house.

Next, create the DOORS, for each of the 3 slots meant to hold them. 2 on the 1st floor (porch and backdoor), and 1 on the 2nd floor (deck).

Finally, we'll do the deck roof. Using WOODEN SLABS, start from the WOOD LOG that spans above the porch, measuring 1/2 block down on the WOOD LOG, begin building outward, so that the new roof covers the deck completely.

And you're done! Congrats! You just completed your house! But don't celebrate yet, as you still need to make your house a home!

Step 8: Making the House a Home

Now that you've built your house, its time to decorate it to suit your needs. First you'll need to create a way to get to the 2nd floor. This can be done using stairs, or a ladder. I used a latter for simplicity sake, and to save on space. But stairs work great too! Begin adding chests, ovens, crafting tables, anvils, anything that you think you're gonna need to make the most of your new home. Be sure to add proper lighting too, as you don't want any nasties creeping up on you during the night!

As you can see I made the 1st floor where I store all my stuff, as well as craft table, repair anvil, and baking/smelting oven, while the 2nd floor is where my bed is, as well as my enchanting room. You've built the house, and you have the skills. Now make it your own! I even added a courtyard to keep out the monsters, and added a small garden out back! There is a lot you can do, from the comfort of your new home!

Step 9: Thanks for Reading!

I hope this Instructable was a good resource for you. It is meant to help new players create a larger, more creative home, while utilizing the most common of resources found while playing survival. I had a lot of fun making this and hope it can help you too! Don't forget to vote, and happy mining!